72 Hours in Québec City
A walk up the hill through the winding streets of Old Québec (or travel via funiculaire) gives visitors an impressive view of the St. Lawrence River. Perched high above the city is the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. This landmark hotel has a long and colorful history and its imposing structure towering over Old Québec, with 611 guest rooms, is stunning (especially at night) and when viewed from below in the historic section of town. It’s worth the trip to the top of the hill to visit and tour the building itself and to dine with a view overlooking the St. Lawrence River at Le Sam, the hotel’s bistro concept.
View of the St. Lawrence River and Port of Québec
Entrance to the funiculare in the Petit-Champlain District
Looking down from the funiculare
The impressive Le Château Frontenac
A view of the grand Le Château Frontenac from the Old City
There’s a surprising amount of green space in this charming city, especially at Battlefields Park. Likened to Central Park in New York City, this remarkable stretch of land spans over 255 acres of meadows and grass. It was declared a historical monument by the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) in 1908 to honor both the British and French soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in the Seven Years’ War in 1759 (also known as the Battle of Québec) and in other battles which took place on this plateau outside the walled city. This land was the site for many battles between the French and English. Battlefields Park (a combination of the Plains of Abraham and Des Braves Park), is for everyone to enjoy and is the venue for several national festivals. Within the park, there is also an interpretive center and other historic exhibits.
Battlefields Park
The R22R Museum at Battlefields Park
Parliament Building
With our delightful guide, Michelle
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Gwen Pratesi
Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and an award-winning travel writer. She is the author and owner of PratesiLiving.com with her husband and a regular contributor to the Travel section of U.S. News & World Report. She also freelances for other publications including The Points Guy, USA TODAY, Cruise Critic, Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Reader's Digest, Forbes Travel Guide, Smarter Travel, TripAdvisor, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine and World Travel Magazine. Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, Business Insider, and SheKnows.
Gwen chronicles her love of international travel and experience as a professional home cook on PratesiLiving.com, where she shares the stories of some of the world's most sought-after destinations and cruise lines, highly regarded chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, wine and spirits producers and culinary artisans.
She and her husband are enjoying the coastal lifestyle in Florida with their Tibetan Terrier, Rhythm.
Gwen , what a wonderful article about a beloved city. We will be traveling there this week and very much appreciate this timely posting. You and Roger have given us so many perfect recommendations for restaurants and activities. We can not wait to try them all.
Thank you for all the hard work you do to make these places come alive for all your followers. We love the fact you make them all so fun as well as educational.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Anne,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. 🙂
I hope you and Bill are enjoying your time in Québec. I can’t wait to hear about your travels when you return!
Best,
Gwen
Thanks for the suggestion, Gwen. I’ve only been to some of the English speaking Provinces, never to Québec. You really make me feel like going there. Thanks to you and Roger.
Hi Francesca,
You definitely need to visit Québec. We loved the city and the surrounding area. It’s a beautiful and really unique place to travel to with all the very different regions not far from the city. And the food and local wines were wonderful.
Cheers,
Gwen
Can’t wait for next June. To be with optimist and in the city of Quebec, wow! I want to see and do everything. Bringing my granddaughter for her graduation gift and we are going to have so much fun. Keep the info coming.
Believe
Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I’m sure you and your granddaughter will have a memorable trip. Here is the next article and check back for a few more coming very soon. https://www.pratesiliving.com/2015/08/auberge-saint-antoine-quebec-city/
Best,
Gwen