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Québec City, A Taste of Old Europe in North America
By Clint Leung
One can get a taste of old Europe right in North America when
visiting Québec City in Canada. Québec City is the capital of the
province of Québec. It can be easily reached by a short flight
from points in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.
It is a three hour drive from Montreal. The high season is the
summer when visitors from all over the world visit. Recently, the
number of tourists from the United States and Europe has
increased dramatically. This may be partly due to the fact that
even some cruise ships originating from eastern US ports are now
including Québec City as a port of call.
Back in 1608, explorer Samuel de Champlain saw the potential of
the natural citadel here and founded a fur trading post. With the
fortifications of the Upper Town of Québec City became the area
where government and religious institutions set up. Meanwhile,
merchants and craftsmen settled in the Lower Town along the St.
Lawrence River. Québec City was fought over by the English and
the French many times during wars in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The English finally took the city over in 1759 resulting with New
France becoming a British colony. Québec City is still considered
as the cradle of French civilization in North America. The old
quarter of the city was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO
in 1985 and is the only fortified city in North America.
Today, the winding streets and alleys of the old quarter of
Québec City is filled with elegant restaurants, bistros, cafes,
museums, art galleries and retail shops. There are artists
selling their artwork in some of the alleys. Most of the
restaurants in the old quarter are smaller, independent business
rather than large chains and they fill up quickly during busy
periods so advance reservations are recommended. One of the
landmarks of Québec City is the huge medieval looking hotel, the
Château Frontenac which along with the adjacent Terrasse
Dufferin, overlooks the St. Lawrence River. A one of a kind
funicular connects the Upper Town with the Lower Town. There are
also several smaller hotels right in the old quarter. The old
quarter can be visited by car and there are parking areas
strategically located.
Just outside the walls of the old quarter is the rest of downtown
Québec City where newer high rise hotels such as the Hilton and
Loews are located. Along the main street of Grand Allée is
another section of restaurants and cafes, many of them priced a
bit lower than the ones within the old quarter which gives
visitors more dining choices. It is a very easy walk from Grand
Allée to the old quarter.
Still another alternative for both accommodation and dining is in
the Sainte Foy area which is a 10 minute drive west of downtown
Québec City. In fact, Sainte Foy is actually closer to the
airport and is well represented by lower priced hotels such as
Best Western, Travelodge, Comfort Inn and Days Inn. During the
high season, some of the hotels in Sainte Foy offer free shuttle
bus service to the old quarter of Québec City. Sainte Foy also
has two shopping malls side by side along the main street of
Laurier Boulevard.
Visitors may also want to drive 30 minutes east of Québec City to
the small village of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré which has one of the
most famous churches in North America, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Basilica. This site was built in the mid 17th century and
receives 1.5 million visitors per year. Along the way is a 272
foot high water falls visible from the highway called the Chute
Montmorency.
Although the summer is the high season, Québec City gets a fair
number of visitors to its Carnaval festival in February and the
major ski resort Mont Sainte-Anne is busy with the ski and
snowboard crowds all winter. Most skiers and snowboarders going
to Mont Sainte-Anne use Québec City as the base for
accommodations and dining. An added winter attraction during the
last few years has been the Ice Hotel near Lac Sainte-Joseph
which was modeled after the one in Europe.
Québec City has become one of Canada's top tourist destinations
with attractions all year round catering to both summer and
winter visitors. With the added old European charm, it is the
closest thing to being in Europe without actually leaving North
America.
About the Author:
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing
in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including
carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous
information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and
Native Indian art as well as free eCards.
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