Just back from 6 days in Quebec City, will answer questions

I fell in love with Quebec City! Spent most of our time in the old city and loved every minute. Am still trying to re-orient myself to western Ohio and get back to thinking in English. I saw the Maasdam in port on Friday.

On another (closed) thread there was a question about places to buy Inuit and other native items. If that person is still looking I can recommend some. The Inuit museum and gift shop are on Rue St. Louis, not far from Chateau Frontenac, but there are other shops as well.

Jane

Hi the2ofus. I am going on the Sept 29th QM2 cruise to New England and Canada and one of our stops is Quebec City. Any reccommmendations on what not to miss. I will be there from 6pm one day till 6pm the next day. How far is the old city from where the boat will be docking if you know.

Thanks

Michelle

I've been to Quebec summer and winter (22 below zero!) and it's one of my favorite places.. You will be docked at the lower town, a very very historic, scenic area..If you want to make reservations at one of the local restaurants for the evening you arrive there are several that have websites that you can email.. one of my favorites is the Ancient Canadian for true

quebecois fare -- also for lunch with a great lower priced menu

http://http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/Homeang.html

Also Au Parmesan (French and Italian), Auberge de Tresor (near Frontenac) and Le Lapin Saute (rabbit and other dishes).. there are also creperies for breakfast/lunch..You could perhaps make reservations for 7:30 or 8:00 the evening you arrive to take advantage of the wonderful Quebecois food.

During the day you won't have time to explore it all! I'd suggest taking the funicular (or steps) up to the upper town and taking a horsedrawn buggy tour for a good overview and the visiting the Citadelle, Musee du Fort perhaps, and exploring the upper town in general. IN the lower town there is Notre Dame and many picturesque streets lined with shops and restaurants. There are four museums in Quebec City that have no admission fee.. in lower town Musee de Civilization, Musee de Ursulines,

Check out http://http://www.quebecregion.com/ for a good overview. It's impossible to describe everything IMHO... suffice to say you don't need a ship tour and you won't have enough time :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :)

I agree, Aux Anciens Canadiens is not to be missed. The lunch menu is reasonably priced and provides a very filling, delicious and satisfying meal. If you like native art, the Inuit museum and gift shop is right across the street from the restaurant. If you only have one day in Quebec, opt to stay within the Old City, both Upper and Lower town. Take a conducted tour and then wander on your own. Walking tours are not too strenuous and the carriage tours are also a good choice.

The Musee de Civilization in Lower Town has some interesting exhibits but may use up more time than you want to spare, especially if you already have had a tour of the city. There is a charge for the Museum. I believe I paid $7 Canadian. The museum gift shop is open to the public at no charge and has some very nice items.

By the way, if you need to exchange for Canadian money, the Caisse Desjardins De Quebec Credit Union at the corner of Rue St. Anne and Rue desJardins near the Holy Trinity Cathedral has an ATM and also teller windows with English speaking tellers. Our guide told us the exchange rate there is among the best in the area. ($1.2992 last Saturday.)

Bonjour the2ofus

It was me who was asking about the indian & inuit museum and gift shops - so

thanks for that info. Any particular favourite shops?

We will be there for 2 days at the end of Sept as part of Celebrity cruise. Really looking forward to Quebec. Read a lot about the lovely old interesting streets & shops.

I have a guide book from the tourist office which mentions a Huron reservaton

outside the city & advise which bus to use. They do guided tours, a dance & theres a shop etc . So my question is... do you know where the bus terminal is in relation to where the ship docks?

Also considering a bike tour to montmerency falls. Its been a year or so since I was last cycling regular & I believe the tour is 15 miles so I may find it rather hard going. Any thoughts for a lady of a `certain age' ? :)

Did you walk round the ramparts/city walls. If so, how far is it & how long did it take? My DH has arthritis so we cant walk all day

Any good flea markets?

Thanks for any info

regards,

jo

Bonjour Jo!

The two shops I visited for American Indian and Inuit art were Boutique Le Sachem at 17 Rue Des Jardins just off Rue Ste. Anne and Artisans Bas-Canada Inc. which is at 30 Cote De La Fabrique. I believe there is another Inuit art shop next to the Clarendon Hotel. The items for sale are not as stunning as those at the Inuit museum, but also not as expensive. Just depends on what you are looking for and how serious a collector you might be. The two shops I mentioned also have fur items, leather work, bead work, clothing and such.

Because the terrain is quite hilly, I think a walk all the way around the walled city might be extremely tiring. However, the walk along the Dufferin terrace is very level and offers some interesting views. Also, you can walk out any of the "spoke" streets (Ste. Anne, St. Louis, St. Jean) toward the city gates, then along the wall and back down another "spoke" street toward the city "hub" or center area around the Chateau Frontenac and the parc.

I did not learn anything about the Huron reservation while I was there. Perhaps someone else can help you with that.

One of the women "of a certain age" in our little group was very excited about the bike path. It is very level and is paved. She said she thought it would be a very nice, not too tiring ride out to Montmorency Falls.

Hope I have been helpful to you. I know you will love the city.

A bientot,

Jane

Bonjour again,

I forgot to answer your question about the flea markets. I did not see a flea market, however there are a number of antique shops in the lower part of town. Just turn right on the street that is on the inland side of the Musee de la Civilization just in front of where your ship docks. There is also a really great open air market a bit further along in that area about halfway to the railway station. There are some craft stalls, some great local wines and cordials for sale as well as bread, fruit, meat, cheese, vegetables, etc.

Jane

Merci Jane, - This is great. Thanks very much for all the info. Much appreciated. Really looking forward to Quebec. Chance to practice my rusty french too. :)

a bientot

jo

Hi Jo,

I found the people very appreciative when I tried to use the French I haven't practiced in forty years. We got along quite well with a mixture of French and English, although they were willing also to just speak English with me. When I came home I had a hard time the first 24 hours because I was still thinking in French and wanted to speak French. Had not anticipated that. :-)

Jane

This is for Joandbun and other interested. I am from Quebec City and I would not loose my time going to the Huron reserve because it is only a place where the Huron now live but in normal houses, not in tents or something like that. To have the right not to pay taxes, they have to stay in such reserves, that's all. They may have a small museum or souvenir place but I don't think it's worth the ride. Just my humble opinion. As for the Falls, they are very nice!

Many thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. WE were also considering the Falls. The ship runs a tour out there but it goes via St Anne de Beaupre. My DH would have a problem cycling out to the falls cos of his arthiritis so do you know if there are buses from downtown that go directly to the Falls.?

thanks a million

jo

I don't know any shuttle or bus from Quebec city to Montmorency Falls (I also did a very quick search on internet and didn't find any info). But there is one tourist information center very close to the Chateau Frontenac Hotel (that is a NOT TO BE MISSED attraction, nice building, great view overlooking St.Lawrence River and the South shore) and you could check with them. If you have only one day, you may not have the time to go to the Falls anyway. If you cannot walk all day, a good way to see the city is with a horse-trolley tour (horse-trolley, is that even a word???? you know, old cars with horses to tow it... sorry I am French and have trouble with some English terms).

Many thanks for all the info and suggestions. Lots to think about. We will be Quebec for 2 days so it should give us an opportunity to explore without such a big rush. Really looking forward to the trip.

regards,

jo

jp2001, I agree with you that a horse-drawn carriage would be a delightful way to see the Old City if one could not do a great deal of walking. The carriages are open so you can have unimpeded views of everything (great for taking pics too). The drivers we heard seemed to enjoy describing the various sights. I don't know if they will stop along the route for a closer look at a monument or building, I rather doubt it.

The carriage rides in Quebec go slowly enough that you would have ample time or a picture etc.. the streets are very narrow and there's lots of pedestrian traffic... at least the times I have been there (winter and summer) it's been this way.

One neat thing to do in Quebec City is to take the local ferry (near cruise ship docks) over the river.. and then turn around and come back. The views of the Chateau, fortress etc. are amazing. I last did that in Feb 03 during Carnaval and the ship was breaking ice in the river, the snow was on the Chateau... like a winter wonderland...

''horse-drawn carriage'' thank you! I'll try hard to remember this one. Host Caroline, the Ferry ride is a very good idea. I would not have thought of it but you're right saying that someone on the South Side has a good view of the North Side. Great tip, I'm sure it's not very expensive.

Ferry is very very inexpensive! You can stand out side or if it's drizzly (it wouldn't dare on your cruise:rolleyes: ) there are comfortable seats inside.. mega opportunities for photo ops. La Lapin is a great little restaurant in lower town also (I think that is correct spelling -- it is "the rabbit" in English).. also love Ancient Canadian and there are several good creperies for a light meal.

Host Caroline and jp2001 please correct me if I am wrong on this one.

The mention of crepes leads most of us in the United States to think of thin soft pancakes or a dessert like Crepes Suzette. I think the creperies you speak of sell omelets or sandwich fillings in a thin white bread-like crepe. Do I understand this correctly? My second breakfast in QC was at a restaurant that listed crepes and that white crepe was what I got.

hmmm... I think I am lost about the crepe thing but, usually, in most restaurants, if you order crepes for breakfast, you will have 2 or 3 very thin crepes served with maple sirup. Most restaurants also offer crepes with fruits on the top. I've never heard of a sanwich or omelette in a crepe, I think those are called Pita Bread. If you go to a restaurant specialized in crepes, they will have crepes with many types of filling. Some sweet, for breakfast, or other fillings for lunch (ham and cheese for example). Sorry, I'm not of great help on this one (but I LOVE CREPES, not pancakes because pancakes are thicker).

The other restaurant name is LE LAPIN SAUTÉ, I've never been there but heard that it is very good. One Restaurant I really like is on Grande-Allée and is name Cosmos Café. If the weather is good, their terrace is a good place to be. Very good food quality, fair price (IMHO). I went to the Anciens Canadiens once and didn't like it, it was so expensive (for dinner) and not really good food but if you want a "traditional" meal, it probably is worth the money.

Do they have the little crepe shops where you can order "take away" like they do in Paris? Also is there a charge for the funicular? We will be on the Regal in September, I am playing my French tapes and trying to remember all I had learned when I went to Paris.

Seems like a great idea. Where do you pick up the carriage in the Old City? About how much should one pay for the ride and how long will the ride be? Sounds like a winner. Thanks

Carriage rides leave from near the Chateau Frontenac right at the top of the hill from the lower town (use funicular, about US $1.50 or walk -- not that bad) but it' s been 10 years since I did that so I don't know . When we were in Quebec City for winter carnival last year they also did carriage rides from near the City gates (much further) but not sure if they do those in summer or not..

IMHO a great way to get an overview.

In July the funicular was $1.50 CDN. There are usually no lines so a very short wait and a very short trip. IMHO very worthwhile. On a shore day time is money and energy is valuable too, why waste it climbing up from Lower Town?

I would suggest having lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens. The prices are more reasonable and the menu selection is very good. It opens at noon.

2 of us, Thanks for your answer on the funicular! We really want to see the falls if there are no buses that go out there does anyone know about cabs and the cost?? We don't want to get trapped on any tour groups.

One more question . . . We arrive in Quebec at 11 p.m. on Sunday, do you know if anything will be open? Is it possible to ride in a horse and carriage at that time? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks