Caleche Tours in Quebec City

I will be arriving in Quebec City mid afternoon on October 1 and leave on the Enchantment on October 2. I really want to do a caleche tour of the Old City. My question is, should I try and reserve this in advance or can I arrange for it after I arrive on October 1st?

Thanks in advance....and yes, I am going to have to pick up a few French phrases before I arrive in Quebec! (Besides Bonjour and Merci!)

Hi, if you are talking "horse and buggy" tour, no reservations needed, they stand around and hope someone will take "a tour with them". I've been to Quebec City quite a few times, and even took one once, no need to reserve unless perhpas you are thinking of something special?

I live in Old Montreal (the area of the cruise ship) and it's the tourist part of town and they stand around almost begging for people to take them.

BTW I'm American living in Montreal while yes I speak french, but you should have no problems with english.

Bon Voyage, happy, healthy and safe travels

Thank you Mrs. Moose!

Hello Mrs. Moose,

We will be in Montreal Oct 12 -15 before our cruise. WE are considering staying at Augerge Les Passants du Sans Soucy in Old Town or The Square Phillips in downtown. Do you have any oopinions on either?

Do you have suggestions for tours of MOntreal or Quebec City? I noticed that most walking tours end in Sept.

Thanks for your help,

Nancy

Hi, again, for sightseeing in Montreal, definitely the Old Town (Old Port) where the cruise ship docks are. Here you have art galleries, cobblestone streets, the Notre Dame Bassillica which always has tour busses in front (I live in this part of the city). It's very touristy, some people spend a 1/2 day to a day visiting as there are old home museums, and a couple other small museums if you are intersted and walking around.

If you take a "city tour" they will probably include a tour of the mountain (Mount Royal Park) which is nice beautiful views. There is the botanical gardens and next to it the insectarium and not far from that the biodome and olympic stadium. Biodome is a 4 eco system indoor thing, (you see 4 eco systems). I've been 2x and I enjoy the Antartica one so much. There is also a casino.

Downtown is the museum of Fine Arts

You have caleche in both cities in the old town section. (No advance reservations needed)

For Quebec city, you have some museums as well, the old city is much bigger than the one in Montreal with more unique shops, you have the Petit Champlain to visit you have the Chateau Frontinanc hotel (its beautiful) I've stayed there and while some rooms can be small, it's great if you can stay there if not, then definitely go in for a coffee or drink in the bar.

There is the Plains of Abraham and the Parliment (Quebec City is the capital of the provence of Quebec). I would also visit (but you will transportation either tour bus or car rental) Montrency Falls and Ile d'Orleans.

I'm American living here (my husband is french canadian). The old City in Quebec City is much nicer, it is surrounded by a wall and bigger than the one in Montreal. My dear hubby who was born here agrees with me that for tourists visiting, Quebec City is much nicer (they do get more tourists too).

Now if you are really adventuresome, when in Montreal, I would go to Ottawa for a day longer if you could. It's 2 hours (you can take a bus that goes there fromt he bus terminal early in the am and come back at night but you would have to check the schedule or rent a car but if you don't know the roads it could take you longer than 2 hours). You can rent a car once there, but driving around there can be confusing. I would say go and take cabs around but you can walk a lot and just cab it when necessary. It depends on how adventuresome and ambitious you are. Ottawa is a great city with so much to see and do, with the Parliment (you can tour it and it's really nice to see), you have so many great museums and I don't even like museums (you have the aviation museum which was my personal favourite), the museum of civilization which my husband enjoyed, so much to see and do, in many ways I think there is more to see and do there than in Montreal.

If you took a sightseeing tour of Montreal (let's say a deluxe version) and you walked around the old town and took a caleche ride (and assuming you are not big on museums) you pretty much covered it unless you want to shop.

If you want to visit the Laurentians, you will either have to rent a car or take a sightseeing tour that goes up that way. It's nice, it's the "country" as we call it. St. Sauveaur is the town where a lot of small boutiques are and restos and is about an hour outside of Montreal. Further north of that, about 1-3/4 hours from Monreal you have Mt. Tremblant, a ski resort in the winter and summer activities like boating in the summer actually both are ski resorts in the winter.

If you are coming for the fall folliage that is the area where you really see it is up north in the Laurentians in Montreal.

For Quebec City you have Montmorency Falls and Ile d'Orleans, both able to visit on day trips and there should be sightseeing tours to take you there from Quebec City unless you are renting a car then you can drive.

If you wanted to be more adventure some and have time, I would visit Chelvoix from Quebec City, most people think it is the most beautiful place in Quebec. It's about 3 hours outside of Quebec City and not recommended for a day trip you would need a couple of days.

Remember to bring a warm jacket. It won't be winter yet, but it can be quite chilly. Some years it's still warm in the day for a light sweater but that's a few hours in the day. Quebec City and the Laurentias are cooler than Montreal and I would definitley be prepared with a warmer jacket like a leather jack or raincoat with a zip in lining style, and a sweater that if it is unseasonably warm you can just wear the sweater and put the jacket on later when it gets chilly.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions, just feel free to ask and I'll do my best.

Mrs. Moose since you are so helpful in answering questions I have one. We are considering a tour out of Quebec City to go the countryside. The stops are at the foothills of Laurentian Mts to Lake Beauport area. Also stops at Beaupre Coast, Montmorency Falls, also Ile d'Orleans. It absolutely sounds heavenly but since you live in the are do you recommend this tour. It is off of the ship and will take beatween 4-5 hours. Thanks for any assistance.

Marilyn

Yes, I do, I live in the Montreal area, but I've been to the areas you are talking about many times, and yes, I do highly recommend it, and my DH who is from here recommends that as well. Of course it's all what your tastes are in what you like to see/do, but yes as a sightseeing excurision I would definitely recommend it.

Again, I will say, it's also a personal choice as to your individual tastes and what you like to do on trips.

If I can be of any other help please just ask.

Thank you Mrs. Moose. My DH and I were studying the excursions and since we had been to Quebec City before and toured the old and new parts of Quebec City we thought this time we would do the countryside. After reading that excursion it sounded so wonderful. So thanks for your opinion and I hope that if I have any questions I know that there are people like you that can help me. Again thank you.

Marilyn

Oh you are more than welcome, Bon Voyage and I hope you like my recommendation. I wish you safe, healthy and happy travels.

We will be on Celebrity Constellation visiting Qubec City Fri Sep 30, Sat Oct 1. The cruise line offers an evening at the "Sugar Shack" which is an explanantion of how maple sugar is made (I think almost all of us know), a 'Qubecois' all-you-can-eat dinner and some kind of a musical show. I can find nothing about this in the regular tourist guides,my Montreal friends have never heard of it, and wonder if it is some kind of bogus 'cruise ship tourist show' occasionally presented in some ports(all we have attended were awful, both in food and entertainment.

Also, how easy is it to walk from where the cruise ships dock to the Old City, and to the tourist office on Rue St.Anne where the walking tours begin.

Is there something else you might suggest on our one night in Quebec City other than the 'Sugar Shack'?

Many thanks.

Stan

Everything is in walking distance.. unless you don't want to climb the steps from Lower Town to the Upper Town in which case you just hop on the funicular ($1.50 a year ago) and hitch a ride up... I answered you above re the sugar shack but if you stay in town the Ancient Canadien is one of our favorites over several trips. The buggy rides are a great way to get an overview of the old upper city. Try to see Notre Dame in the lower city and just enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of this divine city....

Hi,

I live in the Province of Quebec so maybe I can help. Sugar shack dinners are traditional in this province BUT they are always in the spring (march and april) while the sap is running. I have never heard of a sugar shack dinner outside of this season. I might be something the cruise line has organized to show you how this traditional meal takes place.

The meal is usually - pea soup, omlette, ham, baked beans, crepes, then we pour pure maple syrup over all of this.

If you have never eaten pure maple syrup you might want to try it.

Monica.

I live in Montreal, if it's in the summer it's arranged special. The reason we do it in late winter early spring is it's sugaring off time from the maple sap. At the end of the meal we go outside and they pour hot maple syrup on snow we take it with a popsicle stick like a lolipop.

Depends on what you want to experience and what kind of food you like.