Exploring outside of Quebec City
Day 3 in Quebec City took us outside the walls of Old Quebec for a half day tour of some of the most popular attractions in the surrounding countryside. Our itinerary included Montmorency Falls, Île d’Orléans, Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans, the Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum and the incredible Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré.
It was a full morning of sightseeing, history, chocolate and some absolutely beautiful scenery. Then, because apparently we had not done enough eating and drinking yet, we returned to Quebec City and somehow turned dinner into an impromptu pub crawl.
Sometimes those unplanned evenings end up being the most fun.
Breakfast at Cochon Dingue
Before boarding our tour bus, we started the morning with a fantastic breakfast at Cochon Dingue. We had eaten very well throughout our Quebec City trip, and breakfast was certainly no exception. Scott ordered a skillet filled with potatoes, eggs and bacon, while I went with a BLT sandwich with pork. Both were delicious and exactly what we needed before spending the next several hours touring the countryside.
After breakfast, we made our way to the tour bus. There were about 40 people on the tour, and our first destination was just outside Quebec City at Montmorency Falls.
Our First Stop: Montmorency Falls
You really cannot appreciate the size and power of Montmorency Falls until you see it in person. At 83 meters, or about 272 feet tall, Montmorency Falls is actually taller than Niagara Falls. The park is only about 15 minutes from Old Quebec, which makes it a very easy excursion if you are staying in Quebec City.
Our tour allowed us about an hour and a half at the falls. There are several different ways to explore the park, but rather than trying to cram everything into our limited time, we simply followed the walking trail toward the falls. The closer we got, the more impressive they became. And the wetter everyone became.
You can walk all the way toward the base of the falls, but once we saw how soaked the people coming back from that area were, we decided we were perfectly happy admiring them from a slightly safer distance. Seriously, unless you are prepared to get wet, do not get too close. Even from farther back, you can feel the mist and hear the tremendous roar of the water. After taking plenty of photos and enjoying the views, we headed back to the bus and continued toward Île d’Orléans.
Exploring the Countryside of Île d’Orléans
Once we crossed onto Île d’Orléans, the scenery completely changed. Just a short distance from Quebec City, the island feels wonderfully rural, with farms, old homes, small villages and views of the St. Lawrence River around nearly every corner.
Île d’Orléans is approximately 34 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, and agriculture still occupies almost 95 percent of the island. It is also historically significant as one of the earliest settlements in the St. Lawrence Valley. About 300 French families settled on the island during the 17th century, and their descendants eventually spread throughout North America. The island was officially declared a heritage site in 1970.
Driving through the countryside was one of those moments where you realize how quickly you can go from the busy streets and historic architecture of Quebec City to farmland and tiny villages. Our next stop was in the village of Sainte Pétronille at the Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans.
Chocolate and Lunch on Île d’Orléans
Naturally, you cannot take us to a chocolate shop and expect us to leave empty handed.
The Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans has been welcoming visitors at its Sainte Pétronille location since 1998. The shop produces handmade chocolates using Belgian chocolate and has become especially well known for its chocolate dipped ice cream during the warmer months.
Since it was around lunchtime, we grabbed a quick sandwich and, of course, a few bites of chocolate. You have to support the local economy.
After eating, we walked across the street toward the shoreline, where we found one of the prettiest views of the entire day. From there we could look across the St. Lawrence River toward Quebec City and see Montmorency Falls in the distance.
It was a completely different perspective from what we had seen earlier that morning. Between the farms, historic homes, shoreline and small businesses, Île d’Orléans would actually be worth spending an entire day exploring. The main road around the island is about 42 miles long, and there are vineyards, farms, artisan shops and six different municipalities scattered around the island. Unfortunately, we had more places to see, so it was back on the bus.
The Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum
Our next stop was one we probably would not have discovered on our own, the Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum and Studio in Château Richer. This ended up being much more interesting than I expected.
Albert Gilles was born in Paris in 1895 and learned the art of repoussé, a technique of creating designs by shaping metal from the reverse side, when he was young. After eventually moving to North America, his work took him from Detroit to California, where he worked for clients that included prominent automobile families and people in Hollywood. He later settled permanently in Quebec and became especially well known for his religious artwork.
Over the years, his studio created artwork for dozens of churches throughout North America. What makes the story even more interesting is that it remains a family business. After Albert Gilles died in 1979, his wife, daughters and later his granddaughter continued the tradition. Today, members of the family still practice and preserve the copper repoussé techniques he helped make famous.
The connection to our next stop was fascinating too. The Gilles studio created several important pieces for the Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré, including copper doors, a tabernacle and other religious artwork. After seeing the craftsmanship up close, we got back on the bus and headed to see some of that work in its much grander setting.
The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré
Nothing really prepared us for the Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré. As our bus came around the corner and the basilica suddenly came into view, I could not believe the size of it.
It was enormous. I told Scott it was probably the largest church I had ever seen in person outside of the Vatican.
The history of the shrine dates all the way back to 1658, when the first small chapel dedicated to Saint Anne was built in the area. Over the centuries, the site became an increasingly important pilgrimage destination. The previous basilica was destroyed by fire in 1922, and construction of the massive basilica standing there today began in 1923. It was officially inaugurated in 1934.
Today, Sainte Anne de Beaupré remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites in North America and receives more than a million pilgrims annually. We had about an hour to explore, and there was much more here than simply walking inside the basilica.
The interior was incredible. Everywhere we looked there were mosaics, stained glass, sculptures and ornate details. The sheer scale of the building was difficult to capture in photos.
We also walked across the street to explore more of the sanctuary grounds, including the Memorial Chapel, the smaller chapels and the Way of the Cross. The Memorial Chapel commemorates the earlier church that welcomed pilgrims from 1676 until 1876, while the hillside Way of the Cross includes fourteen stations depicting moments from the Passion of Jesus.
Whether you visit for religious reasons, architecture, history or simply curiosity, it is an impressive place. This was definitely one of the unexpected highlights of our Quebec City trip.
Back to Quebec City for Cocktails
Our half day tour returned us to Quebec City at around 3:00 p.m., which gave us plenty of time to continue exploring.
Or, more accurately, plenty of time for a cocktail.
We stopped at Mordu for an afternoon drink and started talking about our plans for dinner.
We already had dinner reservations somewhere else that evening, but while sitting at Mordu we pulled up the menu and started looking at it again. The more we looked at it, the less excited everyone became. Eventually we all came to the same conclusion. We did not want to go, so we canceled our dinner plans. Now it was evening in Quebec City, we had no dinner reservation and no real plan. Instead, we decided to turn our evening into a pub crawl!
An Unplanned Quebec City Pub Crawl
Our first stop was Maison Livernois, where we ordered appetizers and drinks. Maison Livernois is both a distillery and pub with a huge focus on gin. In fact, they offer more than 250 different gins along with their own house spirits. It was a fun place to start our unofficial progressive dinner.
From there we made our way to Le Chic Shack, directly across from Château Frontenac, where we stopped for another cocktail. Le Chic Shack is known for its casual Quebec comfort food, burgers and poutine, and its location right in the middle of Old Quebec makes it an easy place to stop while wandering around.
Our final stop of the evening was La Buchette, the smaller sister restaurant of La Bûche, which specializes in casual Quebec inspired food. By this point, our canceled dinner reservation had turned into a very successful evening.
No reservations. No real itinerary. Just wandering around Old Quebec, stopping wherever looked interesting and turning appetizers and cocktails into dinner. Sometimes that is the best way to travel.
Another Fantastic Day in Quebec City
Day 3 turned out to be one of the most diverse days of our entire Quebec City trip. And we were not done with Quebec City yet.
Be sure to tune in next week as we continue exploring Quebec City and finally get back on the water for a cruise down the St. Lawrence River!
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Cheers, Scott and Ally
