Quebec City, The Most Beautiful City In Canada?
Absolutely Blown Away By Quebec City
Up until this point, I had driven from Toronto to Ottawa, then Ottawa to Montreal then a quick 3 full-day excursion.
Now it was time for the last city on my road trip, Quebec City.
So the following day, I got up at 10 am in my hostel in Montreal, loaded up the car, and drove the remaining 2.5 hours towards Quebec City.
This was a city within Canada I knew practically nothing about, yet this was the one city in Canada that completely blew my expectations.
When I was young, my father, coming from the old European world of St. Petersburg in Russia, mentioned that Canada didn’t have that much culture.
That the city landscapes of Canada primarily consisted of shopping plazas, massive cookie-cutter replica housing developments, and gas stations.
Perhaps he knew something I didn’t?
It was only during and after visiting immensely beautiful European cities, the Colonial capitals and towns of Latin America, the massive temple compounds of Asia, and even the gorgeously palace-like city of St. Petersburg in Russia did I really understand what he was comparing Canada to.
But then I arrived in Quebec City and was completely blown away!
Time Travel in Canada?
Once again, not wanting to blow through hundreds of dollars on a hotel, and wanting to meet other travelers, I decided to stay in a hostel.
Upon arriving, you are immediately immersed in something incredibly historic.
Just around the corner from my hostel were the Plains of Abraham which features an enormous fort called the Citadel of Quebec dedicated to protecting the French against the English during 7 years of war.
Despite the French putting up a valiant defensive effort, the English eventually captured the Fort, along with Quebec City.
The Old European World of Quebec City
But then, just down the hill from the fort, you are transported into old Europe.
An experience I had never expected, especially within Canada.
Everything felt incredibly colonial, but instead of the usual Spanish-colonial which I had grown accustomed to within Latin America, this instead was a version of French colonialism.
The roads were no longer in grid-like formats but instead organized from a time when colonists, military, and religious ministers would set up facilities on whatever patch of land was available, in whatever direction made sense at the moment due to strategy, religion or practical reasons.
In between narrow cobble streets flanked by 3 story homes, you encounter parks featuring either statues of important historical figures or the occasional military cannons.
Despite the old town transporting you back in time, there were the occasional hotels that seemed to have been planted here during a simpler time of building code regulations.
An Evening in Quebec City
Later in the evening, I decided to venture down to the lower town of Quebec City to experience my very first fancy boutique vegan restaurant at Don Vegan.
Then back on the scooter, I began to make my way to the Old Quebec city port.
Thankfully, this area had a lot of plaques that explained the history of the old port, and how it evolved over time.
Sunset in Quebec City
As the sun continued setting, I made my way back from the old port, back to lower Quebec City, and then to Upper Quebec City.
From here I enjoyed a quick light show of the port, and finally back to the hostel for a quick recharge.
Night Time In Quebec City
As the night progressed, I decided to head back into the old town, to explore a bit more.
Nighttime featured beautiful light decorations as tourists walked around looking for a place to grab a drink.
A bit further out, I would cross one of the most beautiful structures in Quebec City, the Parliament Building Museum. While at this hour it was closed, the statues adorning the facades were beautiful and intrigued me with curiosity to know who these important personalities were.
Eventually, it was too dark to venture any further, so I rode back to the hostel.
That night, the hostel became a weekly bar for students, that felt practically like a Fraternity party. I had one drink, chatted with a couple of the locals, and finally called it a night.
Day 2 in Quebec City
The following day, I made my way to the best view of Quebec City at the Terrace of Saint Dennis.
At this point, you definitely won’t miss the giant Château Frontenac Hotel that is featured as the hallmark representation of Quebec City.
The first phase of this hotel was completed in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway company during a time that saw massive railway expansions. Thus the company thought it would be a great idea for wealthy citizens and visitors to stay in a hotel in style.
Then I slowly crept my way down to the Dufferin Terrace to the flood of tourists.
Where It All Began
Eventually, I decided to make my way down, again, to the lower levels of Quebec City.
You end up entering an even older part of Quebec City called “Little Champlain Street”, named after its founder “Samuel Champlain” who was one of the first Europeans to arrive in this area many centuries ago.
This street is even more narrow than those of upper Old Quebec City, yet, it was densely packed with boutique shops and restaurants.
At this point, I had to get off my scooter due to the density of tourists and embrace the vibrance of colors and historical intrigues.
I honestly felt like I was in a small town in France, with petite coffee shops, stone fountains, cobblestone streets, and tourists people watching as they waited for their drink and food orders.
Along The Saint Lawrence River
Escaping from this dense village of old European history, I hopped back into the scooter, and made my way along the Saint Lawrence River, trying to find a way back up to the upper town.
The only option it seemed was to carry my scooter up a massive flight of stairs.
Upon getting to the top, I ventured through the Joan of Arc gardens, named after a very famous hero of France, before heading back to the hostel to end the evening.
A Bit More Of Quebec City
Later in the evening, I randomly made my way back down to Lower Quebec City, and across to Saint Joseph street.
This felt more like a typical European shopping street with boutique shops on your left and right, with a large boardwalk for pedestrians.
Afterward, I doubled back to Old Quebec City to enjoy the atmosphere just a bit more before finally deciding to call it a day.
Quebec City is the Most Beautiful City in Canada?
I’ll have to say it’s a close second to Vancouver Canada actually.
The absolutely beautiful presentation of Quebec City is amazing, with its historic roads, architecture, restaurants, shops, and foundations.
But Vancouver simply has an overabundance of nature surrounding the entire city, which is hard to compete against.
Also, during the summer months that I visited Quebec City, it was surprisingly cold, even snowing and raining momentarily.
Recommended Reading & Resources
- Official Tourism Quebec – Visit Quebec City
- Quebec City – Wikipedia
- Official City of Quebec Website
- Quebec City Travel Guide – US News & World Report
- Quebec City on Google Maps
More Links
- Exploring Downtown Toronto Canada
- Summertime in Montreal, Canada Part 1
- Summertime in Montreal, Canada Part 2
- A Road Trip To Ottawa, The Capital of Canada
- Kingston, Canada
Cheers,
Leonidas
