We took a 2 night jaunt to Quebec City while we were in the area. We stayed in a boutique hotel in Old Quebec to check out the 17th century stone buildings, narrow, cobblestone streets and captivating European culture.
We knew we would be driving around a bunch so we rented a car using the TURO app, which I highly recommend. It’s like Airbnb but for cars. The owner met us at the Montreal airport terminal door and we returned the car to the same spot. Even with an all wheel drive vehicle the cost was significantly cheaper than a rental agency. This also meant no line ups and unlimited miles. Montreal to Quebec City was just under 3 hours. If you don’t have a car everything is very walkable in the downtown cores. The parking can be impossible in spots.
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is the historic, grand railway hotel towering above much of Old Quebec. You must stop here to take pics and walk along the wooden sidewalk which is the Dufferin Terrace. There will likely be street performers and ice cream or frozen maple syrup treats depending on the weather.
Instead of booking this overpriced hotel we decided to do the over priced afternoon high tea located at one of the restaurants inside. I figured the cute finger sandwiches and delicious desserts would be perfect for l’enfants, but no one was super impressed. The gourmet tower had tons of options, but nothing was kid friendly. Matt and I are adventurous eaters but the strange flavor combos were not to our taste and the bread and scones seemed a little stale as if they had been prepped too early in the day and left uncovered. The live piano player was great. She took a liking to les petits and threw a bunch of Disney ballads into her repertoire to entertain them. The fine bone china was gorgeous. The view of the Dufferin Terrace was cool and bon to people watch if you get a window seat. It was freezing that day so it was a nice break from the cold.
Next we wandered about 10 minutes down the road to Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. This is home to the only Holy Door outside of Europe. One of seven world wide. I was hoping to cross threw it and cleanse my soul or whatever but the god damn door had been locked by the Pope’s command a few months prior. For 25 years. The rest of the church was very pretty, none the less. We had recently lost Great Grandma so we lit some candles for her. Don’t tell God but I didn’t have enough cash on me so we did a 2 for 1 deal with the kids.
The Citadelle of Quebec is an active fortress built in an effort to secure the city against an American attack. I wonder how they felt about the 51st state thing. It’s an operational home base for the Royal 22nd Regiment so you must do the guided tour to explore the grounds. We missed the live canon (every day at noon) and changing of the guard but there was still lots to see. Quebec is one of the oldest European settlements in North America and the only fortified city remaining North of Mexico. Inside the Citadelle’s walls are tons of unique buildings and exhibits that are steeped in history. The story of Batisse the resident goat was cute. Il fait un froid de canard while walking the walls outside so dress warm if you travel in November like we did.
We ate very well in Old Quebec. Our trip was running short on time and I hadn’t had a croissant yet so I found a quaint cafe down the street to knock that pastry off the list. Matt had more poutine. I was hoping to take the kids to a traditional Sugar Shack but we were in the wrong season. Sacre bleu!!
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