Travel Guide to Quebec City. The Cutest Winter Getaway.

As promised, I finally put together the travel guide to Quebec City. I don’t know if it has something to do with the Canadian cities that is causing me to post them so much later than planned but it has been happening. So sorry about that! I promise you, on our next travel trip, I will not make you all wait 4 months for it. I also hope that this travel guide to Quebec City can convince you that going there around the holidays would be the cutest winter getaway!

Why Quebec City

As a refresher, we went to Quebec City in November. To be precise, we went the last week of November (right after Thanksgiving). We were inspired to visit Quebec City after our trip to Montreal. We had been hearing those two cities being compared nonstop so we had to see what Quebec City has to offer. After doing some research, we heard that one of the most fun and unique experiences is to visit during the holidays. All our research basically told us that Quebec City turns into a Christmas village. We love Christmas and Tre is obsessed with Christmas decor so we just had to see if it was worth the hype. You got it, we were willing to brave the cold for this.

We stayed in Quebec City for 4 days and 3 nights and we honestly think it was a good amount of time! So without further ado, here is the travel guide to Quebec City.

Travel Guide to Quebec City

Place to Stay

We stayed at the Auberge Place d’Armes. We loved it! The location was perfect and it is right across the street from the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. Of course, you can stay there too, but the Auburge Place d’Armes has so much charm. The rooms have a lot of character and the staff is very friendly! It is attached to the Chez Jules restaurant (which is a delicious place to eat by the way), and you get free breakfast at Chez Jules!

Places to See

Please keep in mind that this travel guide to Quebec City mainly focused around the holiday experience Quebec City has to offer.

• German Christmas Market
  It is a large Christmas market and has so many unique things to look at, buy, and eat! It definitely gets you in the holiday spirit and obviously we had the famous German Spiced wine Gluhwein! This market is only available during the weekdays. So if you want to see the Christmas market, I highly recommend that part of your stay is during a weeknight(s).
• Shopping at Old Quebec City
  The biggest appeal of Quebec City is Old Quebec. There’s so much charm and a lot of European history. The streets are so cute and there are so many shops! I really enjoy just walking around and oo-ing and ah-ing at all the streets. Around the holidays, every door has a real Christmas tree right by it!
• Chateau Frontenac
  This is probably the most famous building/hotel in Quebec and it is the quintessential face of Quebec City. If you’re not staying here, it is definitely worth checking out. The architecture is beautiful. Reminds me of a castle. In the winter, there’s a large slide where people can go tobogonning! The lobby is filled with rows of Christmas trees!
  
• Rue du Petit Champlain
  This is the most popular street in Old Quebec and in my opinion the cutest! It is the most festive with decor and Christmas lights hanging above and wreaths on every post. This area is where you’ll find the giant Christmas trees. So if there is anything you take away from this travel guide to Quebec City, it is to for sure see this street!
  
• Marche du Vieux Port
  This port is where you will find an indoor french market. You can find so many French and Canadian delicacies in this indoor market. There’s food available too! We stopped here for some snacks. I loved the empanadas!!
• Montmorency Falls
  
  This waterfall is right outside of Quebec City. During winter time, the public transportation wasn’t available (only during warmer season), so we had an Uber take us there. It is so worth going! The Falls are beautiful! Unfortunately, due to the icy winter conditions, a lot of the spots are closed. It was so cold that I had to dress like this. We definitely want to come back in the Fall so we have more options to explore Montmorency Falls.
• The Basilica Notre Dame Cathedral de Quebec
  This cathedral is in the heart of Quebec City and you can’t miss it! It is smaller than the one in Montreal, but it is still really beautiful. I get so amazed when walking through churches like these. You don’t see churches made with this amount of detail anymore. Plus, it was a great stop in between walking so we could warm up a bit.

Places to Eat/Drink/Snack

• Chez Jules
  This restaurant has your classic French food and it did not disappoint. Everything we ate was delicious! I loved their escargot and oysters. Their breakfast was also very delicious. They have a good selection for the free breakfast (if you stay at the Auberge Place d’Armes). For sure one of our favorites!
  

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• Confiserie Madame Gigi
  This is along Rue du Petit Champlain and they have a good selection of pastries! So, of course, we stopped here for some delicious French Macarons, hot cocoa, and a latte. This is what it looks like right in front of Gigi’s.
• Marche du Vieux Port
  As mentioned earlier, this is a great place to eat for a meal or snack. There are several vendors at this indoor market and the options seem to be endless!
• La Maison Smith
  This is for sure my favorite coffee shop! There are 4 locations and all are within walking distance. We went to all 4 haha! But my favorite location is the one on Place Royal. I just love the location of this one and the storefront is so cute. Plus, it is right by the giant tree!
  
• Baguette & Chocolat
  Another cute cafe! We stopped here for lunch and of course had to have coffee and hot cocoa. Their lattes are really good! Tre had to get the molten chocolate cake and he says it is the best he’s had.
• Saprisiti
  I believe there are 2 locations. We went to the one on the cul de sac right by Rue du Petit Champlain. The food here was so good! We are obsessed with their Chorizo & Fig with Truffle Oil pizza! Even now, we keep talking about how amazing that pizza was!
• D’Orsay Pub
  This is right by City Hall and it is your classic European pub. I really enjoyed my fish ‘n’ chips!

A Quick Recap of Our Quebec City Itinerary

Day One

• Arrived early evening
• Walked around the German Christmas Market
• Walked on Cote de la Fabrique to shop and look at the stores (This is still Old Quebec and this is the street by City Hall)
• Dinner at Chez Jules

Day Two

• Breakfast at Chez Jules
• Checked out Chateau Frontenac
• Walked and shopped along Rue du Petit Champlain
• Stopped at Confiserie Madame Gigi’s to snack on pastries, hot cocoa (for Tre) and a latte (for me)
• Marche du Vieux Port (to check out the indoor French market)
• Walked some more around Old Quebec and checked out the big tree.
• Dinner at D’orsay Pub
• Snacked at La Maison Smith and had some hot cocoa.

Day Three

• Breakfast at Chez Jules
• Montmorency Falls
• Coffee, lunch, and pastries at Baguette & Chocolat
• The Basilica Notre Dame Cathedral
• Explored more of Old Quebec on Rue Saint-Jean
• Dinner at Saprisiti
• Went to have tea at La Maison Smith

Day Four

• Breakfast at Chez Jules
• Did a final walk around Old Quebec before heading to the airport

 

Next Time

Hope you found this travel guide to Quebec City helpful! I highly recommend going around the holidays. Everything there just brings out your cheerful Christmas spirit and it will make the trip to the cold so worth it! Without a doubt, we would love to come back again around the holidays. However, I would love to explore Quebec City in the Fall too. That way we can see more of Montmorency Falls and explore without constantly stopping to warm up!

xo RD