Looking for a weekend get away in a French speaking country that isn’t across the pond? Have you ever thought about going to Quebec City in Canada? If you haven’t you will want to check out my travel guide for Quebec City.
Quebec City has been on our bucket list for sometime now. We initially heard about Winter Carnival years ago and it looked pretty cool. Winter Carnival is a pre-lenten festival similar to Mardi Gras, that boasts multiple activities for the entire family. It’s literally a winter wonderland in the middle of the city.
When we initially looked into it a few years back, flights were super expensive and we decided to pass. Right before Christmas this past year we checked on flights on a whim and found a decently priced one. So we decided to book it. I’m so glad we did as it was the most wonderful trip!
Quebec City is one of the top ten snowiest places in the world and it lived up to its name on our trip. The city is split into Old Town and New Town. We stayed in Old Town and spent all of our time there. It reminded me of a small French Town post WWII and the town were Belle lives in Beauty and the Beast. Ever doorway is Instagram worthy!
The streets are lined with small local shops and cafes and there is fresh fallen snow everywhere. The center of town has a funicular that takes you up the hillside to get to upper town. While the town looks old and authentic the shops and restaurants are very modern. It’s a picture postcard perfect scene as you can see from my Pinterest page.
Our main reason for the trip was to attend Winter Carnival, however we got in a decent amount of fireside relaxing time too. While it was very cold on this trip, it also warmed up to 20 degrees one day and snowed all day! The cold weather meant dressing in tons of layers. I was prepared though, you can see what I packed for this trip below and read the full post here.
1. Hat | 2. Glove | 3. Scarf | 4. Boot Socks | 5. Black Tee Shirt | 6. Grey Tee Shirt | 7. Black Shirt | 8. Stripe Shirt | 9. Chambray Shirt | 10. Grey Sweater | 11. Cream Sweater | 12. Cape | 13. Leggings | 14. Leggings | 15. Jeans | 16. Jeans | 17. Dress | 18. Coat | 19. Bathing Suit | 20. Sun Glasses |21. Luggage | 22. Backpack | 23. Flip Flops | 24. Street Shoes | 25. Boots
My complete travel guide of Quebec City includes topics on where to stay, where to eat and what to do. If you are planning a trip there or looking for a weekend getaway you will want to check this out.
Where to Stay
Auberge Saint-Antoine
A historic hotel located in the Old Port of Quebec that is part of the Relais & Chateau hotel group. The Auberge Saint-Antoine is a true luxury hotel with 95 unique rooms. Each room incorporates a historic artifact while incorporating modern touches. We loved our room, as it offered a lot of space and a separate dressing area. This was perfect for bundling up in all of our winter clothes. Stay tuned for my full write-up of this hotel. Follow me on Instagram so you know when it gets posted.
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
Perched on top of the hill in Old Town Quebec, the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is enormous. The historic property has four restaurants and bars that offer a wide variety of cuisines. With a large boardwalk out front of the hotel it’s perfect for site seeing and enjoying the views of the St. Lawrence River. You can spot this hotel from almost any vantage point in Old Quebec.
AirB&B
Quebec City is packed full of AirB&B options for more budget friendly accommodations. If you snag a place in Old Quebec it will be be full of rustic charm.
Where to Eat and Drink
Paillard
A causal breakfast or lunch spot on Rue Saint-Jean. Paillard is great for a quick breakfast or an afternoon tea and macaron. Grab a seat in the window for the ultimate view.
Chez Jules
Chez Jules is a French bistro staple in Quebec since 2013. This bistro serves classic French dishes like Steak Frites and French Onion soup. Get the Warm Goat Cheese Salad as an appetizer. You will love it!
Bistro 1640
Head to this bistro for a traditional American breakfast with eggs and bacon. The breakfast meals at Bistro 1640 on Rue Sainte-Anne come with a cupcake for a sweet treat!
Cafe La Maison Smith
It’s like Quebec’s version of Starbucks, and it is amazing! Each Cafe La Maison Smith is perfectly decorated outside and inside. With tables to sit at and many window bar seats you’ll want to spend hours just hanging out here. The food and pastries are pretty good to.
L’Oncle Antoine’s
Uncle Antoine’s is a local pub that is in a structure that resembles an old brick lined cave. The pub is cozy inside as they serve up maple whiskey shots with every pint of beer and keep the real fire burning all night long.
Artefact
The bar inside the Auberge Saint-Antoine is the perfect spot to warm up in a cold winter day. The beautifully decorated bar is serving up local snacks like poutine and an old fashioned cocktail with maple whiskey. Cozy up by one of the fireplaces for a relaxing afternoon.
Chez Muffy
Head to Chez Muffy in the Auberge Saint-Antoine hotel for brunch on Saturday or Sunday. From 10am – 1pm they offer a delicious brunch featuring traditional breakfast fare, seafood, pastries and a wide selection of desserts.
What to Do
Toboggan Slide
An old school toboggan slide situated at the end of the boardwalk in front of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. You drag your sled up the hill to ride down the traditional toboggan at speeds close to 40 mph. It was super fun and made me feel like a kid!
Rue Saint-Jean
The main commercial street features many small restaurants, patisseries and stores. I picked up a super warm pair of alpaca socks at one of the cute shops on this street. And I haven’t been able to take these socks off since getting home. This street also has a lot of shops to get the perfect hat, whether for fashion, for warmth, or both. There are a lot of hat selections, but my favorite was the Canadian Hat.
Quartier Petit-Champlain
A tiny section of town that looks like a storybook French village. The streets of Quartier Petit Champlain are lined with Christmas trees and decor and the ground is covered in snow because it snows just about every day in the winter here. Tiny local shops line the streets with unique souvenirs.
Montmorency Falls
Located about 8 miles east of the city, Montmorency Falls is a beautiful natural waterfall that is actually higher than Niagara Falls. The site has several options to view the falls from, with the most popular being from a suspension bridge above the falls.
Winter Carnival
One of the main reasons we went to Quebec City was to attend Winter Carnival, which is annual tradition in the city since 1955. Winter Carnival is a pre-Lenten celebration, similar to Mardi Gras. The Winter Carnival celebrates the mascot Bonhomme and everyone joins in the fun by wearing matching waist sashes. I too got in on the fun. Check out my picture here! Winter Carnival has a ton of daily and nightly activities including axe throwing, mechanical moose riding, ice slides, fresh maple taffy and Bonhomme’s Ice Castle.
How to Dress
Quebec City is the ultimate winter location and with it being one of the snowiest places in the world, you need to embrace the winter weather and bundle up! The only way to dress here is in layers, and I mean tons of layers! I actually wore a total of three pairs of pants at once. That’s crazy, right?
Confession: I wear compression socks for vein problems (I know I’m already wearing compression socks in my late thirties, it’s crazy!) so that’s the first layer, with the second layer being a thermal legging. I got a great pair at Lands End along with a matching top. And my final layer was jeans. Most people just wore snow pants, which after thinking about it, might have been the way to go.
For my upper body layer, I wore my thermal top from Lands End and warm sweaters. I topped it off with my Marmot Winter Coat which blew away all expectations. While I love this coat for Chicago Winters, I wasn’t 100% sure it would hold up in Quebec, but I was pleasantly surprised. We sat in a snow storm for 2 hours to watch the Night Time Carnival Parade and I was warm to the core and dry as a bone. This coat is the ultimate winter coat!
For boots I wore my hunters and boot socks and was a tiny bit cold. My toes got super cold when I wasn’t moving around. To remedy this I bought alpaca socks and tried to rest on my heels as much as possible. It’s a trick I learned from wearing 4 inch heels in my 20’s. If you put the pressure on your heels the ball of your foot won’t hurt as much and won’t be as cold.
You can also view my full packing list for cold weather vacations for packing and outfit inspiration.
I was extremely sad to leave Quebec City, as it was the winter scene I was longing for with snowy nights and fireplaces everywhere. I also loved that the entire city is French speaking, as the French language is one of the reasons I fell in love with Paris. If you haven’t been, or are on the fence about going to Quebec City, you need to book your vacation today! You will fall in love with the city. If you’re like me, you will planning your next trip there as soon as you return!
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