Rainy day · Quebec City · Canada
6 things to do in Quebec City when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Musée de la civilisation and Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 8–9 hours across 4 areas; 3 are free. December is usually the wettest month, with about 16 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 8–9 hours
- Areas
- Montcalm and Grande Allée, Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port and Old Québec – Upper Town
Quebec City on a rainy day
Museum · Montcalm and Grande Allée
1.Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Don't miss the Riopelle wing and the cells preserved in the old prison building.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port
2.Musée de la civilisation
A good first stop on a rainy day; the permanent exhibitions give useful context before you walk the old town.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Religious site · Old Québec – Upper Town
3.Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral
Visit quietly outside service times and look for the crypt tours, which run at certain periods of the year.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Architecture · Montcalm and Grande Allée
4.Parliament Building
Tours require security screening, so allow extra time and carry photo ID.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Market · Limoilou
5.Grand Marché de Québec
Buy cheese, cider and maple products here rather than in old-town souvenir shops.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Historic site · Old Québec – Upper Town
6.Morrin Centre
Book a guided tour to see the prison cells; the library itself is a quiet refuge on a cold day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Montcalm and Grande Allée | Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and Parliament Building | 2–3 hours + 1 hour |
| Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | Musée de la civilisation | 2 hours |
| Old Québec – Upper Town | Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral and Morrin Centre | 30–45 minutes + 1 hour |
| Limoilou | Grand Marché de Québec | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 3 free, 1 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Montcalm and Grande Allée): Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec → Parliament Building, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port and Old Québec – Upper Town): Musée de la civilisation → Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral → Morrin Centre, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Limoilou): Grand Marché de Québec, at least 1 hour.
The wettest months
- December: highs of -5°C (23°F), about 16 rainy days, moderate crowds. Snow-covered streets and Christmas decorations make the old town festive; busy around the holidays.
- January: highs of -8°C (18°F), about 15 rainy days, quiet crowds. The coldest month, with deep snow and wind chill; the old town looks its most wintry and hotel rates are low outside festival weekends.
- July: highs of 25°C (77°F), about 15 rainy days, very busy crowds. Peak summer: warm, occasionally humid, and the busiest month in the old town.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Old Québec – Upper Town — Inside the walls on the clifftop: Château Frontenac, Rue Saint-Louis and Rue Saint-Jean
- Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port — Riverside stone streets, Place Royale and the boutiques of Petit-Champlain
- Montcalm and Grande Allée — Terraced bar strip, Avenue Cartier delis and the Plains of Abraham next door
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste — Hilly residential streets, independent cafés and the outer stretch of Rue Saint-Jean
- Limoilou — Brick triplexes with outdoor staircases, 3e Avenue bistros and the Grand Marché
More of Quebec City
All things to do in Quebec City · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Quebec City?
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Quebec's national fine-arts museum spreads across four linked buildings on the Plains of Abraham, including a former prison and the glass Pierre Lassonde Pavilion.
+Which of these are free in Quebec City?
Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, Parliament Building and Grand Marché de Québec.