Active Pursuits

Right inside the city, Parc des Champs-de-Bataille (Battlefields Park) is the most popular park for bicycling and strolling.

Outside the city, the waters and hills provide countless opportunities for outdoor recreation, including swimming, rafting, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, and sleigh riding. There are three centers in particular to keep in mind for most winter and summer activities, all within a 45-minute drive from the capital. The provincial Parc de la Jacques-Cartier (tel. 418/848-3169 in summer, 418/528-8787 in winter; www.sepaq.com/pq/jac/en) is off Route 175 north; Station Touristique Duchesnay (tel. 800/665-6527; www.sepaq.com/duchesnay) is a resort in the town of Ste-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier; and Parc Mont Ste-Anne (tel. 888/827-4579 or 418/827-4561; www.mont-sainte-anne.com) is northeast of the city toward Charlevoix.

From mid-November to late April, the Taxi Coop Québec shuttle service picks up passengers at hotels in the morning to take them to Parc Mont Ste-Anne and Station Stoneham (where Parc de la Jacques-Cartier is) and return them to Québec City in the late afternoon. Call tel. 418/525-5191 to check rates, make a reservation, or ask if your hotel participates when booking a room. More information is at www.taxicoop-quebec.com.

Biking

Given Upper Town's hilly topography, biking isn't a particularly attractive option in that area. But there are lots of places to go for a couple hours right in the city, either along the river or up in Parliament Hill in Parc des Champs-de-Bataille (Battlefields Park). Rentals are available at a shop next to the Marché du Vieux-Port (Old Port Market) in flatter Lower Town: Cyclo Services, 289 rue St-Paul (tel. 418/692-4052; www.cycloservices.net) rents bikes for C$25 (£13) for 4 hours, with other increments available. The company also conducts guided bicycle tours with several route options.

There is a marked path for cyclists (and in-line skaters) along the waterfront. Tourist information centers provide bicycle trail maps and can point out a variety of routes depending on your timing and interests.

Camping

The greater Québec City area has 24 campgrounds, some with as few as 25 campsites, and several with hundreds (Camping Valcartier has 700). Most have showers and toilets. For a list of all the sites and their specs, go to www.quebecregion.com and click on "Camping."

Canoeing

Parc de la Jacques-Cartier's several lakes and rivers are fairly easy to reach, yet seem to be in the midst of wilderness; you can rent canoes in the park.

The Station Touristique Duchesnay resort (www.sepaq.com/ct/duc/en), 45km (28 miles) from Québec City, is on the shores of Lac Saint-Joseph and rents out canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats.

Fishing

Anglers can wet their lines in the river that flows through Parc de la Jacques-Cartier; catches are mostly trout and salmon. Permits are absolutely required and can be purchased at many sporting-goods stores. Information about fishing regulations is available from the Minstère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (tel. 866/248-6936; www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/faune).

Golf

A new 18-hole course, Golf de la Faune (tel. 418/627-1576; www.golfdelafaune.com), opened in June 2008, 10 minutes from downtown., at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel Québec (tel. 418/627-8008; www.fourpoints.com/quebec). The course has eight water hazards and 45 sand traps. Green fees start at C$35 (£18).

Outside the city, Le Grand Vallon (tel. 888/827-4579 or 418/827-4653; www.legrandvallon.com) at Parc Mont Ste-Anne is an 18-hole, par-72 course with tree-lined stretches, wide-open midcourse sections, four lakes, and 40 sand traps. Rates are C$36 to C$88 (£18-£44) and include use of a golf cart, access to the driving range, and practice balls.

Swimming

Those who want to splash around during their visit should plan to stay at one of the handful of hotels with pools. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has one, as do Manoir Victoria, Hilton Québec, Loews Le Concorde, Château Laurier, and Château Bonne Entente. Village Vacances Valcartier, an all-season recreational center a half-hour from the city, has an immense wave pool and water slides.

Cross-Country Skiing

Parc des Champs-de-Bataille (Battlefields Park), where Carnaval de Québec establishes its winter playground during February, has a network of groomed cross-country trails. Equipment can be rented at the Discovery Pavilion (tel. 418/648-2586; www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca), at 835 av. Wilfrid-Laurier, near the Citadelle. Thirty minutes outside the city, Station Touristique Duchesnay (tel. 877/511-5885; www.sepaq.com/ct/duc/en) offers extensive trails and ski rentals. This is where the Ice Hotel is built each winter, making it well worth a trip. The resort also has a spa, nightly accommodations, and a bistro, Le Quatre-Temps. The Association of Cross-Country Ski Stations (www.rssfrq.qc.ca) maintains a website that proffers a list of maps and other options.

Dog Sledding

Aventure Inukshuk (tel. 418/875-0770; www.aventureinukshuk.qc.ca), at 143 route de Duchesnay in Ste-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, is in Station Touristique Duchesnay, near where the Ice Hotel is built each winter. Guides show you how to lead a sled pulled by six dogs. Even on the short 1-hour trip, you go deep into a hushed world of snow and thick woods, past rows of Christmas trees, and over a beaver pond. The company's 200-plus dogs live in a field of individual pens and houses under evergreen trees and work up an enormous cacophony of howls whenever a team of dogs is harnessed up and set to go. Guides work with the same dogs every day, training and caring for their teams themselves. Overnight camping trips are available, too. The 1-hour trip, which includes an additional half-hour of training, costs C$88 (£44) in December, January, and March, and C$97 (£ 49) in February. Children ages 6 to 12 are half price, and ages 2 to 5 go free (children younger than 2 aren't allowed). It's expensive, especially for families, but the memory stays with you.

Ice-Skating

In winter, outdoor rinks (with skate rentals) are set up in Place d'Youville just outside the Upper Town walls. (Until 1931, Place d'Youville was a public market.) Check with the tourist office for more information.

Skiing

Foremost among the nearby downhill centers is Mont Ste-Anne, containing eastern Canada's largest total skiing surface, with 66 trails (17 are lit for night skiing).

Tobogganing

From December to mid-March, an old-fashioned toboggan run is set up on the steep wooden staircase at Terrasse Dufferin's south end; the run extends almost to the Château Frontenac. Tickets for Les Glissades de la Terrasse are sold at a temporary booth and include the use of a four-person toboggan; cost is C$2 (£1) per person. Call tel. 418/829-9898 for information.