Quebec City, Canada
Quebec City
Where To Stay
Hotel Clarendon : We stayed here and it was perfect for a long weekend. Affordable room rates, centrally located to everything you’ll want to do and right by Chateau Frontenac!
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac ♡*: We didn’t stay here but did spend quite a bit of time eating, drinking & getting pampered here. There is a ton to do at the property and would definitely recommend staying here if you’re okay with the price tag (or staying close by and reaping the benefits like we did!) It is one of the most beautiful hotels and one of the most photographed in the world.
Where to Eat
Chez Jules ♡ : Traditional French restaurant, very very good! We went our last night & loved it!
Tournebroche ♡ : This was also from our food tour that we went back to! They have a garden & homemade honey they make/grow/have bees on their roof that they use for pretty much all meals. Delicious food & cute atmosphere for a dinner. You can sample their honey at the front of the restaurant too.
Lapin Saute ♡♡ : We ended up just doing dessert & drinks here because we ran out of time! You can take the funicular down there from the waterfront boardwalk fairly easily ! Their brunch/dinner menus looked great. Very cute with patio seating, I wish we had time for a full meal at this place!
Le Moine Echanson ♡♡ (out side the city walls, from our food tour) : We went on our food tour for 1 drink and a snack then went back for dinner because it was so awesome! They change their menu every month and just write it on a chalk board/walk around and explain it all to you -- they help you pair good wines with the food and let you try several before deciding on what you want for wine! Amazing service, incredible food! This may have been our favorite spot! Feels very local, a little gritty, absolutely delicious & a very cool concept.
Bistro 1640 : highly recommend for brunch! Really delicious and generous portions!
Snack Bar Saint Jean (outside the city walls) - went on our food tour - great/traditional Poutine! The best in town :)
Smith Cafe : We went here every morning for coffee & smoothies. If you stay at Hotel Clarendon, this is the perfect spot to grab a quite bite for breakfast! I wouldn’t go out of your way to come here but if you stay at/near Hotel Clarendon, this was perfect each morning.
Delices Erable & Ci : We came here to taste different maple syrup products. A bit touristy and a bit of a gift shop but does make great presents to bring back! We enjoyed our tasting & bought some nice gifts here.
Things to Do
Food Tour ♡: We did a great food tour though Tour Voir Quebec and we loved it!! It was great to do the first day because we knew what was good to eat etc - the tour had 7 stops, small bites so you dont leave stuffed necessarily. We revisited 4 of of the 7 stops throughout the weekend. They also offer other tours that may be worth checking out on their site.
Winery/Vineyard Tours: We made our own winery tour on Ile d’Orleans (about 30 minutes from downtown Quebec City) , we used a taxi service for pick ups/ drop offs (youll see the contact info in the itinerary)
Cassis Monna & Filles ♡ : Cassis was really cool, we did the tasting + glass of sangria for $10 ish and got lunch upstairs at the restaurant. They are known for their black currant berry and can buy wines, jams etc with it there. Food was great for lunch & there is a cute cafe where you can get ice cream/coffee etc too. I recommend ~2 hours here.
Vignoble Ste-Petronille ♡♡: we did the VIP tour (you learn about the vineyard/grapes etc followed by a really nice 4 glass tasting with explanations etc!) Highly recommend - about 1 hr! Wine was great & also have a cafe for food and wine before/after. There is also a great restaurant near the vineyards called Les Ancetres that we didn’t make it to after the wineries as it started raining pretty bad and wanted to get back to the city but, it looks amazing!
Hiking & Ziplining ♡♡ : We went to Montmorency Falls (Parc de la Chute Montmorency) for the waterfall ziplining and hiking. We ubered to and from very easily! You can do a "light" hike (~3miles) and zipline. The zip-line was a blast! I recommend booking ahead (maybe just the day before). They give you free lockers with the cost of the activity and you get a free video! You just have to download the app they tell you about when doing paperwork. They also give you a backpack (just for the trip) so you can put your phone in there etc. There is also a little food truck at the park & a restaurant so you can eat there. I recommend allotting 2-3 hours here. Ziplining takes about an hour between walking over (to and from the start & finish), registration, renting gear etc. And then another 45min-hour for walking around and an hour to eat?
Massages: We booked through the Moment Spa at Chateau Frontenac - great experience! If you book 2+ hours of services, you get access to their pool, spa etc!
Riverfront Boardwalk : The boardwalk is called Terrasse Dufferin and is fun to take a little stroll along the river on the river walk path! Beautiful views & can make a nice 1-2 hour walk out of it.
**Make sure to go down the Funicular in front of Chateau Frontenac off the boardwalk**! there is an entire little town at the bottom (you can also walk down there too but the Funicular is fun). So many cute cafes, restaurants, bars, the umbrella street etc!!
Bars
1608 Bar ♡♡ (at Chateau Frontenac): Excellent cocktails & apps! This bar has awesome ambiance and service and you can see the weekly fireworks from here too. We went here twice, we loved it!
D'Orsay : We came here right after we landed for apps & drinks - it is right by Hotel Clarendon. Perfect for a quick bite & drinks!
* ♡ = a favorite
♡♡ = a must do