Copy My Trip: 4 days in Québec City

24.07.2024 - 17:28 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 24, 2024 • 8 min read

I’m Lonely Planet’s destination editor for the eastern US and Canada – and the love of all things Canada is in my blood.

I was born in Toronto and lived there much of my life. I went to school in Montréal. I ran a half marathon through Vancouver, did a solo driving-and-hiking trip through British Columbia and Alberta, and recently visited Newfoundland for the first time. But I hadn’t been to Québec City since a family trip when I was 3 years old, so it was definitely time for a return visit.

Since its enchanting winter carnival and summertime festivals make this one of Canada’s most visited cities, I was excited to get beyond the typical tourist spots.

Its cobblestone streets, Dufferin Terrace overlooking the St Lawrence River and castle-like Château Frontenac hotel make Vieux-Québec magical. But my favorite thing was getting out of the Old Town, on a bike excursion. You can rent bikes (electric or regular) at Tuque & Bicycle Experiences and plan your own day, or hire bikes and a guide. Away from the bluffs and steep alleys of its historic center, Québec City has hundreds of kilometers of bike trails, including some flat and scenic paths that wind along the Rivière-Saint-Charles. (The Destination Québec cité website lists some suggested bike routes.)

We pedaled to the new location of the Grand Marché de Québec, where a number of vendors sell produce and prepared foods at stalls. On the second floor, the line of customers at Zeitoun Cuisine Libanaise is a sign of the joint’s excellent sandwiches, juicy grilled chicken, and creamy hummus and baba ghanoush.  

Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, home to the towering Montmorency Falls, is just about 12km (8 miles) outside of the city – definitely close enough for a bicycle excursion. These falls are truly tall: almost 100ft higher than Niagara Falls, in fact. You can walk up the 487 steps in the panoramic staircase, zip-line across, trundle up any of the three via ferrata routes or take a cable car up to the top of the falls, where the views from the suspension bridge are absolutely magnificent, especially if you look down over the railing. If you’re really intrepid, visit the frigid falls in winter, when you can do ice-climbing up the frozen cliff walls.

I ate a lot of great things on this trip, especially on the evening food tour we did around Vieux-Québec with HQ Services Touristiques (top marks for the French onion soup and the beer at Archibald’s). My favorite eating experience of the trip was certainly the six-course dinner at ARVI restaurant, which explored cutting-edge presentations of seasonal and local flavors. I’m a sucker for a dining event, where a meal is not just the food (and wine) – but almost a theatrical experience, from the