What's New

Like a teenager after a New Year's Eve blowout, Québec City is recovering this year from its 400th anniversary celebrations of 2008. On July 3, church bells rang across the city as they haven't since the end of World War II.

There were the parties, of course, with the likes of Céline Dion and Paul McCartney playing free concerts. There were grand art extravaganzas, including famed Québec theater artist Robert Lepage's multimedia show projected on silos in Québec's Old Port, eliciting high praise along with oohs and aahs. A rare traveling exhibition from Paris's Louvre came to town, too. And, of course, there were politics, with the history of the province's long struggle over separatism from the rest of Canada both downplayed and cheered.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper did the downplaying, saying that the founding of the city by French discoverer Samuel de Champlain also marked the founding of a "great Canadian country, strong and free." He was countered by French Prime Minister François Fillon, who said that Québec was an extension of France on the North American continent, and that "French has never been extinguished in America"; Fillon also repeatedly referred to Québec as a "country," and locals seemed to side more with him. The fête, it seemed, wasn't about Canada at all, but a party celebrating, as one resident put it in the Globe and Mail, "400 years of French pride in this land of America."

So some conflict and division got churned up again along with all the good will, but things have settled down and now the party's over. For tourists, no bother: There's a whole city, freshly repainted and polished up, to explore, and it's more relaxed than it was last year.

The big issue looming large for foreign travelers is the incredible strength of the Canadian dollar (known to all as the "loonie," thanks to its relief image of a common loon). After a long, slow creep, the loonie reached parity with the U.S. dollar on September 20, 2007, and has stayed there.

Mostly, that's bad news for visitors. A Canadian dollar that cost US87¢ and 43p to purchase in early 2007 now costs about US$1 and 50p -- an eyebrow-raising 15% increase. That means a C$200 hotel room that cost US$174 (£86) in January 2007 now costs US$200 £100 -- a spike of US$26 (£14). A C$50 meal that cost US$43 (£22) now costs US$50 (£25) -- an additional US$7 (£3.50).

On the other hand, a tourism industry anxious to attract tourist dollars, euros, yen, rupees, pounds, and other currencies is sweetening the deals where it can. Bargain hunters can find a wider variety of travel packages than ever at hotel and tourism websites, including www.bonjourquebec.com and www.tourisme-montreal.org, and through discount services like Priceline.

Planning Your Trip

Passport rules continue to be in flux. All air travelers between the U.S. and Canada have been required since January 2007 to present a passport both coming and going. It looked like U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling by land or by sea would also need a passport starting sometime in 2008, but that hasn't happened, in large part because of concerns about the impact the new rule would have on tourism. For now, a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, plus proof of citizenship, is ample if you're traveling by car, but if you've got a passport, bring it. Check http://travel.state.gov for the most up-to-date information about traveling from the U.S.

Where to Stay

The esteemed Ritz-Carlton Montréal has started a $100-million renovation and will be closed for 15 months, until October 2009. The hotel's 229 rooms and suites will be transformed into 130 rooms and suites, plus 50 condo-residences. The front façade and much-loved back garden will reportedly be preserved.

Other notable changes on the Montréal hotel landscape include a new Westin (tel. 514/380-3333 ; www.westinmontreal.com) slated to open sometime in 2009 at 250 rue St. Antoine ouest, directly across the street from the fine Hôtel InterContinental Montréal and the Palais des Congrès convention center, at Vieux-Montréal's north end. The new Opus Hotel Montréal, 10 Sherbrooke ouest (tel. 866/744-6346; www.opushotel.com), took over the chic but dark Hôtel Godin in late 2007. Also, the all-suite, luxury Hôtel Le Crystal, 1100 rue de la Montagne (tel. 514/861-5550; www.hotellecrystal.com), opened in downtown in spring 2008. We'll review these in future editions of the book after they've had a chance to get their sea legs.

In Québec City, new owners gave a total overhaul to Hôtel Champlain, 115 rue Ste-Anne (tel. 800/567-2106; www.champlainhotel.com), and even the smallest rooms now have silk curtains, king or queen beds, 300-count cotton sheets, and flatscreen TVs.

Where to Dine

In Montréal, Hôtel Le Germain added some sizzle to its operation with the November 2007 opening of Laurie Raphaël Montréal, 2050 rue Mansfield (tel. 514/849-2050; www.hotelgermain.com/en/laurieraphael.asp), in the hotel's restaurant space. It's the first offshoot of Québec City's most famous restaurant.

The founders of the well-liked seafood-and-meat joint Joe Beef have opened an Italian eatery, Liverpool House, just a few doors away at 2501 rue Notre-Dame ouest (tel. 514/313-6049), as well as the McKiernan luncheonette and wine bar (no. 2485; tel. 514/759-6677).

A favorite Plateau Mont-Royal restaurant, Brunoise, shut down in November 2007. The owners had expanded in early 2007 to the less expensive La Brasserie Brunoise, 1012 rue de la Montagne (tel. 514/933-3885; www.brunoise.ca), next to the Bell Centre, and are continuing with the new operation.

In Québec City's St-Roch neighborhood, the estimable Utopie restaurant has expanded with to a tapas and wine bar right next door, Le Cercle, 228 rue St-Joseph est; tel. 418/948-8648.

What to See & Do

After hosting an avant-garde opening exhibit as part of Québec City's 400th celebrations, Espace 400e will become a Parks Canada discovery center right on the waterfront, with exhibits to be determined.

The must-see Musée de la Civilisation (tel. 866/710-8031; www.mcq.org) has a major new exhibit called "Territories," which highlights Québec's culture through the lens of territory occupation and natural-resource use.

If you're going to be in Québec City in August 2009, try to be there the 6th through the 9th to see what's in store for the 250-year anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. More than 2,000 historical reenactors will set up encampments in the manner of 1759 British and French soldiers on the huge grassy park at the edge of the city. They'll participate in a re-creation of the battles that resulted in France's loss of the territory and British rule of Canada. More information is available at www.quebec09.com.

In the epicenter of Québec City's tourist district, excavation under Terrasse Dufferin, the promenade alongside the Château Frontenac that overlooks the St. Lawrence River, is now complete, and you can view the work by way of walk-through tours (no reservation required) and Plexiglas flooring and walls.

In Montréal, nothing will be able to top the 2008 appearance of native son Leonard Cohen at the annual Festival International de Jazz, though planners are sure to try to come up with something almost as impressive for the July event.

Both Montréal and Québec City continue to tinker with their museum cards, which are a great deal if you're gunning to see a lot in a short amount of time: They grant entry to dozens of museums and attractions, as well as to public transit.

One final note: Like the Québecois themselves, this guidebook goes back and forth a bit between using the English and French names for areas and attractions. Most often, we use the French-language titles, as Québec's state-mandated language is French and most signs, brochures, and maps list the names in French. Occasionally, however, we'll use the English name or translation as well if that makes the meaning clearer.