QUEBEC, "THE BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE"

BY CLAY LARROY

There is nothing more exciting than traveling. Whether you are going for a road trip to see something new in your own state, or heading off to somewhere for the very first time to visit a city you have always dreamed of, there are some travel basics that you should know. Travel in the off seasons from November to April, to avoid crowds, save money and enjoy temperate weather. In those months, many families with children cannot travel due to school commitments, making many tourist attractions much less crowded. This may also result in lower costs for airfare and hotels.  When you are ready to plan a vacation contact me!

Things to see and do in Quebec

Carnival

Québec City's Winter Carnival (www.carnaval.qc.ca/en), held in late January to mid-February, is one of the largest Lenten festival in the world. It is a thrilling spectacle of parties, ice baths, dog sled races, ice palaces, sculptures and snowmobile races.

Culture in Montréal

Place des Arts is the home of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and several theatres offering year-round drama, music, ballet and opera. Both the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Arts of Montréal have good collections.

Cycling

La Route Verte (the 'Green Circuit') boasts over 4,000km (2,485 miles) of marked paths and roadways. The St Lawrence River Valley is good for moderate cycling, while the hilly Laurentians region is more challenging. Mountain bike enthusiasts head for parks and nature reserves, especially Parc de la Jacques-Cartier and Mont-Sainte-Anne, both within easy reach of Québec City.

Gaspé

In the Gaspésie region, highlights include the Rocher Percé ('the pierced rock', a massive, arched sandstone rock rising from the Atlantic), and Gaspésie Provincial Park, which protects herds of caribou in a beautiful landscape of woods, lakes and streams.

Lower Town

Québec City's 'Lower Town' is a thicket of 17th-century streets centred on Place Royale. For art lovers, the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica houses a unique collection.

Montréal architecture

Cosmopolitan metropolis Montréal has an unusual underworld - a series of underground shopping and recreation complexes, linked by walkways and the metro, and centered on Place Ville-Marie. Other architectural highlights include the Biodôme (the former Olympic velodrome, now an exotic indoor zoo), and the fascinating Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Old Montréal

Vieux-Montréal, the historic waterfront section, has been carefully restored and contains many beautiful buildings and gathering places including Place Jacques-Cartier; the former French governor's residence, Château Ramezay; the city's oldest chapel, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours; and Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History.

Québec City

Old city walls and green copper roofs are the defining characteristics of Québec City. The provincial capital is the only fortified city in North America and is one of the most 'European' cities on the continent, with a 95% Francophone population. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008.

Skiing and snowboarding

Québec boasts outstanding winter sports facilities, a long season, plentiful snow and around 80 ski centers. The main regions are the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships and the Greater Québec/Charlevoix area. Make sure to check whether the ski center offers housing accommodations as some do not. Cross-country skiing is very popular, as are snowmobiling, snowshoe trekking, ice fishing and ice climbing.

Taste treats

Québec is home to countless food and drink festivals, such as the many events celebrating the maple syrup harvest from March until

mid-April. Érablières (maple farms) and cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks) are sprinkled through the province. You can watch the harvest and sample maple toffee (made by pouring molten syrup onto fresh snow).

The marvellous Magdalens

Miles of white sandy beaches and a host of unspoiled fishing villages await intrepid travelers in the Magdalen Islands, 215km (134 miles) east of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Upper Town

While in Québec City, you can wander through the cobblestoned streets and shaded squares of the 'Upper Town', which has fine 18th- and 19th-century architecture, notably the Place D'Armes and the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel ( http://www.fairmont.com/frontenac). Energetic tourists climb 310 wooden steps to the Citadel, which affords incredible views across the river.

Vikings and geology

The Duplessis region (part of a bigger, largely rural area called the Côte-Nord) is the site of some of the earliest landfalls in the New World, made by the Vikings. The bizarre geological formations of nearby Mingan Archipelago are best explored by boat.

Watersports

If you're an outdoorsy type, you can enjoy a variety of watersports, from white-water rafting (especially on the Rivière Rouge) to gentle boating. Canoes, kayaks and sailboards are available to hire in many provincial and national parks. The St Lawrence River has excellent facilities for sailing.

Whale watching

From May to October, whale-watching tour passengers can see up to 12 species including humpbacks in the St Lawrence. In early March, thousands of harp seals give birth on the ice floes of the Magdalen Islands. You can take a helicopter ride over the area. Be forewarned that this is also the season of the controversial seal hunt, so you may encounter both hunters and activists.

Wild western Québec

The Outaouais region of western Québec, near Ottawa, is home to aerial parks where you can walk or zip line through the forest canopy, white-water rafting spots, caves, bungee jumping sites, unspoiled Gatineau Park and Omega Park (a drive-through animal preserve http://www.parc-omega.com/en/ ), as well as one of the largest log buildings in the world (now the Fairmont Le Château Montebello hotel).

Shopping & nightlife in Quebec

Québec City and Montréal have excellent shopping facilities, both in large department stores and small street markets. Specialties include furs, Native American crafts, haute couture, antiques, specialist fashion boutiques and discount retail outlets.

In Montréal, Sainte-Catherine Street is home to international fashion retailers and elegant department stores, while the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood is known for chic décor shops and quirky boutiques. In the suburbs, Carrefour Laval is one of the larger malls. In Québec City, don't miss Petit-Champlain Street, a narrow, cobblestone street that is one of the oldest shopping thoroughfares in North America. For street caricaturists and art galleries, head to Trésor Street.

Opening Hours

Generally, Mon-Wed 0900-1800, Thurs-Fri 0900-2100 and Sat 0900-1700, but hours vary. Most shops are open on Sunday afternoons.

Nightlife in Quebec

Québec City and Montréal offer some of the best nightclubs and cabarets in Canada. In Montréal, the action seldom begins before 2200 and usually continues until 0300 the next morning. Nightlife is concentrated in the western part of the downtown area along Crescent and Bishop Streets and around Ste-Catherine Street, where there are many bars, restaurants and clubs of all kinds. For a particularly French flavor, try the many clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and bistros further east around Saint-Laurent (often known simply as 'The Main') and Saint-Denis. In Québec City, the wide boulevard called Grande Allée, just outside the old city walls, hums with activity in clubs and bars until late at night.

REFERENCE SITES:

http://www.travelresearchonline.com/

I spent much of my childhood in northern Quebec, and often there was no radio, no television - there wasn't a lot to entertain us. When it rained, I stayed inside reading, writing, drawing. 

Margaret Atwood

Live Well, Laugh Often and Travel Much!