One Day in Quebec City - The Vic Version

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Canada is an amazing travel destination. We’ve got a little bit of everything, from the beautiful beaches of Vancouver to the Rockies of Banff, big city life of Toronto and European feel of Quebec City. Keep reading for all the things you should fit into one day in Quebec City – or elongate your trip and stretch it into two!

With all these travel restrictions, we all probably will not be taking international trips this year, but we can still enjoy the beauty that is our own country! Head to Quebec and visit the likes of Montreal, Gatineau and Quebec City! I know a lot of people aren’t traveling, but I wanted to write this for the fact that I want to be traveling so bad. This is my compromise.

Last summer, I spent 5 weeks in a small town in Quebec called Trois-Pistoles, for a French program. In that time, I managed to spend two weekends in Quebec City and loved every second of it! I’d been to the city in the winter years ago, but it has a distinctly different vibe during the summer. Both are just as amazing, but definitely for different reasons.

In the summer, Quebec City is HOT. Like I’m talking steaming. For an Edmonton gal like myself, it was too hot to handle. But, if you’re prepared and ready (and probably more used to the heat than me LOL!) then you should be just fine.

One Day in Québec City

Start your morning off with brunch at Café du Monde. This place has great views of the water and great food, but honestly, the best part… they serve a latte bowl with every brunch. When I say bowl, I mean bowl. It was pretty much the size of my head. And, like I mentioned, it’s included in your meal at no extra charge. The servings are big and it’s reasonably priced, what more could you want?!

Extra: Right outside the restaurant is La Cour Arriere du Festibiere, the cutest bar area filled with beach chairs in shallow pools so you can cool off and grab a drink. This might not be the perfect spot right after brunch, but if you have a few hours to kill later or another day, definitely hit up this spot!

Since you’re already by the water, walk Lower Quebec to get some of the charming old town vibes. This area is one of my favourite parts of the city. It really feels like you’re walking in Europe! There are tons of souvenir shops down here for you to pick up a can of maple syrup, but make sure not to miss Umbrella Alley. It’s exactly as it sounds, a little street covered in Umbrellas.

From there, head up the stairs to the Château Frontenac! This is probably one of the most famous views in all of Quebec City, and rightfully so. This hotel is gorgeous and overlooks a beautiful view. Walk along the boardwalk in front of the hotel to enjoy the views, the music and the weather (hopefully!).

As you walk along, you’ll head south towards the Governors Promenade. This is a walkway between Upper Quebec and Chateau Frontenac, and the Plains of Abraham. If it happens to be winter, this is also the spot to stop for a sled ride down the toboggan slide! It really can’t get more Canadian than that so you NEED to make a pit stop.

Related: You can read more about my month long trip to Quebec here, including why I went, what the heck the FREE Explore program for Canadians is and where you can go to check it out.

After coming out of the Governors Promenade, you’ll find yourself at the Plains of Abraham. This is a spot that us Canadians learn about in school. It’s pretty famous for being the spot the English and French fought. There are plaques all around to tell you some history. They also have tours, and if you’re interested, it might be worth it to take one. The gardens themselves are beautiful and well tended to, so if you’re not into the tour thing, just take a stroll around and enjoy the views.

The Parliament Building is close and it’s another Quebec City hotspot. It’s set in some pretty swanky gardens and everyone seems to want a photo in front of the building. That means it must be nice, right?!

If you walk back towards town, you’ll come across the wall of Québec City. It’s actually the only walled city north of Mexico, which is pretty cool if you ask me! You can walk part of the wall, but they were under construction when I was there, so hopefully things have changed since then!

Once inside the walls of Upper Québec, if you’re getting snack-ish – or not, this place is worth it – head to Chocolats Favoris. It’s a chocolate shop with I kid you not, one of the best ice cream cones I’ve ever had. It’s VERY big, so maybe stick to a small, but holy, it’s SO good.

If you’re not the ice cream type, try out Chez Boulay. They have great little sandwiches and a dang good iced coffee.

If you’re not snack-ish, but you’re ready for dinner, you need to go to Patente et Machin. It’s pretty meat heavy, so keep that in mind if you’re not a meat eater. The meat is SO well cooked and the plates come with about 5 pounds of fries, so make sure to share with the table. Definitely make a reservation because this place is PACKED. There were multiple people turned away when I was there. They didn’t make a reservation and it was completely full.

That’s the official list of how I spent one day in Québec City!

It can easily be spread out over a weekend. I know this is a pretty jam packed day! Quebec City is such a cool place to be and although you don’t need a long time there, a trip is a must!

V thankful that travel is now a thing again, because for a while there it was feeling pretty sketchy if we’d ever be able to go anywhere again! I know, I’m dramatic, but I tell ya, I was getting worried.

I can’t wait for more travel content to come back to the blog. I’ve been working and studying like crazy lately so a trip would be greatly appreciated. Where to next?!

xx Victoria