Quebec Travel Guide
The Château Frontenac at dusk, Quebec City. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Quebec is French North America: the only province where French is the official language, and the heart of a distinct culture that runs from Montreal's festivals to Quebec City's 400-year-old ramparts. Old Quebec is the only fortified city north of Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Montreal is the province's metropolis: Notre-Dame Basilica, the Old Port, Mount Royal, and bagels and smoked meat worth crossing an ocean for. Quebec City counters with the Château Frontenac, the Terrasse Dufferin toboggan slide, and the Winter Carnival. The St. Lawrence River ties it all together, from the Île d'Orléans to whale-watching at Tadoussac.
Destinations in Quebec
Old QuebecThe walled Upper and Lower Town: North America's oldest fortified settlement.- Château FrontenacThe 1893 castle hotel that defines the Quebec City skyline.
Notre-Dame BasilicaOld Montreal's 1829 Gothic Revival basilica, glowing blue and gold inside.
Terrasse DufferinThe boardwalk behind the Frontenac; its toboggan slide has run since 1884.
Mount RoyalThe mountain at Montreal's centre, with Kondiaronk Belvedere over downtown.- Gaspé PeninsulaPercé Rock, Forillon's cliffs and the end of the road in eastern Quebec.
Montmorency Falls83 metres tall, 30 metres higher than Niagara, minutes from Quebec City.
Jacques-Cartier National ParkA deep glacial valley 30 minutes north of Quebec City.
TadoussacWhere the Saguenay meets the St. Lawrence: belugas and whale watching in summer.
Old Port of MontrealThe St. Lawrence waterfront: markets, the Grande Roue and summer festivals.
Île d'OrléansThe island of farms and roadside stands near Quebec City.
Oratoire Saint-JosephSaint Joseph's Oratory, the domed basilica on Mount Royal's west slope.
Hover a province or territory to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Quebec
Regional food
- Poutine (invented in rural Quebec in the 1950s)
- Tourtière (the Christmas meat pie)
- Maple taffy on snow at a cabane à sucre
Getting there
Montreal Trudeau (YUL) is the international gateway; Quebec City Jean Lesage (YQB) handles the capital. VIA Rail corridor trains link Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto. Highway 20 follows the St. Lawrence between the two cities.