Last updated on February 8th, 2024 at 12:07 am
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Quebec City is a charming place that feels European with the friendliness of Canadian culture and great food, hearty enough to sustain through the winter. If you are planning a trip to this picturesque locale, this is the perfect 3 day Quebec City itinerary.
For Christmas in 2018, Luke and I decided that instead of gifts, we were going to book each other surprise weekend getaways. He had been talking about visiting Quebec City for a long time and neither of us had been to Canada yet. It seemed like the perfect place for two foodies who love French culture to explore. It was harder than expected to keep the secret for so long, but in the end I succeeded and he was surprised (can’t say the same for myself, I accidentally discovered he was taking me to San Diego).
Tips for Visiting Quebec City
Quebec City is located in Quebec, Canada, and therefore the predominate language is French although English is widely spoken as well.
The Canadian dollar is used and the currently $1 USD is equivalent to $1.36 Canadian Dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted, but there are also many ATMs around the city if you want to use cash.
Tipping in Quebec City is similar to the US. For restaurant staff, a 15-20% tip is expected and about a dollar per drink at bars. It is also common to tip the hotel staff, such as the cleaning staff or bellhop, about $1-2 CAD.
The Best Time to Visit Quebec City
Quebec City usually experiences more crowds during the summer and winter months. Spring and fall would be considered the off-season, where rates may be a little lower. Every season has something special to offer.
Summertime brings warm temperatures with highs in the 70s as well as many festivals to enjoy. Festival d’été de Québec is an 11-day outdoor music festival and the New France Festival celebrates historical America.
In the fall, temperatures start to drop, but this is the prefect time to see Quebec City dressed in autumn hues as the leaves start to change color.
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The winter sees temperatures around 20 degrees and snow, which brings many winter activities. The German Christmas Market opens in late November and in February, Quebec City turns into a winter wonderland for the Québec Winter Carnival. This carnival provides all kinds of winter activities and has officially been added to my bucket list.
In the spring, temperatures slowly start to warm up and big piles of snow are pushed out of the way until they melt. Snow can still come in April and even through June occasionally. Spring is maple syrup season in Quebec so be prepared to find maple syrup treats everywhere. This is when we chose to visit.
What to Pack for Quebec City in the Spring
During our 3 days in Quebec City, the weather was quite variable. The first two days were chilly but beautiful and mostly sunny and the third day it dumped snow.
I brought two jackets, a lighter down jacket
How to get to Quebec City
Since we were coming from Denver, we flew. There are no direct flights from Denver but there are several cities in the US that are able to fly direct. We flew from Denver to Newark and then onto Quebec City in a smaller plane. The flight left on Friday night, so we arrived Saturday morning around 10:30 AM. We departed from Quebec City on Tuesday morning, giving us 3 days in Quebec City.
This itinerary could easily be added on to several days in Montreal, where you can travel a little over three hours by train to Quebec City.
Quebec City Neighborhood Guide
Quebec City has many neighborhoods that are worth exploring. Vieux-Québec, or Old Quebec, is the most famous destination for visitors. It is made up of Haute Ville (Upper-Town) and Basse-Ville (Lower Town). Haute-Ville includes Château Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world, as well as the Terrasse Dufferin. Basse-Ville includes the Old Port, Quartier Petit Champlain, and Palace Royale. Both areas have many restaurants, cobblestoned streets, and historical buildings. Vieux-Québec is a walled city, with fortifications separating it from the other neighborhoods.
Saint-Roch is a downtown neighborhood that has transformed into a place for trendy bars, restaurants, and boutiques. It is known for the arts and technology scene.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste is bohemian neighborhood, perfect for foodies. It contains cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and North America’s oldest grocery store, J.A. Moisan. We took a food tour that took us into Saint-Jean, allowing us to discover some great spots.
Montclam is known for Avenue Cartier, which has more upscale shopping, and the fine arts Museum, Musée national des beaux‑arts du Québec. It also includes the Plains of Abraham.
In Saint-Sauveur, the atmosphere is laid back and you can find both trendy and casual eateries. Along Rue Saint-Vallier Ouest, international cuisine is abundant. Boutiques in this area commonly feature vintage goods.
Where to Stay in Quebec City
For our first trip, we stayed in Vieux-Québec at the Hôtel Château Bellevue. It is a lovely hotel that is very close to Château Frontenac and many other sites. The room was nice and the front desk personnel were friendly and helpful. The hotel was about $90 dollars a night.
We spent most of our trip exploring Vieux-Québec, so this was a convenient location. I recommend staying in Vieux-Québec for your first trip, especially if you only have a few days. Staying in any of the other areas would be good for a return trip to Quebec City.
How to Get Around Quebec City
Quebec City is a walkable but hilly city. Uber is available, but it can be a little expensive. These are the two main ways that we traversed the city. The RTC metrobus is also available for transportation to some of Quebec City’s most popular neighborhoods. LeBus covers more of the territory if you need to go somewhere not covered by the metrobus. A one-way ticket is about CA$3 and there are multi-day passes available for purchase as well.
Quebec City Itinerary
Day 1 – Food Tour of Old Quebec
We arrived at the Quebec City Airport around 10:30 AM. As the plane landed, I could see that everything on the ground was white and covered in snow, it was really beautiful. The airport is only about 30 minutes by car, so we took an Uber. When we arrived at our Hotel, we were relieved to find that the room was ready.
After freshening up, we headed out to explore and take in the sights. Hôtel Château Bellevue, where we stayed, is very close to Château Frontenac and Terrasse Dufferin. We wandered over to admire Château Frontenac and take the first of many pictures of the grand hotel. Terrasse Dufferin is just outside the hotel and provides views of the Saint Lawrence River and more of Vieux-Québec.
We had signed up for a food tour for our first day, hoping to find some good places to eat the rest of our trip. The tour was through Tours Voir Québec for $65.99 CAD per person and lasted two and a half hours. The tours are only available Tuesday through Saturday during the off-season and they are offered 7 days a week from May to October.
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The tour is a walking tour that includes five stops. We started near Château Frontenac and ended up in Saint-Jean-Baptiste. At each stop there was a small bite to eat and occasionally a drink pairing. Between stops, the guide shared many interesting facts about the city.
I really enjoyed the tour and everything we tried. Although the group was only about 10 people, it was larger than I would have preferred.
We were both still fairly hungry after the tour, so I wouldn’t necessarily think the tour would be a meal replacement, but we also hadn’t had a real meal in quite some time.
The Oldest Grocery Store in North America
After the food tour, we looked around Épicerie J.A. Moisan, the oldest grocery store in North America. Luke and I love places like this and could probably spend all day inspecting the specialty foods.
Dinner at Tournebroche
Since we were still hungry and we had found a restaurant (or several) that we wished to return to, we went to Tournebroche which is an organic, farm to table bistro.
We ordered the Quebec cheese platter to start. For the entrée I ordered the steak, which was cooked perfectly and came with a side of sliced potatoes that were delightfully crispy on the outside. For dessert, we had the poor man’s pudding, which is a traditional French-Canadian dessert where a cake is soaked in brown sugar butter to make a bread pudding. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
After dinner we climbed the hill back to our hotel and immediately went to sleep.
Day Two – Saint-Roch and Old Quebec
Breakfast
We started our day in Saint-Roch. For breakfast, we grabbed a croissant, although the other delicious looking pastries were tempting too, at La Boîte à Pain. This is the perfect place if you are craving the traditional bakery experience. It’s about a 25 minute walk from Hôtel Château Bellevue.
Nektar Caféologue was our next stop, a cute coffee shop with excellent coffee and plenty of seating. They had an enticing maple croissant which we also ordered, so this is another option for breakfast.
This is a good time to explore the artsy boutiques of Saint-Roch.
Le Grand Marché
From there, we took another half hour walk to the Old Port of Quebec City where the market was during our visit. I love exploring a market and observing the specialties of the culture, which in this case were ice cideries, maple flavored everything, and giant crabs. They also had the usual treats such as pastries, cheeses, meats, and much more. We bought some ice cider and honey wine to take home.
Le Grand Marché is replacing the Old Port Market, with a more central location. It is worth visiting, with many of the same goodies, so just head north of Saint-Roch about 30 minutes walking.
Palace Royale
From Old Port Market, we headed to the Palace Royale which was about a 10 minute walk. You may need to take an Uber from Le Grand Marché. Palace Royale is a square with French and British architectural influences, where Quebec City was founded in 1608. It also contains Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church.
I loved wandering around this area and looking at all the cute stone buildings.
Ferry to Lévis
Next we headed to the Gare fluviale de Québec, where we purchased tickets to take the ferry to Lévis. This is one of the best ways to photograph Château Frontenac, standing gloriously above the Saint Lawrence River. In the spring the river was partially covered in ice and it was incredible to watch the boat break through the ice so efficiently. I have never seen anything like that before.
The ferry leaves Quebec about every 20 minutes, but find the most up to date schedule here. A one-way ticket for anyone ages 16 to 64 is $3.65 and children and elderly cost slightly less. The crossing time is 12 minutes. Once you reach Lévis, you must exit, but you can board for the return trip right away.
In the summer, Lévis has many bike trails that can be explored. The ferry also continues to run late into the night, so if you want to see Quebec City all lit up at night that is also a good option.
Quartier Petit Champlain
After the ferry returned to Quebec City, we headed to Quartier Petit Champlain, a very famous street in Old Quebec City featuring shops and restaurants. This area is extremely touristy, but the buildings are beautiful.
We grabbed some ice cream, maple for me, of course, at one of the shops while we walked around and did some window shopping. Petite Champlain has a funicular that goes from Petite Champlain to the Terrasse Dufferin, which is a good way to avoid the uphill walk. The funicular is $3.75 CAD each way.
Lunch at Le Chic Shack
We did the hike because we wanted to stop for lunch at Le Chic Shack, a restaurant that serves poutine with a modern spin. I ordered the classic in the petite size, which was plenty. Luke ordered La Forestière, which came with mushrooms and a different sauce. Both were delicious! The potatoes were less like fries, as they are in traditional poutine, but they were very crispy and the meal overall was tasty.
Morrin Centre
After lunch we tried to go to the Morrin Centre, a beautiful library housed in a historical building, but unfortunately, they were closed for an event. The Morrin Centre offers tours, so if you would like to sign up for a tour in advance you would be guaranteed entrance to the library.
The Morrin Centre is not only a library but also a historical site of Quebec City. Before the current building was constructed, the site used as military barracks and held prisoners of war. The current structure was erected in 1812 and used as a common gaol, or prison.
In 1868, a year after the gaol closed, the building became Morrin College. Morrin College was an English-language institute of higher education, the first of its kind in Quebec City. Beginning in 1885, the college allowed women to attend and even provided coed classes because there were not enough students. In 1868, the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec moved into the Morrin College, which is also when the building began housing the library.
Maison de la Littérature
Instead we visited the Maison de la Littérature, another popular library to visit, housed in a former church. We admired the spiral staircase and the modern white shelves, filled with books with French titles. The goal of the Maison de la Littérature is to display Quebec’s literary heritage and continue to promote literary creation.
Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons Terrace
Next head to Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons Terrace, a good place to view Château Frontenac and the Lawrence River. This is a great photo spot in Quebec City or the perfect place to have a picnic in the warmer months.
1608
After a day of walking, we decided to sit and have a drink somewhere. We chose 1608 Bar at Château Frontenac. This choice allowed us to wander through Château Frontenac and admire the historical site.
Drinks at 1608 are extremely expensive, I ordered a glass of Pinot Gris for about $20 CAD because it was one of the cheaper things on the menu. It is still the most expensive glass of wine that I’ve ever had. The cocktails were outrageous too, ranging from $18 to $74 CAD. The ambiance was nice though and we sat in couches by big windows overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. This is definitely not the place to have more than one drink.
D’Orsay
Next we headed to D‘Orsay, a European gastropub. I was craving that feeling of being in Europe and D’Orsay as the perfect place for that. We sat at the bar and enjoyed another glass of wine, this one was much more affordable.
Dinner at Chez Boulay
Finally, it was time for dinner at Chez Boulay. We ordered the Salmon Carpaccio to start, followed by the braised beef cheek for me and the scallops for Luke. For dessert, we enjoyed the Maple Crème Brulee with Maple Butter. Everything was delicious and I recommend a visit.
Bar Ste-Angèle
For after dinner drinks, we went to Bar Ste-Angèle, a jazz club only a few minutes from Chez Boulay. I really enjoyed the music. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole day in Quebec City. The drinks were not great, unfortunately, but I had a long Island which was average. If you aren’t interested in hearing jazz music, this is probably not somewhere you need to visit.
Chez Tao!
The last stop for drinks was Chez Tao! which was about a 25 minute walk so we took an Uber. This was probably my favorite bar we visited, but that might be because my drink came in a Panda glass, they serve bao buns, and the drinks were well crafted, which is pretty much all I want in a bar. Their kitchen was open late when we visited, so this is the perfect place for a late-night snack. They offer a variety of Asian street eats such as Bahn mì sandwiches, Pad Thai, and more.
For drinks, I had the Gros Gars Panda (or Fat Guy Panda if you have the English menu). It had Scotch, ginger, and orange. I don’t usually like Scotch but this was surprisingly good and I will order anything that comes in a Panda glass. Luke had the Koh Tao #2, with Cachaca, rum, pineapple, and ginger, which was a tasty tiki style drink.
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Day 3 – Day Trip from Quebec City
Breakfast at Paillard
Start your day at Paillard, another delicious stop for pastries. While we were eating our pastries, it started snowing heavily, making us question the rest of our plans for the day. But we shouldered on, heading to an indoor spot, Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica Cathedral.
Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica Cathedral
The first church to be made of stone in the city, Notre Dame de la Paix was built in 1647. In 1674, it became a Cathedral of Saint François de Laval and was later granted the name basilica by Pius IX. A basilica is a church that draws many pilgrimages.
It is significantly smaller than the Notre-Dame de Paris, but it is still beautiful. Above the alter, angels hold up a gold baldachin, or canopy structure, designed by French Canadian, François Baillairgé. Beneath the golden canopy, there is an organ and two stained glass windows.
Visiting a Sugar Shack
We headed back to our hotel so we could prepare for our next adventure, visiting a traditional Canadian sugar shack. A sugar shack is a cabin where maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees.
Many sugar shacks today also offer activities such as sleigh-riding, tours of the grounds, and making maple taffy on snow. A visit to a sugar shack usually involves a meal featuring maple syrup served with scrambled eggs, ham, baked beans, pork rinds, pancakes, and pea soup. Prior to the meal, there will often be Québécois folk songs played.
Maple syrup season is early spring, when everything starts to thaw and the sap can be extracted from the trees. This is usually the first couple weeks of April.
Érablière le Chemin du Roy
Since we were visiting in early April, I was determined to visit a sugar shack. It sounded like an experience unique to visiting Quebec. We visited Érablière le Chemin du Roy, a sugar shack about 25 minutes driving from our Hotel via Uber. We had no problem getting an Uber on either end of the trip to the sugar shack.
The experience was almost exactly as described, the cabin was cute, covered in snow with smoke billowing from the chimney. It sat in a forest of trees, presumably maple trees but I am no expert, with buckets hanging off them to collect the sap. It was quite picturesque.
We had reserved a spot in advance online, which I recommend you do if you are interested in visiting. Once there, we checked in. We settled ourselves at a long table in preparation for the festivities because we were pretty much the only ones there. It turned out that the other visitors that day were school age kids, seemingly on a field trip. We were the only adults I could see that weren’t there with this large group of kids, which I feel took something away from the experience and made us feel a bit out of place.
Once everyone was seated, a musician got up to play folk songs and entertain, which involved playing the fiddle and tapping his feet to the tune at the same time. It was quite impressive.
Finally the food came out. Ham, scrambled eggs, baked beans, pea soup, pork rinds, meat pie, and coleslaw. It was so much food. I didn’t really enjoy the food that much, unfortunately. The meat pie with homemade ketchup was surprisingly tasty and the baked beans were good, but otherwise I honestly did not feel that impressed with it.
Feeling mildly disappointed and also overwhelmed by the number of children and their energy, we ventured outside to try maple taffy on snow. This was my favorite part of the visit. The hot maple syrup is poured onto the snow in lines, and a popsicle stick is used to gather the maple taffy as it solidifies. Then you eat it off the stick. It was quite delicious and definitely an experience that can only be had in this region.
Other Day Trips from Quebec City
If visiting a sugar shack doesn’t interest you, or if you are visiting out of season, there are plenty of other day trips that you could take on this day.
Montmorency Falls is a popular day trip from Quebec City, with a beautiful waterfall even larger than Niagara. There is a cable car to the top and a suspension bridge over the falls. This is only 13 minutes driving from Quebec City and the local bus stops near the falls.
Only an additional 20 minutes away is Basilica of Sainte-Anne de Beaupre, a breathtaking church surrounded by foliage that turns into beautiful red and orange hues in autumn. There are a variety of tours available from Quebec City including one or both of these stops.
Île d’Orléans is another day trip that is only about 30 minutes from Quebec City. This is a great place for foodies to visit as it is known as “the pantry of Quebec City.” Taste maple syrup, cheeses, vinegars, beer, wine, and more on a visit to Île d’Orléans. There are tours available to Île d’Orléans as well.
Plains of Abraham
After our visit to the sugar shack, we returned to Quebec City and attempted to walk to the Plains of Abraham, but as it was still snowing, it was impossible to see anything. This may have been a good time to see the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
L’Atelier
Instead we took refuge in L’Atelier, a gastropub serving dishes like mac n’ cheese and hamburgers alongside craft cocktails. They also specialize in tartars and have a section of the menu dedicated to several different types. Luke of course had to order the tuna tartar while I stuck with a side of mac n’ cheese, which was perfect for a snowy day.
We also tried some drinks with the appetizers, and both were pretty good but could have used a pinch more sweetness. I ordered the Dessert Eagle, featuring tequila, brandy, lime, agave, cucumber, coriander, and habanero bitters.
Bleu Marine
Since it was still cold and the snow had accumulated outside, we headed to what used to be called Le Moine Echanson and is now Bleu Marine, about an 8 minute walk. Bleu Marine is a wine bar, one of the stops from the food tour we did on our first day in Quebec City.
They have a large collection of organic wines and the staff are knowledgeable about the wines. They will help you decide what to try based on our preferences because organic wines tend to taste slightly different. You are also able to taste before settling on one.
They also have a food menu that changes with the seasons and a chef that is known for creating unique dishes. For instance, when we visited, they were featuring seal. I was taken aback by this because I have never seen seal on a menu before and had never considered that people might eat it.
However, after researching it, seal hunting is allowed in Canada, with regulations, as this is one of the main forms of sustenance for Artic populations. In contrast, the US and Europe have banned the import of seal because of mistreatment of the animals. In the end, Luke ordered the seal because he can’t resist such a unique item on a menu. I tried it, but I’m not sure I could wholly enjoy it without feeling guilty.
The next morning we headed to the airport to return home. Hopefully someday I can return to Quebec City around Christmastime or for the Quebec Winter Carnival that happens in February.
Other Things to do in Quebec City
Witness the changing of the guard (June 24th to Labor Day at 10 AM) at Citadelle de Québec. This included with admission to the museum.
Explore the Jeanne d’Arc Garden.
Visit Montcalm, the city’s art district, and stroll along Avenue Cartier for boutiques and eateries.
Visit Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec.
View 360 degree views of Quebec City from the Observatorie de la Capitale. Tickets are $14.75 for an adult.
Take a food tour of Saint-Roch.
Enjoy the many bars and restaurants along the Grande Allée, known for its nightlife.
Map of Quebec City
Use the map below to find all the places mentioned in this Quebec City Itinerary.
Have you ever visited Quebec City? Tell me your favorite part of this idyllic city in the comments!
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Your posts always make me want to go where you’ve been! Thanks for such an interesting and mouth watering review…maple cream and maple butter- sounds wonderful!!!
Thank you!