Quebec City - a visitor's travelogue

I was visiting Canada last month on the MV Marco Polo. I recorded a number of video travelogues of the port's we visited. I've just uploaded the one for Quebec City.

The aim of the video travelogues is in part to be my record of my visit. But also to help others who are going there to see what the place is like, and to show a few of the things to see and to photograph. (I am a photographer so the latter is important to me).

Here's the Quebec City one, I hope it might be of interest to anyone who has visited or who is intending to visit. It covers Montmerency Falls and the Old City.

[YOUTUBE]

Any comments and feedback welcome.

(PS Thank you to everyone for the kind words about the previous travelogue videos I posted here).

Thanks for doing this. However, I can't get the video to play. It may just be my computer, as it's a little balky sometimes, but in any case, thought I'd let you know.

Thanks for doing this. However, I can't get the video to play. It may just be my computer, as it's a little balky sometimes, but in any case, thought I'd let you know.

Thanks for letting me know... looks like there is a problem. I will look into it and repost the thread.

Here's the direct link:

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Thanks for sharing this.

Keith

Thanks. I watched it. Glad I've now been warned about all those steps at the falls. Whew! You took some great pictures, though? Was spray a problem at the bottom? I don't want to ruin my camera. Do you have any other videos in eastern Canada or New England, US?

Thanks. I watched it. Glad I've now been warned about all those steps at the falls.

It is possible to approach the falls from the bottom - not sure what bus you would need to catch, the one I got arrived at the top! I think the organised tours take you to the bottom, as well.

Whew! You took some great pictures, though? Was spray a problem at the bottom? I don't want to ruin my camera.

My camera is fairly tolerant to water - it is a pro-camera with a pro-lens on it, so all I needed was small towel to cover it it and dry it. You don't have to go right into the spray. Plenty of spaces to see the falls without getting wet. (But going into the sprays is half the fun! ;-) )

Do you have any other videos in eastern Canada or New England, US?

Oh yes.... all eastern Canada

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More to come in the next few weeks - it was long cruise!

Do you have any other videos in eastern Canada or New England, US?

Hi Roothy

I'm not Ian but last summer did the usual Boston-Quebec City run and videos of those ports are here

Hi Roothy

I'm not Ian but last summer did the usual Boston-Quebec City run and videos of those ports are here

All the best, Tony

Yup, worth looking at Tony's videos - we were on two different cruises but we it appears we had a very similar itinerary. A few similarities between our videos but a different perspective and style.

It is possible to approach the falls from the bottom - not sure what bus you would need to catch, the one I got arrived at the top! I think the organised tours take you to the bottom, as well.

. . .

I think perhaps you meant to say the organized tours take you to the top, too. Our private tour did that and it's the quickest walk to the falls vs taking those monstrous stairs. Congrats on making it back up! After our visit at the top, our little bus took us to a parking lot across the road down at the bottom so we could see that view of the falls--cyclone fence made it difficult, but not impossible to photograph the view.

I think perhaps you meant to say the organized tours take you to the top, too. Our private tour did that and it's the quickest walk to the falls vs taking those monstrous stairs. Congrats on making it back up! After our visit at the top, our little bus took us to a parking lot across the road down at the bottom so we could see that view of the falls--cyclone fence made it difficult, but not impossible to photograph the view.

No, I did mean bottom - when I was at the bottom of the falls it looked as though some of the people there were on organised tours and had come in from the cafe end at the bottom. I can't be 100% certain about this but that is certainly how it looked to me.

Ian.

Ian, I enjoyed your video of Charlottetown! I, too, did my own walking tour, loosely based on one of the suggested routes. However, I never noticed the lines you showed so maybe I really wasn't on any part of a suggested tour!

Do you find that you need to do organized tours on this itinerary? I am looking at possibly doing this trip in 2017.

Love the videos Ian. Thank you!

Do you find that you need to do organized tours on this itinerary? I am looking at possibly doing this trip in 2017.

 

We did this itinerary last Sept. and only did 2 organized tours (CC member arranged). But we'd been to all but 1 of the ports before on car trips. Our ports and what we did: Boston (Old Town Trolley booked independently), Portsmouth (new for us; enjoyed walking around doing some shopping and taking lots of photos), Bar Harbour (did a trolley tour to Cadillac Mtn because it was fogged in during our previous visit; also enjoyed walking around town), Quebec City (two days--thoroughly explored the Lower Town one day, did a CC-arranged tour out to St. Anne de Beaupre Basilica, Montmorency Falls, and a drive on Ile D'Orleans), Charlottetown PEI (enjoyed walking around town for hours--had seen the beautiful countryside on a prior trip), Sydney NS (walked around town but not much to see; had visited Cape Breton previously), Halifax (organized private tour to see Bay of Fundy, Evangeline country etc; previously had enjoyed walking around Halifax).

Hope this helps!

Do you find that you need to do organized tours on this itinerary? I am looking at possibly doing this trip in 2017.

 

Love the videos Ian. Thank you!

Glad you like the videos. I didn't do any organised tours for any of the locations we visited in Canada apart from two places. Firstly a walking tour round Sidney, Nova Scotia. Saw nothing you couldn't do easily under your own steam. Secondly I did the tour to Naipiskau Island from Havre Saint Pierre. (Both times I acted as ship's escort because I was one of the guest lecturers).

Having said all that, as a professional photographer my main aim is to photograph locations so I generally prefer to do things at my own pace where possible. So as the saying goes.... "your mileage may vary!" ;-)

Thank you for the responses. We currently have a Caribbean cruise lined up for 2017 but we have done that a couple of times and would really love to take this cruise. Trying to figure out which itinerary works best. Still in planning stages. It will cost more to do this itinerary but in the long run I think it will be worth it! :)

I just booked a cruise on Oceania at the end of September, early October when hopefully the leaves have changed colors. My choices on Oceania were to start in Montreal or New York, and one port was different (Rockland, ME (or is it Rockport? I forget) versus Bar Harbor. We've been to both, and liked both, although Acadia was a little bit disappointing. I love Maine, and Acadia was not all that different from some other places in Maine I've been to. We decided that going very late September would be better color-wise than a little earlier, and that ending up NY would be preferable to Montreal as we could easily spend 2/3rds of a day in NYC before taking a train home. That way we don't have an expensive night in NY but still get to see a little. Our travel agent could also give a good deal on the Montreal to NY cruise.

Oceania visits somewhat unusual places compared to the mainstream lines, so we will be going to Havre St. Pierre, plus Corner Brook and Saguenay (spelling??), so I'd appreciate any information on what there is to do there. I noticed there's info about Saguenay on Tomportguides.com, but Havre St. Pierre is a total mystery to me. For starters I'll have to check out that island that was mentioned.

As for Boston, Portland, Quebec, Montreal, Newport, Halifax, and Saint John, New Brunswick, we've visited those places, and we did some of these on our honeymoon rather than on a cruise, I would think that all or certainly most of those could easily be toured without going on a ship's excursion. Of course, we do almost all of our own touring to save a little money, so I don't mind spending a lot of time on researching pre-cruise so things go smoothly.

This year we went on the new Viking Ocean line (Viking Star. They include a free excursion in almost all ports they go to, and I think in 2017 they are visiting New England. Viking Ocean isn't cheap, but if you're worried about the cost of excursions, going on a line that includes excursions in their price may be one thing to consider.

Our travel agent could also give a good deal on the Montreal to NY cruise.

 

Oceania visits somewhat unusual places compared to the mainstream lines, so we will be going to Havre St. Pierre, plus Corner Brook and Saguenay (spelling??), so I'd appreciate any information on what there is to do there. I noticed there's info about Saguenay on Tomportguides.com, but Havre St. Pierre is a total mystery to me. For starters I'll have to check out that island that was mentioned.

Montreal is the next Travelouge I will be posting - possibly later today, I'm just finishing the edit as I type this.

Oddly enough, Sagueney, Harre-Saint-Pierre, and Corner Brook are also places I visited and when I get the chance to do the editing I will be posting those travelogues too. (You might want to subscribe to my YouTube channel! ;-) https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=iansstudiostockport - never one to miss the chance to give it plug!)