So much to see in Quebec City
Our second full day in Quebec City ended up being one of those perfect sightseeing days where we covered a ton of ground without ever really feeling rushed. We explored the Citadelle, wandered through historic churches and cobblestone streets, rode the Funicular down to Petit Champlain, enjoyed cocktails inside the Château Frontenac and finished the evening along the lively Grande Allée.
Of course, the day did have one slightly less glamorous beginning.
Breakfast at Le Casse Crêpe Breton in Old Quebec
We started our morning with breakfast at Le Casse Crêpe Breton, a tiny crêperie in Old Quebec that had been on our list to try.
The crêpes were delicious and everything was going great until a sanitation truck pulled up across the street and started pumping out one of the buildings. We were sitting in at the window, with it open and then the smell arrived!
Seriously.
Nothing quite complements a beautiful French crêpe like the smell of a sanitation truck first thing in the morning. Gross.
Thankfully, it did not ruin breakfast completely, and once we finished, we met up with Ben and Maria and headed toward one of the places I had really been looking forward to visiting.
Touring the Citadelle of Quebec
Our first major stop was La Citadelle de Québec, perched high above the city on Cap Diamant.
The Citadelle is much more than another historic building. It is still an active military garrison and has been home to the Royal 22e Régiment since 1920. The current star shaped fortress was largely constructed by the British between 1820 and 1850 following the War of 1812, although portions of the military site date all the way back to the French colonial period. It is considered the largest British fortress in North America.
We first walked through the Royal 22e Régiment Museum, which covers more than 300 years of military history. After that, we joined the guided walking tour of the Citadelle grounds. Because this is still an active military installation, visiting the fortress itself is done through a guided tour.
I definitely recommend doing the walking tour because you see areas you otherwise would not have access to, plus the views from the fortress are incredible.
One of the more interesting stops was the tailor shop. This is where they work on the ceremonial uniforms, including those unmistakable black bearskin hats you see the soldiers wearing during ceremonies. We have all seen that style of uniform before, but seeing where everything is actually maintained was pretty cool.
The Citadelle was definitely worth setting aside a couple of hours for.
Chalmers Wesley United Church
From the Citadelle we walked over to Chalmers Wesley United Church.
The church was built in 1852 for a Scottish Free Church congregation and is considered an important example of Gothic Revival architecture in Old Quebec.
The outside is absolutely beautiful and definitely catches your attention as you walk by. Inside, though, it is surprisingly simple compared with some of the elaborate Catholic churches we had visited earlier on our trip.
It was still worth going inside and taking a look, especially since it was right along our route back toward the Château Frontenac. Just around the corner, we came upon another gorgeous church and this cool statue. I had to look up the statue to find out the meaning of the little boy kneeling on teddy bears and ironically there is no story. The artist just created it that way.
Riding the Quebec City Funicular to Petit Champlain
Eventually we made our way back to Dufferin Terrace and decided it was time to head down into Lower Town. Instead of taking the stairs, we took the Funiculaire du Vieux Québec.
Once we boarded our car and I looked down, I was absolutely terrified! Thank God it was a very short ride (maybe 1 minute long).
The Funicular has been transporting people between Upper Town and Lower Town since 1879. The original system used steam power and water counterweights before being converted to electricity in 1907. Today it travels down the cliff at roughly a 45 degree angle, connecting Dufferin Terrace with the Petit Champlain district, Place Royale and the Old Port. (Le Funiculaire)
At the bottom you step directly into Quartier Petit Champlain, which is easily one of the prettiest parts of Quebec City. Rue du Petit Champlain is considered one of the oldest commercial streets in North America, and the entire neighborhood feels like something out of a European village.
There are boutiques, restaurants, patios, art galleries and little shops everywhere. If you know our friend Maria, then you know she loves to shop and she was in heaven! This was definitely one of those areas where we had no real itinerary. We just wandered.
Lunch in Petit Champlain and Exploring Place Royale
Eventually the four of us found a quaint little restaurant for lunch. And I cannot remember the name of it. It was so hot and we grabbed two small tables and enjoyed a flatbread and a sandwich.
After lunch we walked over to Place Royale.
This is not just another beautiful square. It is where Samuel de Champlain established Quebec in 1608 and built his original habitation, which served as a fort, trading post, storehouse and residence. Because of that, Place Royale is often referred to as the birthplace of French North America. We’ll come back to Place Royale later in the week to explore more.
When you stand in the square surrounded by the old stone buildings, it is pretty incredible to think about how much history started right there. After walking around for a bit, we headed back toward the Funicular and rode it back up to Dufferin Terrace.
Cocktails at Château Frontenac and Bar 1608
We decided to try having a cocktail one more time at the Chateau during the day – maybe our luck would be better this time. Right outside of the Chateau they have daily street performers and when we came upon this guy, he was swallowing fire!
If you want to go inside the Château Frontenac without staying there, we found daytime to be the easiest time to explore the hotel and stop for a drink. Scott, Ben, Maria and I headed to Bar 1608, one of the beautiful bars inside the Château. It overlooks the St. Lawrence River and is known for its cocktails and classic atmosphere.
Our cocktails were beautiful, but they were also expensive. Obvious to say, we only had one. LOL. But sometimes you are paying for the experience, and having a cocktail inside one of the most recognizable hotels in the world certainly qualifies. We relaxed there for a while before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Dinner on Grande Allée at L’Atelier
That evening we decided to venture outside the walls of Old Quebec and head toward Grande Allée. If you are looking for restaurants, bars and nightlife, this is a great area to explore. There are tons of restaurants within a relatively short stretch, so you could easily walk around and decide what looks good. This is what they consider “outside of the walls”.
We chose L’Atelier, which specializes in tartares and cocktails and has a fun, contemporary atmosphere right on Grande Allée. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. The food was fantastic (I can’t remember what each of our dishes were, as by this time, we’ve eaten so much food!)
After dinner we started walking back toward Old Quebec, which turned out to be perfect timing because the Parliament Building was completely illuminated.
Quebec Parliament Building and the Women in Politics Monument
Quebec’s Parliament Building is impressive during the day, but I think it might be even prettier at night.
As we walked past, we stopped to see the Monument en hommage aux femmes en politique, or the Monument Honoring Women in Politics.
The bronze monument was unveiled in 2012 and honors four women who played important roles in advancing women in Quebec politics. Idola Saint Jean, Marie Lacoste Gérin Lajoie and Thérèse Forget Casgrain campaigned for women’s voting and electoral rights. Marie Claire Kirkland became the first woman elected to Quebec’s Parliament in 1961. The figures are shown moving forward together, which symbolizes the progress they helped create. It is one of those monuments that is easy to walk past without realizing the story behind it.
The Fontaine de Tourny at Night
Directly in front of Parliament is another landmark that looks spectacular after dark, the Fontaine de Tourny.
The fountain actually has a fascinating history. French sculptor Mathurin Moreau designed it in 1853, and one of the castings received an award at the Paris World’s Fair in 1855. It eventually spent decades in Bordeaux, France, before being dismantled in 1960. The fountain was later restored and brought to Quebec City as a gift from the Simons family in honor of the city’s 400th anniversary. It was installed in front of Parliament and inaugurated in 2007.
Today the fountain has 43 water jets and is illuminated at night, which made it especially beautiful when we walked by. Definitely stop here after dark if you are visiting Quebec City.
Ice Cream and One Final Cocktail in Old Quebec
By this point we had already eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner and enjoyed cocktails at the Château, but apparently our group still had room for dessert. So we stopped at Le St Crème for ice cream before continuing back into Old Quebec. Naturally, ice cream led to one final question.
Should we really call it a night yet? Apparently not. We finished the evening with a nightcap at Savini, which was the perfect ending to a very full day.
Looking back, this was probably one of my favorite days in Quebec City because it had a little bit of everything. Military history, churches, beautiful architecture, shopping, great food, cocktails and plenty of time just wandering through the streets.
And somehow, despite everything we packed into the day, there was still much more to see. In our next blog we are leaving Old Quebec and heading to Montmorency Falls!
As always, thank you for following our journey! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (see link below) and on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney
Cheers, Scott and Ally
