Quebec City – Joie de Vivre

Quebec City was founded in 1608 and is the only walled city north of Mexico in the Americas.

After a three hour road trip we arrived at our hotel, somewhere I have always wanted to stay, the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. The most photographed hotel in the world! Sitting on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence river and within the walls of the Old Town, the historic castle-like building dominates the skyline of the city.

Built in 1893 and added to over the years, it is hard to imagine a more spectacular setting for a hotel. It has 611 rooms and suites with 12kms of corridors. The Reception was very busy when we arrived as there was a graduation party taking place. It was lovely to watch girls arriving in their prom dresses. We had a brief tour of the hotel and facilities, but it would have been nice to have time to explore more for ourselves. It is definitely worth taking the funicular down to the old port area if you have time.

We went for dinner at the boutique Auberge Saint Antoine, a fabulous property in the old port area of the city. Every room is different and artifacts discovered when the property was extended and refurbished are displayed throughout the building. We had a fantastic view of the Chateau Frontenac from the terrace and enjoyed a superb meal.

The following morning, we went on a walking and tasting tour of the old town with Richard from Old Quebec Food tours. It was a fantastic way to see and explore the city - poutine and maple syrup lollipops were some of the things that we tried.

After the tour we went by coach to Montmorency Falls. About 15 minutes from the city, they are higher than Niagara Falls but not quite as spectacular. We took the cable car up and walked across the bridge to view the falls from the top. There is a lovely park and restaurant, worth spending an afternoon to explore.

From there it was a short trip to Hotel -Musee Premieres Nations. We were shown around the Huron-Wendat museum before entering the Longhouse to listen to a First Nations story-teller. Not the most authentic of experiences as he wasn’t Wendat and the fire was a gas rather than wood smoke but the stories were interesting. The hotel rooms were lovely and our dinner in the restaurant was fantastic. From there it was a short transfer to Sainte Foy station to wait for the Ocean train.

Quebec City is one of the most historic cities in Canada and there is so much to see and explore. I would recommend at least three nights for your stay, sadly we had just one!