Popular Things to Do in Quebec City
Food and Drink in Quebec City
Quebec City is a fine destination for foodies who can enjoy culinary experiences ranging from simple bistro fare to sublime fine dining. The narrow streets of the Old City are lined with charming outdoor cafes with menus and prices to suit every cruiser's taste and budget. Although this is a French-speaking province, almost all servers speak excellent English. Don't be surprised if you taste a bit of maple syrup during your meals; it's used to flavor everything from cocktails to stews and desserts. For a low-brow bar snack, give poutine a try. The fast-food dish covers french fries with brown gravy and cheese curds.
Panache in stunning Auberge Saint-Antoine across the street from the cruise port is rightly touted by locals and visitors as the best fine-dining spot in town. A reclaimed 19th century maritime warehouse with stone walls, wood-plank floors and massive wood beams is the rustic setting for intimate dining. It's a great place for a special occasion meal featuring creative, seasonal French-Canadian cuisine with a master chef's twist. Much of the produce is grown at the restaurant's organic garden on Ile d'Orleans. The extensive wine cellar showcases a wide variety of French and local wines, including the mildly maple flavored aperitif Val Ambre. (10 Rue Saint-Antoine; (418) 692-2211; open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day)
Celebrating 50 years in business, Restaurant La Cremaillere is a fine-dining restaurant in Old Quebec that doesn't take itself too seriously. International cuisine is served in two spacious dining rooms, where many dishes, ranging from Caesar salad to crepes suzette, are prepared tableside. The service is expert but unpretentious. Don't be surprised if the owner's son picks up a guitar to serenade guests with popular ballads and a few French folk songs. (Rue Sainte-Anne; (418) 692-2216; open 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday for lunch, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly for dinner)
Award-winning Le Pain Beni offers innovative French-Canadian cuisine featuring regional products in a relaxed bistro setting. The comfortable main dining room is inside an old stone house, while street-side outdoor seating is ideal for people watching. The three-course lunch is seasonal and a good value. It's located near the famed Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac and art-lined Rue du Tresor in the heart of Upper Old Quebec City. (24 Rue Sainte-Anne)
French farm-house-charming Lapin Saute is right in the middle of the busiest tourist area in lower Old Quebec, yet it offers a wonderful and affordable dining experience with consistently great French bistro food. As the name suggests, rabbit dishes, including sausages and a lasagna, are specialties. End your meal with a signature maple-syrup creme brulee. On a sunny day, opt for the flowery patio with its view of tiny Felix Leclerc Park. (52 Rue Du Petit-Champlain; (418) 692-5325; open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday)
Le Petit Cochon Dingue is a charming family dining spot in the heart of lower Old City. Reasonable prices, rave reviews for its food and indoor and outdoor seating make it an ideal breakfast, lunch or dinner stop. The extensive menu features baked goods, crepes, sandwiches, quiche, soup, salads and pizza. Its staff has a reputation for be very friendly and helpful. (24 Boulevard Champlain; (418) 694-0303; open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and Saturday to Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Friday)
Best Cocktail in Quebec City
Caribou is a sweet Quebecois alcoholic beverage quaffed fall and winter to take the chill off. Served hot, it's made of red wine, hard liquor (usually whisky) and maple syrup, of course.
Don't Miss in Quebec City
Dufferin Terrace above the Old Town and the River offers a one-stop experience blending history, showbiz and commerce: It's close to great restaurants, charming shops, the Old Town and street performers -- mimes, jugglers and the like. Pull up a bench and enjoy!
Stroll through the Plains of Abraham -- also called Battlefields Park -- where the British and French fought in 1759. Today, it's Quebec City's equivalent of Manhattan's Central Park, home to concerts in summer and cross-country skiing and sledding in winter. Enjoy the tranquil gardens and river vistas while envisioning the hard-fought battles there. There's a multimedia show and more than 30 regimental uniforms in the Plains of Abraham Museum (418-648-4071).
Learn more about the battles at the Plains of Abraham and Benedict Arnold's march to Quebec at Musee du Fort, a historic recreation of the six sieges of Quebec. It's conveniently located near Chateau Frontenac and open daily during the spring-fall cruise season.
Join in the hustle and flow around the Place Royale, a centerpiece of Old Town. The young crowd clusters and older folks stop to rest near the regal statue of Louis XIV or at one of the many cafes.
Check out the artists exhibiting along Rue de Tresor (literally Treasure Street) and take a sample home. Choose from watercolors of the Citadel, oil paintings of the Chateau Frontenac, splendid street scenes in varied media and a variety of handicrafts. This daily art show is there through rain and snow and is especially wonderful on a bright sunny day.
The Ile d'Orleans, just 25 minutes from the Le Vieux Port, is a rustic and beautiful island where time almost seems to stand still. Its wondrous farms, churches, produce stands and quaint shops offer a wonderful respite from the urban port. In spring, sample strawberries; in fall, pick apples off heavily laden trees in the orchards of apple cider makers. (Remember, cider there, as in Europe, is an alcoholic beverage.) Many of the wineries offer samples in tasting rooms overlooking vineyards. Combine a gourmet lunch with wine tasting at Vignoble de Sainte-Petronille vineyard, permanent home to a "food truck" run by hotel Auberge Saint-Antoine's top-rated restaurant Panache.Have more time and a rental car? Drive to the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, where the cascading falls are one and-a-half times higher than Niagara. Stunning mountain and river views accompany a cable car ride to the top of the cliff where walking trails and a suspension bridge take you to lookout points. Before heading back, stop in the elegant Manoir Montmorency where you'll find a gift shop and interpretation center.
Travel just 15 minutes from Quebec City to enter the fascinating world of the Huron-Wendat Indians, the first peoples to live in this part of Canada. The Huron traditional site, located on the reservation, features guided tours that visit long houses and a museum to explain tribal life in the 17th century. Interactive activities, native food sampling and dance presentations provide a glimpse into their culture and traditional know-how. A short walk through scenic natural surroundings leads to Kabir Kouba Falls by the Saint-Charles River. The center includes a hotel, gift shop and restaurant. (575 Rue Chef Stanislas Koska, Wendake; open year-round; hours and shows vary by season)