Neighborhoods in Brief

Vieux-Québec: Haute-Ville Old Québec's Upper Town, surrounded by thick ramparts, occupies the crest of Cap Diamant and overlooks the Fleuve Saint-Laurent (St. Lawrence River). It includes many of the sites for which the city is famous, among them the Château Frontenac, Place d'Armes, the Basilica of Notre-Dame, and the Québec Seminary and Museum. At a still higher elevation, to the south of the Château and along the river, is the Citadelle, a partially star-shaped fortress built by the French in the 18th century and augmented often by the English (after their capture of the city) well into the 19th century.

With most buildings at least 100 years old and made of granite in similar styles, Haute-Ville is visually harmonious, with few jarring modern intrusions. When they added a new wing to the Château Frontenac, for instance, they modeled it after the original -- standing policy here.

Terrasse Dufferin is a pedestrian promenade atop the cliffs that attracts crowds in all seasons for its magnificent views of the river and its water traffic, which includes ferries gliding back and forth, cruise ships, and Great Lakes freighters putting in at the harbor below.

Vieux-Québec: Basse-Ville and Vieux-Port Old Québec's Lower Town encompasses Vieux-Port, the old port district; the impressive Museum of Civilization, a highlight of any visit; Place Royale, perhaps the most attractive of the city's many small squares and home of the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church; and the restored Quartier du Petit-Champlain, including pedestrian-only rue du Petit-Champlain, which is undeniably touristy, but not unpleasantly so, and has many agreeable cafes and shops. Visitors travel between Lower and Upper towns by the cliff-side elevator (funiculaire) at the north end of rue du Petit-Champlain, or by the adjacent stairway.

Parliament Hill Once you pass through the walls at St-Louis Gate, you're still in Haute-Ville (Upper Town), but no longer in Vieux-Québec. Rue St-Louis becomes Grande-Allée, a wide boulevard that passes the stately Parliament building and runs parallel to the broad expanse of the Plains of Abraham, where one of the most important battles in the history of North America took place between the French and the British for control of the city. This is also where the lively Carnaval de Québec is held each winter. Two blocks after Parliament, Grande-Allée becomes lined on both sides with terraced restaurants and cafes. The city's large modern hotels are in this area, too, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts is a pleasant 20-minute walk up the Allée from the Parliament. Here, the neighborhood becomes more residential and flows into the Montcalm district.

St-Roch Northwest of Parliament Hill and enough of a distance from Vieux-Québec to warrant a cab ride, this newly revitalized neighborhood has some of the city's trendiest restaurants and bars. A dreary indoor pedestrian mall on the main strolling street, rue St-Joseph est, was gutted -- the roof removed, the sidewalks widened, new benches added -- and artists were hired to renovate the interiors and exteriors of their industrial buildings. It has all brought a youthful pop and an influx of new technology and media companies to the neighborhood.

Much of St-Roch, however, including what's referred to as Québec's "downtown" shopping district, remains nondescript and a little grubby. But the blocks near the corner of rue St-Joseph and rue du Parvis (where Hugo Boss moved in with a massive store) are increasingly home to top-notch restaurants and cute boutiques. Note: On older maps, rue du Parvis was called rue de l'Eglise.