Walking Tour 1

Upper Town (Vieux-Québec: Haute-Ville)

Start: Château Frontenac, the castle-like hotel that dominates the city.

Finish: Hôtel du Parlement, on Grande-Allée, just outside the walls.

Time: 2 to 3 hours, depending on whether you take all the optional diversions.

Best Times: Anytime, although early morning when the streets are emptier is most atmospheric.

Worst Times: None.

The Upper Town (Haute-Ville) of Old Québec (Vieux-Québec) is surrounded by fortress walls. This section of the city overlooks the St. Lawrence River and includes much of what makes Québec so beloved. Buildings and compounds along this tour have been carefully preserved, and most are at least a century old. We start at the grand Château Frontenac, the visual heart of the city.

1. Château Frontenac

The original section of the famous edifice that defines the Québec City skyline was built as a hotel from 1892 to 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. The architect, an American named Bruce Price, raised his creation on the site of the governor's mansion and named it after Louis de Buade, comte de Frontenac. Monsieur le Comte was New France's governor general who, in 1690, was faced with the threat of an English fleet under Sir William Phips during King William's War. Phips sent a messenger to demand Frontenac's surrender, but Frontenac replied, "Tell your lord that I will reply with the mouths of my cannons." He did, and Phips sailed away. Known locally as "the Château," the hotel today has 618 rooms. Guided tours are available.

Walk around to the river side of the Château, where there is a grand boardwalk called:

2. Terrasse Dufferin

With its green-and-white-topped gazebos in warm months, this boardwalk promenade looks much as it did 100 years ago, when ladies with parasols and gentlemen with top hats and canes strolled along it on sunny afternoons. It offers vistas of river, watercraft, and distant mountains, and is particularly romantic at sunset.

Walk south on Terrasse Dufferin, past the Château. If you're in the mood for some exercise, continue up the stairs -- there are 310 of them -- walking south along the:

3. Promenade des Gouverneurs

This path was renovated in 2007 and skirts the sheer cliff wall, climbing up and up past Québec's military Citadelle, a fort built by the British army between 1820 and 1850 that remains an active military garrison. The promenade/staircase ends at the grassy Parc des Champs-de-Bataille, about 15 minutes away. If you go to the end, return back along the path to Terrasse Dufferin.

Walk back on the terrace as far as the battery of ancient (but not original) cannons on the left, which are set up as they were in the old days. Climb the stairs toward the obelisk into the:

4. Parc des Gouverneurs

Just southwest of the Château Frontenac, this park stands on the site of the mansion built to house the French governors of Québec. The mansion burned in 1834 and the ruins lie buried under the great bulk of the Château.

In summer, shows and musical programs sponsored by the municipal government are held here. B&Bs and small hotels border it on two sides.

The obelisk monument is dedicated to both generals in the momentous battle of September 13, 1759, when Britain's General James Wolfe and France's Louis-Joseph, marquis de Montcalm, fought for what would be the ultimate destiny of Québec (and, quite possibly, of all of North America). The French were defeated and both generals died; Wolfe, wounded in the fighting, lived only long enough to hear of England's victory. Montcalm died a few hours after Wolfe. Told that he was mortally wounded, Montcalm replied, "All the better. I will not see the English in Québec."

Walk up rue Mont-Carmel, which runs between the park and Château Frontenac; turn right onto rue Haldimand. At the next corner, rue St-Louis, stands a white house with blue trim. This is:

5. Maison Kent

Built in 1648, this might be Québec's oldest building. It's most famous for being the building in which France signed the capitulation to the British forces. Its name comes from the duke of Kent, Queen Victoria's father. He lived here for a few years at the end of the 18th century, just before he married Victoria's mother in an arranged liaison. His true love, it is said, was with him in Maison Kent. Today, the building houses France's consulate general, as the tricolor over the door attests.

To the left and diagonally across from Maison Kent, at rue St-Louis and rue des Jardins, is:

6. Maison Jacquet

This small, white dwelling with crimson roof and trim dates from 1677 and now houses a popular restaurant called Aux Anciens Canadiens. Among the oldest houses in the province, it has sheltered some prominent Québécois, including Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, the author of Aux Anciens Canadiens, which recounts Québec's history and folklore. He lived here from 1815 to 1824.

Take A Break

Try Québécois home cooking right here at the restaurant named for de Gaspé's book, Aux Anciens Canadiens, 34 rue St-Louis. Consider caribou in blueberry-wine sauce or duckling baked in maple syrup, and don't forget the sugar pie that floats in cream.

Leaving the restaurant, turn back toward Maison Kent and walk along rue St-Louis to no. 17:

7. Maison Maillou

This house's foundations date from 1736, though the house was enlarged in 1799 and restored in 1959. It's best seen from the opposite side of the street. Maison Maillou was built as an elegant luxury home and later served as headquarters of militias and armies. Note the metal shutters used to thwart weather and unfriendly fire.

Continue on rue St-Louis to arrive at the central plaza called:

8. Place d'Armes

This plaza was once the military parade ground outside the governors' mansion (which no longer exists). In the small park at the center is the fountain Monument to the Faith, which recalls the arrival of the Recollet monks from France in 1615. France's king granted them a large plot of land in 1681 on which to build their church and monastery.

Facing the square is the monument to Samuel de Champlain, who founded Québec in 1608. Created by French artists Paul Chevre and Paul le Cardonel, the statue has stood here since 1898. Its pedestal is made from stone that was also used in the Arc de Triomphe and Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris.

Near the Champlain statue is the diamond-shaped UNESCO monument designating Québec City as a World Heritage Site, the only North American city with that distinction. Installed in 1986, it's made of bronze, granite, and glass.

A tourist information center faces the plaza, at 12 rue Ste-Anne.

Take A Break

This part of town is a great place to sit and watch the world go by. Grab a sidewalk table and enjoy something to drink or eat at Restaurant Le Relais, a red-roofed building with a mock-Tudor façade at 16 rue Ste-Anne.

Just adjacent to the Restaurant Le Relais is the narrow pedestrian lane called:

9. Rue du Trésor

Artists hang their prints and paintings of Québec scenes on both sides of the walkway. In decent weather, it's busy with browsers and sellers. Most prices are within the means of the average visitor.

Follow rue du Trésor down to rue Buade and turn left. On the right, at the corner of rue Ste-Famille is the:

10. Basilique Notre-Dame

The basilica's interior is ornate and its air rich with the scent of burning candles. Many artworks remain from the time of the French regime. The chancel lamp was a gift from Louis XIV, and the crypt is the final resting place for most of Québec's bishops. Notre-Dame, which dates back to 1647, has suffered a tumultuous history of bombardment and reconstruction.

As you exit the basilica, turn a sharp right to enter the grounds and down into the all-white inner courtyard of the historic:

11. Séminaire de Québec

Founded in 1663 by North America's first bishop, Bishop Laval, this seminary had grown into Laval University by 1852. During summer only, visitors can take a 1-hour tour of the old seminary's grounds and some of its stone and wood buildings, which reveal lavish decorations of stone, tile, brass, and gilt-framed oil paintings. The language of the tour is determined by the first registered visitor; more information is available by calling the museum at tel. 418/643-2158.

The Musée de l'Amérique Française, open year-round, is tucked inside the seminary.

Head back to the basilica. Directly across the small park from the church is:

12. Hôtel-de-Ville (City Hall)

The park next to City Hall is often converted into an outdoor show area in summer, especially during the Festival d'Eté (Summer Festival) with concerts and other staged programs.

In the distance, up behind City Hall, you can see Édifice Price, Old City's tallest building at 18 stories. It was built in 1929 in Art Deco style with geometric motifs and a steepled copper roof. (When it was built, it inadvertently gave a bird's-eye view into the adjacent Ursuline Convent, and a "view tax" had to be paid to the nuns to ameliorate them.)

An apartment on the 16th and 17th floors has been the official residence of the premier of Québec since 2001.

Facing the front of Hôtel-de-Ville, walk left on rue des Jardins and across rue Ste-Anne. On the left are the spires of the:

13. Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

Said to be modeled after London's St-Martin-in-the-Fields, this building dates from 1804 and was the first Anglican cathedral to be built outside the British Isles. The interior is simple but spacious and bright, with pews of solid English oak from the Royal Windsor forest and a latticed ceiling with a gilded-chain motif. Visitors may happen upon an organ recital or choral rehearsal.

One block up rue des Jardins, turn right at the small square (triangle-shaped, actually) and go a few more steps to 12 rue Donnacona, the:

14. Chapelle/Musée des Ursulines

This museum displays the Ursuline nuns' handiwork from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There are also Amerindian crafts and a cape that was made for Marie de l'Incarnation, a founder of the convent, when she left for New France in 1639.

Peek into the restored chapel if it's open (May-Oct). It shelters the remains of French General Montcalm, who was buried here after he fell in the 1759 battle that marked the end of French rule in Québec. Montcalm's tomb is under the chapel and not accessible to the public. His skull, on the other hand, is on display in the Ursuline Museum next door. The tomb of Marie de l'Incarnation, who died in 1672, also is here. The altar was created by sculptor Pierre-Noël Levasseur between 1726 and 1736 and is worth a look.

From the museum, turn right on rue Donnacona and walk to the Ursuline Convent, originally built in 1642. The present complex is actually a succession of different buildings added and repaired at various times until 1836, as frequent fires took their toll. A statue of founder Marie de l'Incarnation is outside. The convent is now a private girls' school and not open to the public.

Continue left up the hill along rue du Parloir to rue St-Louis. Cross the street and turn right. At the next block, rue du Corps-de-Garde, note the tree with a:

15. Cannonball

Lodged at the base of the trunk, one story says that the cannonball landed here during the War of 1759 and over the years became firmly embraced by the tree. Another story says that it was placed here on purpose to keep the wheels of horse-drawn carriages from bumping the tree when making tight turns.

Continue along St-Louis another 1 1/2 blocks to rue d'Auteuil. The house on the right corner is now the:

16. Hôtel d'Esplanade

Notice that many of the windows in the façade facing rue St-Louis are blocked by stone. This is because houses were once taxed by the number of windows they had, and the frugal homeowner who lived here found this way to get around the law, even though it cut down on his view.

Continue straight on rue St-Louis toward the Porte St-Louis, a gate in the walls. Before the gate on the right is the Esplanade powder magazine, part of the old fortifications. Just before the gate is an:

17. Unnamed Monument

This monument commemorates the 1943 meeting in Québec of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It remains a soft-pedaled reminder to French Québécois that it was the English-speaking nations that rid France of the Nazis.

Still on this side of the gate, cross over St-Louis and go up the hill along Côte de la Citadelle toward La Citadelle. On the right are headquarters and barracks of a militia district, arranged around an inner court. Near its entrance is a:

18. Stone Memorial

This marks the resting place of 13 soldiers of General Richard Montgomery's American army, felled in the unsuccessful assault on Québec in 1775. (Obviously, the conflicts that swirled for centuries around who would ultimately rule Québec didn't end with the British victory after its fateful 1759 battle with French troops.)

Continue up the hill to:

19. La Citadelle

The impressive star-shaped fortress just beyond view keeps watch from a commanding position on a grassy plateau 108m (354 ft.) above the banks of the St. Lawrence. It took 30 years to complete, by which time it had become obsolete. Since 1920, the Citadelle has been the home of the French-speaking Royal 22e Régiment, which fought in both world wars and in Korea. A pedestrian walkway tunneling into the hill has posted historical information. With good timing and weather, it's possible to visit the regimental museum and watch the changing of the guard ceremony, or, as it's called, "beating the retreat."

Return to rue St-Louis and turn left through Porte St-Louis, which was built in 1873 on the site of a gate dating from 1692. Here, the street broadens to become Grande-Allée. To the right is a park that runs alongside the city walls.

20. Site of Winter Carnival

One of the most captivating events on the Canadian calendar, the 17-day Carnaval de Québec happens every February and includes outdoor games, snow-tubing, dogsled races, canoe races, and more. A palace of snow and ice rises on this spot just outside the city walls, with ice sculptures throughout the field. Colorfully clad Québécois come to admire the palace and dance the nights away at outdoor parties. On the left side of Grande-Allée, a carnival park of games, food, and music is set up on Parc des Champs-de-Bataille. Teams of artists from around the world participate in the International Snow Sculpture Competition.

Fronting the park, on your right, stands Québec province's stately:

21. Hôtel du Parlement

Constructed in 1884, this government building houses what Québécois are pleased to call their "National Assembly." Along the façade are 22 bronze statues of prominent figures in Québec's tumultuous history. In the sumptuous Parliament chambers, the fleur-de-lis symbol and the initials VR (for Victoria Regina) are reminders of Québec's dual heritage. If the crown on top is lit, Parliament is in session.

Guided tours are available weekdays year-round from 9am to 4:30pm, and weekends in summer from 10am to 4:30pm. Go to door no. 3 to enter. Call tel. 418/643-7239 for more information.

The massive fountain in front of the building, La Fontaine de Tourny, was commissioned by the mayor of Bordeaux, France, in 1857. Sculptor Mathurin Moreau created the dreamlike figures on the fountain's base. It was installed in 2007 as a gift from the Simons department store to the city for its 400th anniversary in 2008.

Take A Break

Le Parlementaire restaurant (tel. 418/643-6640), in the Hôtel du Parlement at 1045 rue des Parlementaires, is done up in regal beaux-arts decor and open to the public (as well as parliamentarians and visiting dignitaries) for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday most of the year. Or, continue down Grande-Allée to find plenty of other options.

Continue down:

22. Grand-Allée

Just past Hôtel du Parlement is a park called Place George-V; behind it are the charred remains of the 1885 Armory. A major visual icon and home to the country's oldest French-Canadian regiment, the Armory was all but destroyed in an April 2008 fire. A few months after the fire, the city appeared determined to try to save the parts of the stone façade that were left standing.

To the left of the armory is a building that houses a tourist information office and the Discovery Pavilion, where a multimedia exhibit called "Odyssey: A Journey through History on the Plains of Abraham" is presented.

After the park, the street becomes lined with cafes, restaurants, and bars on both sides. This strip really gets jumping at night, particularly in the complex that includes Voo Doo restaurant and Maurice nightclub, at no. 575.

One food possibility is Chez Ashton, at 640 Grande-Allée est. The Québec fast-food restaurant makes what many consider the town's best poutine -- french fries with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy. It's open daily until 4am.

A great way to end the stroll is with a stop at L'Astral, the restaurant and bar atop Loews le Concorde Hotel, at the corner of Grande-Allée est and cours du Général-De Montcalm. The room spins slowly (it takes about 1 1/2 hours for a full rotation) and lets you look back at all the places you've been and all the places still to go.

The no. 11 bus along Grande-Allée can return you to the Old City, or turn left at Loews and enter the Parc des Champs-de-Bataille (Battlefields Park) at the Joan of Arc Garden. If you turn left in the park and continue along its boulevards and footpaths, you'll end up at the Citadelle. If you turn right, you'll reach the Musée des Beaux-Arts du Québec.