Canada – Quebec

Quebec, Canada

Parlez vous Francais ? This is the most French looking, sounding and speaking major city in Canada so get the phrase book out – honestly the people are bilingual French/English mostly so there shouldn’t be a problem ! Areas of the city are like being thrown back into 16th Century provincial France as the architecture is so influenced by that period when it was under French administration. Beautiful houses converted into artisan gift shops, colourful stores painted in all colours brighten your day and the feel is of a very affluent city.

See the city walls and bastions, old gun emplacements, the historical battlefield, the gigantic St Lawrence River and the iconic Chateau Frontenac – have a drink if you can afford it there …… and just walk everywhere to see a stunning city …. loved it! 

How to get to Quebec from Montreal

(This trip was part of a Canadian 5 city tour of Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec before I flew to a friends wedding in Chicago. Click on links for reviews on these locations).

I looked up my options of getting from Montreal to Quebec and again the bus or train wins easily. I was booking in advance so these prices may not be the same as last minute but it did get me wondering why people fly between these short distance cities …… so.

A). Express bus is 3hours 15 mins, costs $25-40 depending on timing and has reasonable comfort, centre to centre.
B). Train is 3hours 30 mins average, costs $30-51, good comfort, centre to centre.
C). Plane is 3hours 30 mins (incl security n trip to airports), costs $236 plus extra for my luggage, uncomfortable.

Train won again, I got the cheapest fare and only 15 mins longer than the bus, which may have had delays due to traffic. Once I did the trip I knew that yet again I had chosen the best form of transport because, at the sake of repeating myself again there were big comfy seats, huge windows through which to admire the passing countryside, trolley service for food and drinks and we left/arrived on time. Click here for info/schedules on VIA Rail Canada

Train to trip to Montreal.

This was going to be my last train journey, as my trip to USA – my continuation from Quebec to Chicago – was by plane due to the massive distance involved.

It has set me wondering about doing the Toronto to Vancouver trip by train as I loved these trains – so comfy, big and the world in its stunning glory going by at the window and mesmerising me as it does. That trip would take days I know but what a way to see the country and stop off a couple of times on the way …… watch this space.

Arrival at Quebec’s Gare du Palais train station meant that my hotel was only a 10 minutes walk away and what a station it is. Chateau styled exterior with the green copper roofs that I had now become so used to seeing, as a traditional feature of old Canadian buildings. It has the wonderful Place Jean-Pelletier park across the road with planted flower beds, trees, hedges and a really modern revamped central water fountain.

I was impressed and I hadn’t seen the city yet !

What to see in Quebec.

My review here generally takes you along a walk through the city and my comments on the views and places visited on the way. You can follow this route on a map if you wish, or just select the places you want to got to and head to them individually. My walks are long (you are warned! , but can be split into different days if you just finish where appropriate and reconnect back to where you left off the next day.

I found it was a gift from Ireland to Quebec as a memorial and thank you to the people of Quebec who offered help to the Irish immigrants during the great famine of the 19th century. It intrigued me to find out more so I looked it up online and here we have it – The street it is on was called Ste Helene Street but is now called McMahon Street and is apparently named after Father Patrick McMahon, the first pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, built for Irish worshippers.

The façade of the old church of 1833 still remains a few doors down the road (it burnt down in 1970) and is incorporated into the cancer research building there now. My Irish friends will be pleased that I have added this in!!!

The streets are the Museums of Quebec!

For me Quebec city was not going to be a stream of visits to museums and galleries. It has some but I had heard that the streets are the museums and just walk and take in the wonderfully restored buildings and scenery was a culture trip in itself. I absolutely loved these walkabouts and friends ask me what it was like. I can only say that the nearest point of reference I can give, is to imagine walking around an affluent, large, 17th century town in France.

Such is the influence of its French colonial past. It has left it with a legacy, not only of the language, but of the architectural influences of the day, culture, traditions and religion. Quebec was essentially a massive fort and trading post on the huge St Lawrence River and the pics I show here will hopefully convey that .

First stop was the old city walls and ramparts or the “Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site”, to give it its full and official tourist site title.

Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site

Quebec is the only fortified city in North America with its walls still in existence and shows the huge military presence it commanded during its colonial days.

There are many buildings from the 16-18th Century along the walls and most are gun batteries, armaments stores, garrison buildings, storage houses etc. What was great here was that as you walked around there are lots of information boards. They give you information to read about what you are looking at and what the buildings were used for. Click here for further info on these fortifications.

Some are a bit long but do read them, as I found out so much that I would never have known, just by looking at the buildings.

The first one I visited in Parc de l’Artillerie and its adjacent area was the living quarters of the military commander’s house. It had been both French and English owned as the two had battled over the city.

I saw inside the Governor’s House and then walked along the battlement walls to the famous Porte Saint-Jean, a fortified gatehouse that still is open to two way traffic.

Views across from the walls are lovely and you see the predominantly old town on one side and the more modern side on the other.

Look down to the left and you will see the area that has been specially built for the horse driven tourist carts. The horses stand waiting and being fed.

To the right you will see the large hotels of the Marriott and Hilton and administrative buildings of various sizes and ages. Carry along the walls and keep those photos coming, as in this area are some wonderful photo opportunities of the embankments and beautiful buildings below.

Finally you reach Porte Saint-Louis, another bridged gateway and it is here that I descended for a diversion, before returning to continue my wall walk.

Quebec Parliament Building

My diversion takes me into the adjacent gardens in front of the Parliament building. This huge Second Empire-style building is worthy in size and grandeur of being a national Parliament Building let alone just for the Province of Quebec. It really reminded me of the Ottawa National Parliament building in its size and design. It has free guided tours in English and French but check their website here for times as they do change.

I heard that these free tours are very good and full of historical and political info for an oversee of the city and region. I decided not to take the tour as my time today was limited and there was a lot more to see today before it got dark. A walk around the gardens was needed, with its playful large fountain and several statues of various designs and was the perfect place to look up at the Govt buildings.

I noticed the many statues here and there was one of Mahatma Gandhi in a kind of peace garden area and statues of several famous Canadians. Listening out I heard the clip-clop of the horse drawn carriages passing by the gardens and then on thorough the fortified gateway.

Plains of Abraham.

From here I crossed the road with the Croix du Sacrifice on my left (a memorial to the dead of WW1 and 2 and the Korean War) and entered onto the historical Plains of Abraham. Wasn’t quite sure what this would look like in reality. I knew from history that this was a battlefield from 1759 next to the city, whereby British soldiers commanded by General Wolfe climbed the cliff at night and surprised the French and overtook the city.

I knew both the English and French commanders died of their wounds in the battle and this battle effectively paved the way for eventual British takeover of Canada. Although I could only see one small part of it (it’s massive – 2.5km long by 0.5 wide) I got a sense of the word “Plain” and it really is now just a large grassed and wooded …… erm …. plain !

There is a museum opposite if you want to find out more about the battle and area.

It is not exciting to look at but knowing its historical importance I was glad to finally see it. I wanted to see these famous cliffs that the soldiers scaled to get to the top and they were nearby.

Citadelle area

The citadelle was across the walls and I could see a lot of from outside and thus did not double back to the gateway a long way off to go inside.

I decided to walk along the pathway on top of the cliff for the views and to get a sense of how high these famous cliffs that overlooked the river were.

Yep….they were big and very steep! The fortified walls rose up against my left side and their height was huge. The views across the river from the wooded cliff walkways were magnificent and I was not expecting the river to be so wide ….. it was more like an estuary! I could see some cruise ships, tugboats and big ferry boats and it was now that I realised why this river is called a Seaway!

I carried along this walkway called “Promenade des Gouverneurs” and the views are stunning. It opens out onto a wide promenade as it comes away from the cliff and starts to incorporate city buildings to its left. One of the little interesting structures I came across was the well known Les Glissades de la Terrasse, basically toboggan slides that have been here since 1884.

Further along you come across a little wooded park – Parc des Gouverneurs and it is here that there is the memorial obelisk to General Wolfe, aptly placed near to the cliffs he scaled

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

It not often that I have a whole review section on a hotel as a tourist attraction, (click here for hotel website), and its certainly not because I got to stay here – I wish. This 5 star hotel is possibly the iconic symbol of Quebec for its amazing design, architecture and fabulous views over the St Lawrence River !

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac was opened in 1893 by the Canadian pacific railway as an up-market hotel for its train passengers – just like the one in I mentioned in Ottawa. This turreted chateuaesque-styled building got its name from the French governor Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, of 1672-1698. His coat of arms are even on a wall inside the hotel.

It is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world – I would probably agree.

The long list of famous people who have stayed here – King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Grace of Monaco, Chiang-Kai-Shek, Charles de Gaulle, Ronald Reagan, François Mitterrand, Charles Lindberg, Alfred Hitchcock and Montgomery Clift, to name only a few, probably gives an indication of how it has been seen by the mighty and influential.

Its spire was, for a long time, the tallest structure in Québec City. Its style is Georgian Palladian and some of the tress that surround it are nearly 200 years old. In fact, the Bishop’s throne inside the church is made from a tree that was blown down in a storm in 1846. In the midst of the old town, it was so quiet inside and I virtually had the place to myself on my visit.

One way of getting down to this lower level is by coming out from Place d’Armes and onto Fort Street, turn right at the statue and onto the downwards curvy road, Cote de la Montagne.

This leads to the lower area and at the second curve in the road will be some steps that lead you onto the main shopping but historical street of Petit Champlain. This street is full of pretty houses from the 1700’s that have been converted to restaurants, shops for art and craft, tourist trinkets, clothes etc but very well maintained. It is also very full of tourists, as it really is a main attraction.

Walk to the end of the street and turn left and walk kind of back on a parallel street towards the large grouping of houses ahead. You will reach a small horseshoe shaped street of beautiful old buildings. Keep looking up, as at various points on this walk, you will be able to see up to the battlements and the funicular train route, that is another cute way to get down here.

Now head for the quayside. You can get some great pics of the opposite bank and now you are very near the huge waterway and the docked ships.

Place Royal.

Turn left and back into the main area, as there is one wonderful aspect to see – the Place Royal. This has a church – Notre Dame des Victoires and beautiful buildings in a 17th century town square setting which, I felt,was quite unique for its attractiveness.

I think this is one of the places in Quebec that won me over and turned me into an admirer of this amazing city. This whole area is beautifully atmospheric. My advice, just wander the lanes and streets and take it all in.

Look out for the several trompe l’oeil murals on the side of buildings. Artistically done and often not seen as they depict street scenes or imitation sides of houses, that you think are real.

I wandered yet more streets, came across a street artist playing a huge Australian didgeridoo and yet more affluent art shops selling everything, from wine, to food, to paintings.

Vieux Quebec / Old Town

We are now really in the old town as street upon street here is like stepping back in time. Buildings are elegantly restored and the French rustic style comes back again. I wandered the many street just looking in amazement at each turn of the road as there was yet another perfectly maintained historical street.

I have put the myriad of photos of houses and streets here to give you an idea. If you are in this area, there is no set pattern to walk, just get lost and enjoy, as all streets come back on themselves !

Flight Quebec to Chicago.

My trip had ended in Quebec and it was one of the highlights of the whole Canadian journey. Next day I headed for the small airport and was advised that taxi is the best option as the bus was not reliable. Hotel got me a good deal, it arrived on time and got me there with ease.

The next part,  was a flight to Toronto and then a transfer onto a small aircraft for the flight from Toronto, to the wedding I was to attend in Chicago. I have put pics of the little plane that took me from Toronto to Chicago, as we landed at Billy Bishop Airport, on the island off the waterfront of Toronto.

We fly in and out past the skyscrapers – my Toronto review here, describe this airport. In Toronto,I went on a water boat and saw the planes coming in overhead – and here I was about to go on one of those planes.!

Sept 2016.