The many pleasures of walking in picturesque Québec are entirely comparable to walking in similar quartiers in northern European cities. Stone houses rub shoulders; carriage wheels creak behind muscular horses; sunlight filters through leafy canopies, falling on drinkers and diners in sidewalk cafés; and childish shrieks of laughter echo down cobblestone streets. Not common to other cities, however, is the bewitching vista of river and mountains that the Dufferin promenade bestows.
In winter especially, Old Québec takes on a Dickensian quality, with lamp glow flickering behind curtains of falling snow. A man who should know -- Charles Dickens himself -- described the city as having "splendid views which burst upon the eye at every turn."
An alternative to these guided strolls is to simply "walk the walls" of the city. It takes about an hour. In some sections you are literally on top of the fortress wall; in most spots you're on a path alongside it. There's a little creative guesswork involved in figuring out how to follow the route. Because of the number of stairs and occasional two-foot gap to traverse, walking the wall rates as moderately strenuous and is not for young children or strollers. But it's easy to get on and off the path, and the trek offers wonderful views of the city.
