Quebec City Walking Tour 1h45 and 24 Audio Comments

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• (Pass by)

  The walk ends on the St. Lawrence lookout, which, as its name suggests, reveals a plunging view of the river. It connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean for almost 1200 km and is the only weir.

  Admission ticket free
• La Citadelle de Quebec (Pass by)

  So here you are at the entrance to the great Battlefields Park, more commonly known as the Plains of Abraham. On the right you have the citadel of Québec, and on the left you have access to the Plains of Abraham Museum.

  Admission ticket free
• Quebec City (Pass by)

  The curved saltimbanque you see at the corner is there to welcome you to Quebec City and you wish us a great welcome. This is the name of the work of the artist Nicole Taillon.

  Admission ticket free
• Hotel De Ville De Quebec (Pass by)

  The building, which stands majestically before you, is one of the most impressive city halls in the country. It was built on the site of a former Jesuit college of the 17th century. The Jesuits, who arrived in New France in 1625, had built their college in Quebec City to evangelize young natives, before opening up to populations from Europe.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  You are now in front of Notre-Dame-de-Québec Cathedral, the oldest Catholic church in northern Mexico, and the only one with a holy door outside Europe. A first church was built on this square in 1647, under the name of Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix church.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  Whether you’re approaching the holiday season or not, here’s a must-see tour of Quebec City, its famous Christmas shop. A must for all fans of the sparkling atmosphere of Christmas, you will find a multitude of decorations, from the simplest to the neatest, from the most traditional to the most wacky.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  You now enter an alley with an evocative name, here you are in the Rue du trésor! It is so named, for it once led to the treasury of rue Saint-Louis, where bills of current change were distributed and exchanged, and where settlers had to pay their royalties.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  On your left, you see a piece of modern art in aluminum, bringing together, like a totem, various elements of Old Quebec. It is one of the commemorative landmarks, installed in 4 heritage areas of the city, to highlight their different identities.

  Admission ticket free
• Place d'Armes (Pass by)

  You are currently on the Place d’Armaments, a first-rate tourist centre, at the foot of the Château de Frontenac and near the Dufferin terraces and the tourist information centre. It was established in the 1640s.

  Admission ticket free
• Québec City (Pass by)

  The passage you take is called the golden dog passage. Nothing to do with the statue you have before you, which represents Monsignor de Laval, who was the first bishop of Quebec. To understand this golden dog story, you need to look up and look at the front of the post office building behind you.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  Opposite you, opens the beautiful park of Montmorency. The man you see only his pedestal, is named Georges Etienne Cartier. He was a 19th century politician, founder of the province of Quebec, co-Prime Minister, lawyer and Contributor of the very first hymn “O Canada”.

  Admission ticket free
• Quebec City (Pass by)

  Montmorency Park, at the tip of Upper Town, offers a plunging view of the St. Lawrence. This is where the river is narrowest. The name Québec, moreover, comes from the Algonquin language, used by the Mi’kmaq, Cree and Algonquin, and means where the river narrows.

  Admission ticket free
• La Fresque des Quebecois (Pass by)

  So this is the famous mural of Quebecers. It necessarily reminds you of the fresco of Lyonnais, for those who know, and for good reason! When the president of the National Capital Commission, an organization responsible for promoting and embellishing Québec City, went to Lyon, he fell in love with the gigantic trompe l’oeil of Old Lyon.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  The commemorative plaque you see on the wall of the Barbel House, recalls the arrival in New France of the daughters of Le Roy. When Louis XIV ascended the throne in 1661, all seemed lost in his American colony.

  Admission ticket free
• Place Royale (Pass by)

  Here you are in the heart of the city at the time of New France. It was here that Samuel de Champlain settled, building his “abitation”, which served as fort, store, trading post and residence, and whose outline you can see, drawn on the ground in front of the Notre-Dame-des-Victoire church.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  At the exit of the charming rue du cul-de-sac, also known as the aisle of umbrellas, for the colorful installation it sees in summer, you find the entrance of the historic house of Jean-Baptiste-Chevalier, a shipowner and merchant. This is the house that you have just walked along with the red shutters, and whose reception you will find a little further on your left.

  Admission ticket free
• Quartier Petit Champlain (Pass by)

  You see on your left, the beautiful fresco of Petit Champlain. It was created by the Mural Création collective , a Quebec branch of Lyon-based parent company Cité Création. The work presents life in Cap Blanc, Quebec City’s popular port district.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  It is time to reach the upper town at the top of Cape Diamant, the name given to Quebec Hill by early explorers who thought they had found diamonds there. For a few dollars, you can borrow the historic funicular, which has been in service since 1879.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  This is the famous Samuel de Champlain. It’s simple, Samuel, he’s quite simply the main character in Quebec. He is the father of New France. It was he who established the beginnings of the colony, and who formed ties and alliances with the peoples who lived there, such as the Montagnais, Hurons, Odawas and Nepissingues.

  Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  Let's talk a little about the gigantic figure that stands out in front of you. That of the famous castle of Frontenac, which gives, like an Eiffel tower or a statue of freedom, its emblematic image to the city, recognizable at a glance.

  Admission ticket free
• Terrasse Dufferin (Pass by)

  This beautiful promenade, furnished, is the Dufferin Terrace, one of the most popular tourist spots in the city. At the base, you have here Fort Saint-Louis, built in 1620 by Samuel de Champlain.

  Admission ticket free
• La Promenade des Gouverneurs (Pass by)

  The flight of wooden stairs takes you to the Promenade des Gouverneurs. This extension of the Terrasse Dufferin, connects the castle of Frontenac to the Plains of Abraham, along the citadel of Québec.

  Admission ticket free
• Parliament Building (Pass by)

  Here you are, facing an impressive building! This gigantic facade, richly worked, is that of the National Assembly of Quebec. Built between 1875 and 1886, it is one of the most representative monuments in Quebec.

  Admission ticket free
• Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site (Pass by)

  Here you are on the road, surrounded by cannons aimed at the enemy, between two emblematic gates of the ancient ramparts of Quebec. You are in the presence of the only fortified city north of Mexico City!

  Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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