Looking for an incredible weekend getaway? Look no further than Quebec City. Enter Old Quebec and you immediately feel as though you are wandering the streets of Paris. From the charming alleyways, beautiful French language and incredible Quebecois food, Quebec City is the perfect weekend getaway.
We visited Quebec City for 3 days as part of a larger week long trip to the Quebec Region. For us 3 days was the perfect amount of time to explore the city and surrounding area. This post will focus on the old district of Quebec City also called Vieux-Québec. Vieux-Québec is made up of two parts the Upper Town known as Haute-Ville and Lower Town known as Basse-Ville.
Haute-Ville is where you will find the Château Frontenac. There is a reason why the Château Frontenac holds the Guinness World Record for the most photographed hotel. Simply put, it is stunning. It’s hard to believe it’s a hotel as it truly looks like a palace! If staying here is too rich for your blood (it was for us!) then pop in for a drink at the rooftop bar. Before leaving, take a stroll on the promenade for some great views of the Château.
There are two main ways to get down to the Basse-Ville. You can take the Funicular or walk down. I would recommend walking down and taking the Funicular back up. The path down is on the most charming winding road that ends right in the center of Petit Champlain (the most gorgeous little town square!) There is a stairway down as well but we had a stroller so we took the winding road.
While in the lower part of town we grabbed lunch at Le Lapin Sauté. I highly recommend sharing the Duck & Rabbit Platter. If you’re looking for an afternoon pick me and want a latte as big as your head check out La Maison Smith. While you’re there you might as well grab a croissant and macaron!
We stayed at Hôtel Palace Royal Centre-Ville which is located just steps from the fortification, where you enter the historic district. We really enjoyed our stay here! They had great rates on their two room suites which in my opinion is 100% worth it when traveling with a baby! This hotel has an indoor swimming pool, cool balconies overlooking the interior courtyard and parking.
We had a few hours to kill before our room was ready so we walked to the nearby Rue Saint-Jean which has tons of cute shops and restaurants. We particularly enjoyed checking out the small Musée du Chocolat where they have over 10 hot chocolates to choose from! Also check out J.A. Moisan which is an adorable food shop-in fact it claims to be the oldest grocery store in North America (which I didn’t know until I was writing this post!) We also enjoyed dinner at The Hobit Bistro, the French onion soup was C’est Magnifique!
To say we loved our trip to Quebec City would be an understatement. The francophone in me jumped with excitment every time someone said Bonjour or I spotted a macaron. I still can’t believe that a place like this exists in North America. If you’re looking for a wonderful getaway close to the states-book your ticket now.
Britt Heller 