QUEBEC CITY, "LA VIEILLE CAPITALE"
BY CLAY LARROY
We lead such busy lives working, going to school, taking children to
different activities that often we do not stop and talk to our children. We
usually do not have time to sit around the dinner table and ask our children
what they did today. Family vacations are so important, as it gives us a way to
connect with each other in a stress free relaxed environment. Families that
take vacations together build memories that will last a lifetime. Family vacations
and travel can be a most rewarding experience especially in Canada. When you are ready to plan a vacation contact me!
Tours & Excursions
Tourist Information Centers
Québec City
Tourism
835
avenue Wilfrid-Laurier
Quebec City
Canada
Quebec City
Canada
(418) 641 6290.
Daily 0830-2030 (late Jun-early Sep); daily 0830-1830 (early
Sep-mid-Oct); Mon-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1000-1600 (mid-Oct-late Jun).
Centre Infotouriste de Québec
12 rue
Sainte-Anne
Quebec City
Canada
Quebec City
Canada
1 877 266 5687.
Daily 0830-1900 (late Jun-Aug); daily 0900-1700 (Sep-late Jun).
Excursions
Côte de Beaupré
The attractions east of
Quebec City in the Beaupré Coast region include the Montmorency Falls - a
waterfall half again as tall as Niagara Falls, although with less water. A
cable car leads from the car park to the interpretation centre and a bridge
over the falls. Further east, the enormous Basilique de Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
has been drawing Catholic pilgrims for centuries; the cathedral is part of a
complex including a museum and smaller chapels that mark the start of the Way
of the Cross processional route up the hillside. Some 6km (4 miles) further on,
three bridges are suspended across the Canyon Sainte-Anne, offering dramatic
views of the 74m (243ft) waterfall located there.
(418) 824 3439.
Ile d'Orléans
The rustic countryside of
Ile d'Orléans is visible from Quebec City's Old Town and is accessible by the
bridge 20km (12 miles) northeast of the city, off Highway 440. Many locals
escape here for fresh produce from roadside market stalls and the many excellent
restaurants in the island's inns. It is a pleasant place for visitors to drive
around; the tourist office, located just across the bridge, can provide helpful
advice.
Telephone:
(418) 828 9411.
Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine
Park
The Saguenay-St Lawrence
Marine Park begins at the eastern end of Charlevoix and is an excellent place
for spotting whales. From Quebec City, Croisières AML (tel: (418) 692 1159;
www.croisieresaml.com) offers a coach-and-cruise trip. By car, it is a three-hour
drive (plus ferry ride) each way to the pretty town of Tadoussac, where
numerous companies offer whale-watching trips.
(418) 235 4703.
Charlevoix
Around 60km (37 miles)
east of Quebec City, the terrain changes dramatically as the Laurentian
mountain chain meets the St Lawrence River. Amidst the forest-covered mountains
are a couple of scenic provincial parks: caribou can be spotted in the Parc des
Grands-Jardins, while the Parc des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie has
mighty ravines. Artists have found the scenery stimulating and their output is
visible at the many galleries in the coastal town of Baie Saint-Paul, home to
numerous restaurants and country inns.
(418) 665 4454.
Tours
Walking tours
One of the classic routes
to explore Quebec City on foot is to walk along the top of the fortification
walls, with the option of continuing to the Citadel and along the Plains of
Abraham; a partial tour is available from the Centre d'Interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec.
A number of thematic walking tours are also available: the Corporation du
patrimoine et du tourisme religieux de Québec covers the city's religious
heritage, whereas Ghost Tours of Québec delves into the supernatural.
(418) 648 7016 ; (418) 694 0665 ; (418) 692 9770.
Bus tours
Nearly a dozen companies
offer bus tours, with the basic city tour including Upper and Lower Towns, the
fortifications and the Citadel, the Plains of Abraham and the National Assembly
buildings. Most companies offer optional excursions and bus/walk or bus/boat
combinations. Companies offering tours on a year-round, daily basis include Old
Quebec Tours.
(418) 664 0460.
Boat tours
Boat cruises, which allow
a magnificent view of the city, travel downstream to the Ile d'Orléans and
beyond; departures are from the Bassin Louise, in the Old Port north of Upper
Town. Les Croisières Le Coudrier offers sightseeing cruises, as well as dinner
cruises and longer excursions. Croisières AML offers similar packages, as well
as whale-watching trips.
(418) 692 1159 ; (418) 692 0107.
Other tours
The most romantic way to
tour the city is in a horse-drawn calèche. These can be hired just inside the
city walls near Porte St-Louis from Calèches du Vieux-Québec or other
companies. Héli Express Tours offers helicopter flights over the city.
Departures are from Jean Lesage International Airport. Taxi Coop offers private
half-day tours that include Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canyon-Sainte-Anne and the
Montmorency Falls.
(418) 683 9222 ; (418) 877 5890 ; (418) 525 5191.
REFERENCE SITES:
http://www.travelresearchonline.com/
We have a tendency in Quebec - and I include myself in this -
to describe ourselves using the past. We're always nostalgic.
Robert Lepage
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