Sunday 15 July 2018

Postcard from Quebec City

Bonjour mes amis! One of the items on my summer fun list as written here is to meet up with friends in Quebec City in July. For this family vacation, we decided to fly to Quebec City and stay close to Old Town Quebec where most of the attractions are. We've been to Quebec City before, however, some of our friends have not, so this is an opportunity for us to re-visit some of our favourite sights in this beautiful city and create new memories with friends.

We had a record-breaking heat wave the entire week that we were there. The daily high temperatures were about 35 Celsius (95F). With humidity it felt like 45 Celsius (113F) but we kept cool and carried on. We did most of our sightseeing either early in the morning or later in the afternoon into evening, and stayed indoor during the day. Coincidentally, Canada's 151st birthday and the Festival d'Été de Québec (FEQ) were on in the same week so we enjoyed great celebrations and music as well.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Quebec City or Ville de Québec is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec, on the Atlantic side of Canada. It's about 800 km (450 miles) north east of Toronto.  You can get there by planes, trains, automobiles, or boats as the city is right by the St Lawrence River. The airport code is YQB.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT QUEBEC CITY:
  • Quebec City is a walkable walled city with a unique European feel and is incredibly well preserved after 400 plus years. It's the only walled city north of Mexico.
  • It's a mostly French-speaking city with visible signs of French culture, architecture, and cuisine, including the quintessential poutine. Want French patisserie and boulangerie? Check! Enjoy un petit café? Check! If you don't know French, no worries, as staff in the tourism industry are bilingual in English and French or multi-lingual.
  • Charming Old Town Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage site, perfect for me to wander, browse, and admire several national historic landmarks in a compact space.
  • It's a city where I feel like a kid, excited to walk along the ramparts, touch huge cannons, climb uphill to the Plains of Abraham to get a good view of the St Lawrence River below, listen and watch the street artists perform under the statue of Samuel Champlain, or take a peek at the artisan shops. The combination of hills and river offers some spectacular scenery (plus good workouts for the legs and lungs!). Oh, if you're not into hills or walking, no worries, there are funiculars and horse-drawn carriages which are attractions on their own.
  • It's so Europe and so close that I can visit and enjoy without leaving Canada.
Without further ado, please see some of my photos below. Click on the images to enlarge them.

HISTORIC LANDMARKS: Too many historic landmarks to list here, however, every time I go to Old Town Quebec, I always visit Le Château Frontenac hotel (dated back to 1893), Dufferin Terrace, the Plains of Abraham, the Citadel, and the various gates such as Porte Saint-Jean, Porte Kent, Porte Saint-Louis that are part of the fortifications.

Le Château Frontenac celebrating its 125th year

Dufferin Terrace and St Lawrence River

Plains of Abraham and the Citadel

Porte Saint-Louis, part of the fortifications

View of Porte St-Jean Tower

Cannons along the rampart

Grande Allée Drill Hall completed in 1887

Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral dated back to 1647

Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral interior

STREET VIEWS: There are plenty of eateries, art galleries, and shops along Grande Allée Est, rue Saint-Jean, avenue Cartier, all the small streets in the Old Town, and rue du Petit-Champlain in Lower Town. Quebec City is also dotted with welcoming greenery, fountains, art statues, and flower beds.

Grande Allée Est lined with eateries

avenue Cartier and its funky street lamp shades

rue du Petit-Champlain from Escalier Casse-Cou

Hilly rue Sainte-Ursule towards rue St-Jean

Parkette across from Hotel de Ville

Tree-lined sidewalk along Grande-Allée Ouest

Splash pad in Old Town Quebec

Another tree-lined sidewalk with old lamp posts

Pretty summer flowers

FESTIVAL D'ÉTÉ de QUÉBEC (FEQ): Quebec City summer festival is an annual 11-day music festival. This year, it's on from July 5 to 15 with a great line up of performers at various stages in the city. We were able to join in some of the performances and let me tell you, this city knows how to celebrate!



All in all, I've again had a wonderful time in Quebec City and another amazing trip this year. I'm now back at home enjoying summer in my city, and plotting my next adventure.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about Quebec City.

53 comments:

  1. Wow, it really does look European! I've had to look up poutine - and where I can get it in Brisbane!

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    1. I saw a restaurant menu offering about eight different types of poutine in Quebec City. I had to take a photo of that menu but it didn't turn out well so I didn't include it in my post.

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  2. You're so right, it totally screams Europe! And your opening sentence took me back to Agatha Christie's Poirot character. I would love to sit around listening to people speak French all day, and then sheepishly speaking to people in English.

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    1. LOL, yes, I did think of Monsieur Poirot. Some of my friends are French Canadians who are not fluent in English and I'm not fluent in French so we had fun mixing up our vocabulary when we spoke to each other on this trip.

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  3. Oh it looks really pretty! I don't know if I'd ever seen photos of it before.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa. Glad to share my photos of Quebec City here.

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  4. Hi Natalie! My husband and I spent a lovely few days staying in the old Town of Quebec before we left on a cruise. It was magical and we enjoyed just wandering and discovering. I would love to revisit so thank you for bringing back lovely memories for me. Have a great week!

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    1. Hi Sue - How fun that you and your husband visited the Old Town of Quebec and took a cruise from there. It's a long way for you to come from Australia so I'm pleased that you enjoyed Quebec City.

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    2. Yes Natalie we flew into Toronto and visited Niagara Falls then flew to Quebec City for a few days exploring. We then took a round trip cruise through Nova Scotia it was around the time of Fall so the leaves on the trees were just stunning. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at #MLSTL and have a great week! xx

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    3. Hi Sue - You've certainly seen a beautiful part of Canada, especially in Fall season. Thanks for hosting MLSTL. Have a beautiful week!

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  5. Loving learning about so many new and different places through your blog. I've not left Australia before and sometimes it feels like I never will, so it's lovely to grab a coffee and imagine spending time elsewhere. Thank you!

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    1. Thank you, Becky, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it. It's my pleasure to share my travels and photos here.

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  6. Perfect timing for this post, Natalie. Just yesterday I was mentioning to my mom that when her sister visits from BC in September, they should go to Quebec City for a couple of days. Do you have a hotel recommendation? Thanks.

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    1. Hi Karen - I'd recommend L'Hotel Vieux-Quebec at 1190 rue St Jean, excellent location, rooms with two beds, and eco-friendly hotel. If you book direct on their web site hvq.com, you get great free breakfast for your stay and they often offer packages. Taxi flat rate from the airport to Old Town Quebec is $35. Another good choice is Quebec City Marriott Downtown at Place D'Youville but it's a further 10 minute walk to get to the core of the Old Town.

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  7. The weather, the history, the scenery! What an amazing trip!

    SSG xxx

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    1. The trip was great. Thanks, SSG, for stopping by.

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  8. Have you ever considered writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites?
    I have a blog based upon on the same information you discuss and would really like to have you share
    some stories/information. I know my subscribers would enjoy
    your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

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  9. What a wonderful time to visit. So much sunshine and green but the heat sounded pretty hard to manage. Great shots. You do your country proud Natalie! Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek 29/52. Next week's optional prompt is Share Your Snaps. Denyse

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    1. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting and for your kind words. I'll put my thinking hat on for your next week's optional prompt. Have a beautiful week!

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  10. Looks like an amazing city to spend some time in. I've heard a lot of good things about Quebec City, and your photos certainly do that "rumor" justice. You make me want to head to that part of Canada now. :-) I've never been to Quebec, apart from my layover in Montreal last week... One day!

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    1. Glad my photos are convincing proofs to put the rumor to rest :) Thanks, Liesbet, for stopping by. Hope you'll visit Quebec City one day.

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  11. While I have visited Canada it's been many years and I've never been to Quebec. I may have to schedule a trip!

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    1. Just do it :) Thanks, Kim, for visiting and leaving a comment.

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  12. What a lovely overview of Quebec! We live near Atlanta, Georgia and have been as far as the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. We need to return and come further into our neighbor's beautiful country, hubby is with Delta Air Lines, we have no excuse! Enjoyed the post :)

    #MLSTL

    Lori Jo - 50 With Flair
    www.50withflair.com

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    1. Quebec City is a lovely destination. I hope you book a trip there with your hubby soon. Thanks, Lori Jo, for stopping by.

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  13. What a beautiful place. It looks so European. Great pics. #MLSTL

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    1. Thanks, Patrick, for your comment. Have a great day!

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  14. I'm hoping to make it to Canada one day Natalie - it's a loooonnngg way from Australia, so it's on the retirement bucket list for when we can go for a decent amount of time to offset the jet lag and really long flight - loved your pics!
    Thanks for linking up with us on #MLSTL - I've shared this on my SM x

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    1. Thanks, Leanne, for hosting MLSTL and sharing on your SM. I've been delaying my visit to Australia and New Zealand because of the long flights, too.

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  15. It looks like a beautiful, interesting city. I think I should add Quebec to my travel bucket list. It's not so far for me, since I live in the U.S., and I've been practicing my French. It would be fun to go someplace where I can give it a try without too much pressure. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Christie - Quebec City is a very good choice to add to your travel bucket list for the reasons you mentioned. There are lots to see and do in and around Quebec City (e.g. historic sights, hiking, cycling, whale watching, etc.) so you can certainly design a great trip. Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. Beautiful! I hope to get to Quebec someday!

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    1. Thanks, Amy, for your comment. Have a great day!

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  17. Looks like an amazing trip and it’s somewhere I have had on my list for quite some time. Your photos look fab and what great weather you had too!! #mlstl

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    1. Thanks, Debbie, for your comment. Maybe you can plan a trip to Canada after your Odyssey :)

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  18. Wow - looks a fun place for a festival!

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    1. Quebec City's joie de vivre is awesome. Thanks, Lydia, for stopping by.

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  19. I have always wanted to visit Quebec (mostly because I majored in French and wanted the opportunity to speak it). I have had the opportunity to visit France several times, but perhaps in our retirement years it might be nice to visit this French city that is closer to home. Will pin for future reference :)

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    1. You have several good reasons to visit Quebec City. I hope you make it happen. Thank you, Molly, for stopping by and pinning my post.

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  20. Beautiful photographs! It sure does look European. I have a lovely friend I met through blogging who is from Quebec. She now lives in Melbourne. #TeamLovinLife

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    1. Thanks, Min, for stopping by. Nice to hear you've turned friendships from blogging to IRL. Hope your kitchen reno is going well. Have a great week!

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  21. We don't hear a lot about Quebec here... mostly Toronto and Ontario - not sure why... less European and more 'Commonwealth' country-ish perhaps? It's certainly beautiful! #teamlovinlife

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    1. Ah, the less mentioned gems are gems nevertheless. Thanks, Deb, for stopping by.

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  22. Quebec City is such a pretty city. I visited here in 2004 for a few days and was absolutely awestruck by this beautiful place. Thanks for bringing back such special memories. #TeamLovinLife

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    1. Hi Kathy - I'm pleased to hear you had special memories of Quebec City from your visit. It's a long way to come from Australia but you definitely picked the right destination.

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  23. What a lovely place to visit. Thank you for showing us your great pictures.

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    1. Thank you, Victoria, for your kind words. I'm happy to share my travel photos here.

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  24. Oh this brought back memories. I visited Old Quebec in 2015 {along with a lot of Canada} and this was my favourite place apart from the Rockies. So beautiful and the architecture was amazing.

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    1. Thank you, Sanch, for your visit and comment. I'm glad to hear you've visited a lot of Canada, including Quebec City. The Canadian Rockies are majestic. I feel very fortunate to live in this beautiful country.

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  25. Wonderful shots that brought back many happy memories for me, Natalie!
    Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme!

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    1. Thanks, Nicholas, for your visit and comment. I hope to take part in the Travel Tuesday meme more often.

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  26. Hello!
    Visiting from Our World Tuesday. Nice write up. We have friends and family living in Montreal and Calgary, so we visit often. Quebec City is also one of our favorite cities in Canada.

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    1. Hello and thank you for your visit and comment! I'll visit your blog shortly.

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