A winter wonderland - Quebec City at Christmas.

Quebec City lies within Canada’s French Province, Quebec. With cobblestone streets and a history dating back to 1608, it's a fantastic place to visit anytime, but a truly magical experience at Christmas.

Quebec city lies on the St Lawrence River, and the ‘old town’, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Treasure is extremely safe and walkable.

Accommodation

We stayed at a gorgeous boutique Hotel within the walls of the old town called Hotel Manoir Victoria (http://www.manoir-victoria.com/index.php/en/).

Thing to do

The location was absolutely sensational… walk to everything. The hotel was clean, friendly and hit the spot for our 6 night stay. The rooms were larger than average for the town, and with a family of four, we needed the space. It was around $400 a night, and based on comparisons in the area we felt it was a fair price for the quality experience.

At the heart of Quebec City is the Chateau Frontenac - commonly referred to as The Castle. It is the most photographed hotel in the world, and when you visit you’ll see why. It is a spectacular setting. We didn’t stay there, but you can walk through and see all sorts of historical artefacts and read about the history of the city for free!

Beside the castle is a traditional toboggan slide on Dufferin Terrace, which you simply can’t miss. It’s a local tradition for over 100 years.

We always recommend starting our time in a new city by employing a local walking guide for a private tour. Joining large tourist groups just isn’t our thing, so a private tour hits the spot for us. We have used toursbylocals.com in many places we have visited and Quebec City was another wonderful experience with our guide John. To be honest it often works out cheaper than the tour groups anyway, and its private for you and your family. We did 3.5 hours walking tour around Old Quebec covering the 6 sections of Old Quebec (read about them here… https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/old-quebec/ ). It was actually bucketing snow the whole time, which only added to the winter charm.

There are a couple of things not to miss:

* Rue du Petite Chaplain is a postcard perfect street. It's a scene right out of a Christmas fairytale and an ideal place to rug up and venture out for an evening walk in the snow-filled streets.

* Nearby to Rue du Petite Chaplain is historic Place Royale. The site of the first French Settlement in North America and the oldest stone church (built in 1688)

* The funicular cable car connects the Castle to the lower levels of Old Quebec and the view whilst going up and down is incredible. The river is often frozen in sections in winter and great to view from here.

* Horse drawn carts set off most of the day and night from just outside the Chateau Frontenac. It was about $60CAD ($68AUD) for a 45 mins ride for the 4 of us and it was a stunning evening.

* Ice skating is a local tradition and we came across many options to participate. Our favourite was at the Place D'Youville in Rue Saint-Jean just outside the imposing gates to the old town. A stunning setting.

Dining Out:

* When in Quebec, you have lots of French specialties to taste! The best Quebecois restuarant we found with traditional French fare was also located in the oldest building in Quebec. Aux Anciens Canadiens is a great place to visit and you can feel the history. You can try snails, rabbit, bone marrow, confit duck… all the favourites. www.auxanciendcanadiens.qc.ca

* The best crepes in Quebec are found at Casse-Crepe Breton https://www.cassecrepebreton.com . There is often a line up, but believe me it’s worth it.

* Good coffee is hard to find any where in North America, but its ok at Chez Boulay Cafe on Rue Du Palais. The croissants are also amazing here!

* The Chex Boulay Bistro is also nearby in Rue Saint-Jean and is an upmarket French Bistro with a classy menu featuring local produce. This is a bit pricey but worth it if you’re a foodie. The wine list is extravagant… we found our happy place here! chezboulay.com

* The Pub St-Patricks (on the corner of Rue Couillard and Saint-Jean). A family friendly pub where we spent hours playing cards by the fire and snacking on their lovely food. Note: Most ‘bistros’ and pubs in quebec choose not to allow kids. But this one does and it was great. https://pubsaintpatrick.ca

* We also found a great Italian, just across the Road called Portofino http://portofino.ca/en/

* On New Years Eve we booked La Buche (http://restolabuche.com) as it was recommend by locals, and were not disappointed. A traditional French menu and a cool atmosphere with a good cocktail list!

There is so much more to see and do in Quebec. We have more to tell but will add Part 2 soon. Watch this space……..