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City Guide  - Quebec City  - Key Attractions
Key Attractions

Vieux-Québec/Haute-Ville (Old Quebec's Upper Town)

The first thing most visitors head for when they visit Quebec City is the Old Town's Haute-Ville (Upper Town), where the towering Chateau Frontenac is located. This hotel was built in 1893, although the tower that gives it its distinctive appearance was added in the 1920s. Tours are available on reservation (tel: (418) 691 2166; C$6.50). It sits between Place d'Armes - a central square with the narrow lanes leading off it filled with street artists and an artist's market - and the Terrasse Dufferin. The Dufferin Terrace is a wide wooden boardwalk offering a terrific view of Levis on the opposite shore, with cannons and kiosks that predate the Château Frontenac. The terrace is filled with street entertainers and visitors just milling around, soaking up the sights.

Nearby, the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville contains the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) but is dominated by the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Québec, the city's main Catholic cathedral. The imposing edifice has suffered numerous disasters over three and a half centuries, much of which is documented in the Act of Faith show, a son et lumière spectacle that also relates the history of the city and lights up the cathedral's architecture to wondrous effect.

Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Québec

20 rue De Buade
Tel: (418) 694 0665. Fax: (418) 692 5860.
Web site: www.patrimoine-religieux.com
Transport: Bus 3, 7, 11, 800 or 801 to Place D'Youville.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1400, Sat and Sun 0900-1700; Act of Faith: Mon-Fri 1530-2000, Sat and Sun 1830-2000.
Admission: Free. Act of Faith: C$7.50.

Vieux-Québec/Basse-Ville (Old Quebec's Lower Town)

The oldest part of Old Quebec, Lower Town is clustered on the narrow streets between the ramparts of Haute-Ville and the Old Port, linked to the Upper Town by the funicular, the escaliers casse-cou (breakneck stairs) and the steep Côte de la Montagne. At its centre, Place Royale has been faithfully restored to its former glory, the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century houses surrounding the one-time market square in pristine condition. The Centre d'interprétation Place-Royale, is a modern interpretation centre within one of these historic buildings, displaying period artefacts and panels illustrating the area's history. The historic Maison Chevalier captures the times with displays of domestic scenes in the seventeenth century. Between the two, the Quartier Petit Champlain is a lively and crowded area of shops and restaurants along a romantic cobblestone street.

Centre d'interprétation de Place-Royale

27 rue Notre-Dame
Tel: (418) 646 3167. Fax: (418) 646 9705.
Web site: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1 or funicular.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730 (summer); Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (winter).
Admission: C$3 (concessions available).

Maison Chevalier

66 rue du Marché-Champlain
Tel: (418) 643 2158. Fax: (418) 646 8779.
Web site: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1 or funicular.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730 (June 24-late Oct); Tues-Sun 1000-1730 (May-Jun 23); Sat and Sun 1000-1700 (late Oct-Apr).
Admission: Free.

Fortifications de Québec

One of the city's most unique features is the 4.6km (2.9 mile) rampart encircling the Old Town, making it the only walled city north of Mexico. It is possible to walk along the top of the fortifications, which offer sweeping views of the city and the St Lawrence River. The best place to start is near the Citadel at Porte St-Louis, one of the four surviving city gates. Here, the Centre d'interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec includes displays on the city's history and a restored powder magazine, and is the departure point for 90-minute guided tours by costumed Parks Canada staff. Continuing clockwise, the walls adjoin the Parc de l'Artillerie (Artillery Park), which was built by the French to defend the city from attack, then became the garrison for British officers until 1871, when it tuned into a munitions factory. Now an interpretation centre features the 1808 model of Quebec City inside the foundry; the 1712 Dauphine Redoubt, which housed French soldiers and now replicates the nineteenth-century British officers' mess; and the 1818 British Officers' Quarters. Further along, cannons are ranged along the wall, overlooking the St Lawrence River and the opposite shore. Beyond where it joins the Terrasse-Dufferin, it is possible to continue along the walls that surround the Citadel.

Centre d'interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec

100 rue St-Louis
Tel: (418) 648 7016 or 7872. Fax: (418) 648 4825.
Web site: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/fortifications
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700 early May-early Oct.
Admission: C$2.75; C$10 guided tours of the walls (concessions available).

Parc de l'Artillerie

2 rue D'Auteuil
Tel: (418) 648 4205. Fax: (418) 648 4825.
Web site: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/artillerie
Transport: Bus 3, 7, 11, 800 or 801.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700 (summer) (Jul-Aug until 1800). Wed-Sun 1000-1700 Apr-early May; Wed-Sun 1200-1600 Feb-Mar and Nov-Dec Open other days upon reservation.
Admission: C$3.25 (concessions available); guided tours: C$3.25.

La Citadelle de Québec

The Citadel, dating from 1820, is one of the Quebec City's most distinctive features and a legacy of the British occupation. On the heights of Cap Diamant, the star-shaped fortress was built to withstand a repeat attack on the city from across the Plains of Abraham to the southwest. Today, visitors are given a guided tour of the site, which includes the Governor General's residence, the powder magazine and a former prison that now houses a small museum. In the summer, two ceremonies are held: the daily Changing of the Guard takes place at 1000, with the Regimental Band and the Citadel's mascot - 'Batisse', the regimental goat - joining the garrison personnel. The pomp continues in the evening, when the Royal 22nd Regiment performs The Retreat (Wed-Sat 1800) as part of the flag-lowering ceremonies.

Tel: (418) 694 2815. Fax: (418) 694 2853.
Web site: www.lacitadelle.qc.ca
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600 Apr; 0900-1700 May-Jun; 0900-1800 Jul-Aug; 0900-1600 Sep; 1000-1500 Oct.
Admission: C$6 (concessions available).

Parc des Champs-de-Bataille nationaux

The National Battlefields Park, occupying the 108-hectare (267acre) Plains of Abraham to the southwest of the Citadel, is the site of the decisive battle of 1759 that saw the British, under General Wolfe, defeat Montcalm's French forces. Today, it is a wide green space popular for summer concerts and as a place to stroll. For those with a taste for history, the Discovery Pavilion in the same building as the tourist office (835 avenue Wilfrid-Laurier) has a large diorama of the site and information on the battles. Midway through the park, Martello Tower No. 1 has costumed guides who explain the role of these defensive structures (summer only). A part of the Musée du Québec is occupied by the Centre d'interprétation des Champs-de-Bataille, which has a multimedia, show explaining the history of the park and the battle between the French and British in particular. Abraham's Bus connects the sites, with the driver providing commentary as it winds through the park.

Centre d'interprétation des Champs-de-Bataille

First Floor, Baillairgé Pavilion, Musée du Québec
Tel: (418) 648 4071. Fax: (418) 648 3809.
E-mail: ccbn.mdld.pa@videotron.ca
Web site: www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca
Transport: Bus 11, 800 or 801.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730 (summer); Tues-Sun 1000-1730 rest of year.
Admission: C$3.50 each Centre d'interprétation, Martello Tower No. 1, Abraham's Bus; C$9 for all three (concessions available).

Musée du Québec

The most important collection of paintings and sculpture by Québécois artists is held by the Musée du Québec, although only portions are on display as part of temporary exhibitions at any given time. These are supplemented by travelling shows and there is one room with a permanent exhibition that focuses on the abstract painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle. The museum's site at the southwest end of the Plains of Abraham is dotted with sculptures.

Parc des Champs-de-Bataille
Tel: (418) 643 2150. Fax: (418) 646 3330.
Web site: www.mdq.org
Transport: Bus 11 to rue Wolfe-Montcalm or bus 800 or 801 to rue de Bourlamaque.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (summer) (Wed until 2100). Tues-Sun 1100-1700 and Wed until 2100 (winter).
Admission: C$7; free on Wed except in summer.

Musée de la Civilisation

One of the city's strongest museums, the Museum of Civilisation in Lower Town hosts excellent temporary shows in addition to its two permanent exhibitions. One of these focuses on life in the province of Quebec throughout the centuries of European inhabitation, with displays of artefacts, photos and recreations of historic and domestic scenes. The other is a tribute to the First Nations peoples who live in the province, with videotaped oral histories, birchbark canoes, teepees and many smaller artefacts.

85 rue Dalhousie
Tel: (418) 643 2158. Fax: (418) 646 8779.
Web site: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1900 (summer); Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (winter).
Admission: C$7 (concessions available); free on Tues except in summer.



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