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 north-eastern 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 modelled 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.
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