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City Guide - Quebec City - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife There is no shortage of drinking establishments and entertainment venues in Quebec City, both within the city walls and in the districts nearby. Within the Old Town, there are boites à chansons (intimate and lively venues featuring solo singers or small groups of musicians), classy hotel lounge bars, pubs and more alternative bars, especially on and around rue St-Jean. West of Place D'Youville, rue St-Jean becomes more laid-back, attracting students to the friendly local bars and gay men and lesbians to the small but lively gay scene. Grand Allée has some of the best clubs, but these are mixed in with tourist traps and venues with hardly anyone over 21 years of age. Further afield, there are some decent local bars amidst the restaurants on avenue Cartier, while the ever-changing discos in the suburb of Ste-Foy are the stomping ground of students from Université Laval. For the latest on Quebec City's bar and club scene, check the listings in the free alternative weekly, Voir (web site: www.voir.ca), the weekly English-language newspaper, the Québec Chronicle Telegraph, or the French dailies Le Soleil (web site: www.lesoleil.com) and Journal de Québec (web site: www.journaldequebec.com). The free tourist publications Québec Scope and Voilà Québec are also helpful. Québec Sur Scène (web site: www.surscene.qc.ca) has information on rock concerts, comedy shows and cultural events. Tickets for many events are available from Réseau Billetech (tel: (418) 643 8131 or 691 7211; web site: www.billetech.com) and Admission (tel: (800) 361 4595; web site: www.admission.com). The legal minimum drinking age is 18 years. Taverns and brasseries serve alcohol 0800-0300 every day. Cocktail lounges and cabarets stay open until 0200 and 0300 respectively. Bars: Many believe the best terrace for drinking in the city is Fourmi Atomik, 33 rue d'Auteuil; inside the crowd is more alternative but the place is still great fun. Other relaxed spots are on rue St-Jean, a five- or ten-minute walk from the Old Town: check out Le Fou Bar at number 525, Sacrilège at number 447 or L'Étrange at number 275 - popular for its half-price drinks specials. At the other end of the spectrum, though not as pricey or stuffy as you would expect, given the terrific view and prestigious location, is the Bar St-Laurent in the Chateau Frontenac. The brew-pub L'Inox, 37 rue St-André in Lower Town, has a great terrace and serves artisanal cheeses to go with the local beer. Nearby, at Voyages en Alsace, 63 rue St-Paul, you can soak up the alcohol with Alsatian and German cuisine. In the Upper Town, at 1087 rue St-Jean, Le Pub Saint-Alexandre's attempt to recreate a British pub is helped by the selection of over 200 beers and 40 single malt scotches. Pub Java, away from Old Quebec at 1112 avenue Cartier, serves up a few varieties of draught as well, although in a less touristy setting. Just down the street at number 1060, Jules et Jim is an established local favourite. Gay offerings include L'Amour Sorcier, 789 Côte Ste-Geneviève, which attracts a predominately lesbian clientele. Boys tend to congregate on the short stretch of rue St-Augustin, where La Drague at number 804 has Sunday night drag shows, a bar and dance floor, and Lazyboy, on the corner at 811 rue St-Jean, has a quieter space with pool tables. Casinos: The nearest casino is the Casino Charlevoix (tel: (418) 665 5300 or (800) 665 2274; web site: www.casinos-quebec.com), adjacent to the grand old hotel Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, 150km (93 miles) east of Quebec City. There is no entry fee, but gamblers must be 18 years or over and respectably dressed (although jeans are allowed). Clubs: Many of the city's bars have dance floors and an atmosphere that becomes more club-like later on in the evening. Otherwise, the hottest spot at the moment is Maurice, 575 Grande-Allée E, part of a complex of bars and restaurants that includes a lounge with salsa dancing and a swanky cigar lounge. Chez Dagobert, across the street at number 600, has been around for years, and is popular with very young tourists. At 1175 avenue Cartier, Merlin draws the city's beautiful (and they know it) crowd. In addition to La Drague, Quebec City's main gay club is La Ballon Rouge, 811 rue St-Jean. Scanner, 291 rue St-Vallier E, is a good spot for techno nights. Live music: Big-name acts play at the Colisée Pepsi on the ExpoCité grounds at the junction of highways 175 and 138. In the summer, the open-air Agora in the Old Port has all manner of acts from rock to classical, while the city comes alive with stages all over the place during the 11-day Festival d'Été (Summer Festival), when many indoor venues also get into the act. One of the more popular boites à chansons is Chez Son Père, 24 rue St-Stanislas, which is a lively spot for Québécois music. The best spot for jazz is in the Art Deco confines of L'Emprise in the Hôtel Clarendon at 57 rue Ste-Anne. You can catch blues acts from Wednesday to Sunday at Le Rappel, tucked in behind Le Capitole theatre at 972 rue St-Jean. |