Eastern Canada Part 4: Quebec City

I had never been to Quebec City and it was the city I was most excited about visiting during this trip as friends have raved about it. I always thought it would be just like Montreal - churches, boutiques, local art and crepes. It probably is in some ways, but in my opinion, Quebec City has more life and culture. It was definitely the best part of the trip.

We spent the most number of days in Quebec City and we had all the time to relax, walk as much as we want and do some shopping. Streets were lined with local boutiques and restaurants, even more so than in Montreal. And the food was amazing. I cannot get enough of Quebec sugar pie and maple syrup candies.

There are two parts to Quebec City - the upper city and the lower city. One can either take the Funicular down to the lower city or walk down the steps. Stairs are set up all around the lower city that lead back up to the upper city. There was even more shopping in the lower city. My aunts were all ecstatic that they could just spend all day shopping. If my mom were there, she would have felt like she was in heaven.

From the lower city, one could get to the Marche du Vieux-Port, Quebec City's public market. Inside the market were stalls selling fresh produce, chocolates, honey, wine and my favorite - sugar! I wasn't too happy with the sugar pie because the crust was too thick and took away from the taste of the sugar filling, but the maple syrup block was delicious.

We didn't to a lot of sightseeing, mostly just shopping. We went to the citadelle for a bit, but didn't really pay to get the tour of the inside. I practically dragged my relatives up to the top of the walls and walked towards the other end. Once we saw the view of the city from there, they became happy to tag along. We had a perfect view of the La Chateau Frontenac from up there. La Chateau Frontenac is one of the city's landmarks that we just couldn't miss. This grand castle-like structure standing over the St. Lawrence river is now home to one of the Fairmont hotels. Tourists are welcome to venture inside and visit even more shops.

View of the Frontenac from the Lower City

View of the Frontenac from the Citadelle

One of my favorite parts of Quebec City is what I would call the Artists' row. Situated just steps from the Frontenac is a tiny outdoor alley filled with artists's paintings. It is in Rue de Tresor where artists can come and sell their paintings to the public for as little as 10 bucks to as much as hundreds of dollars.

Rue de Tresor

Now, my favorite meal in Quebec City was probably from dining at L'Omelette along Rue St-Louis. We all enjoyed it so much that we wanted to go back there the next day. The meal was affordable and practical. The desserts were homemade and some of the best I've had during the trip. Their maple syrup pie was wonderful. It was sweet and tart at the same time and had a certain gritty texture to it. And it really had a strong maple flavor.

Quebec City is beautiful and I wouldn't mind going back for a second visit, but when I do, I will make sure it is around winter so I can experience the Quebec Winter Carnival which looks very much like a winter wonderland from the pictures I've seen.