Things to do · Quebec City · Canada
18 best things to do in Quebec City
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Quebec City are Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade and Quartier Petit-Champlain. Of the 18 picks below, 10 are free, 6 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Château Frontenac
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Château Frontenac | Old Québec – Upper Town | 30 minutes–1 hour | Free |
| Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade | Old Québec – Upper Town | 45 minutes | Free |
| Quartier Petit-Champlain | Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | 1–2 hours | Free |
| La Citadelle de Québec | Old Québec – Upper Town | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires | Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | 45 minutes | Free |
| Fortifications of Québec | Old Québec – Upper Town | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park) | Montcalm and Grande Allée | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec | Montcalm and Grande Allée | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Musée de la civilisation | Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral | Old Québec – Upper Town | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Parliament Building | Montcalm and Grande Allée | 1 hour | Free |
| Old Québec Funicular | Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | 10 minutes | Low cost |
| Québec–Lévis ferry | Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port | 1 hour return | Low cost |
| Rue Saint-Jean | Old Québec – Upper Town | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Montmorency Falls | Beauport | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Grand Marché de Québec | Limoilou | 1 hour | Free |
| Aquarium du Québec | Sainte-Foy | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Morrin Centre | Old Québec – Upper Town | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
Landmark · Old Québec – Upper Town
1.Château Frontenac
The copper-roofed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, opened in 1893 as a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel, dominates the skyline from the clifftop above the river. Non-guests can walk through the lobby and bars, and guided tours of the hotel's history run through the year.
For the classic photo of the hotel, walk down to the lower end of Rue du Petit-Champlain or take the ferry and look back from mid-river.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes–1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
- Free
Viewpoint · Old Québec – Upper Town
2.Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade
This wide boardwalk runs along the cliff edge beside the Château Frontenac, with views over the St. Lawrence to Lévis and Île d'Orléans. Underneath it, the Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux site shows excavated remains of the former governors' residence. The Governors' Promenade continues along the cliff up towards the Citadelle and the Plains of Abraham.
In winter a wooden toboggan slide is set up at the terrace's end; the run is short, fast and popular with children and adults alike.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
- After dark
- Iconic
Street · Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port
3.Quartier Petit-Champlain
Rue du Petit-Champlain is a narrow pedestrian street of 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings at the foot of the cliff, lined with craft shops, galleries and bistros. The Breakneck Stairs (Escalier Casse-Cou) drop into it from Côte de la Montagne, and the Fresque du Petit-Champlain, a trompe-l'œil mural near the street's lower end, tells the quarter's history.
Visit early in the morning or after dinner, when the cruise and tour crowds have gone and the street lights come on.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Historic site · Old Québec – Upper Town
4.La Citadelle de Québec
The star-shaped fortress on Cap Diamant, built by the British in the 19th century, is still an active military installation and home of the Royal 22e Régiment. Guided tours cover the ramparts, the regimental museum and the Governor General's residence. In summer the changing of the guard takes place in bearskin hats and red tunics.
Check the summer schedule for the changing of the guard and arrive early for a spot along the parade square.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Views
- Iconic
Historic site · Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port
5.Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Place Royale marks the site of Champlain's 1608 habitation and is ringed by restored stone houses. The small Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church, begun in 1688, is one of the oldest stone churches in North America, with a model ship hanging from its ceiling. Nearby, the Fresque des Québécois mural depicts figures from four centuries of city history.
Combine it with the Musée de la civilisation, a three-minute walk away, for a full Lower Town morning.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Historic site · Old Québec – Upper Town
6.Fortifications of Québec
Quebec City's stone walls and gates — Porte Saint-Louis, Porte Saint-Jean and Porte Kent among them — enclose the Upper Town. You can walk long stretches on top of the ramparts for free, with views over the old town and the Saint-Roch lower town. Parks Canada manages the walls as a national historic site.
Start at Porte Saint-Jean and follow the wall walk clockwise towards the Artillery Park for the best views of the old roofs.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Views
Park · Montcalm and Grande Allée
7.Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park)
The battlefield where British and French forces fought in 1759 is now a large park along the cliffs, with Martello towers, lawns and river lookouts. Locals jog and picnic here in summer and cross-country ski and snowshoe in winter. Summer concerts during the Festival d'été use its main stage.
Walk from Dufferin Terrace along the Governors' Promenade stairs to reach the park without retracing your steps.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- History
- Views
Museum · Montcalm and Grande Allée
8.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. Its collections run from religious art of New France to Jean-Paul Riopelle's large canvases and contemporary Inuit art.
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
1.Musée de la civilisation
Designed by Moshe Safdie around older stone buildings, this museum covers Quebec history and society, with a long-term exhibition on the province's story and another on First Nations and Inuit. Temporary exhibitions are often hands-on and child-friendly.
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
2.Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral
The seat of the oldest Catholic diocese north of Mexico has a gilded baldachin over the altar and holds the tomb of Saint François de Laval, the first bishop. It faces the City Hall square and sits beside the Séminaire de Québec, whose courtyards are worth a look.
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
3.Parliament Building
Quebec's Second Empire-style Hôtel du Parlement, completed in 1886, has a façade lined with bronze statues of figures from the province's history. Free guided tours visit the National Assembly chamber, and the building's restaurant is open to the public.
Tours require security screening, so allow extra time and carry photo ID.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Experience · Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port
4.Old Québec Funicular
The funicular has linked Dufferin Terrace with the Petit-Champlain quarter since 1879, climbing the cliff in a ride of about a minute. It saves the climb up the Breakneck Stairs and gives a quick view over the Lower Town roofs.
Ride up rather than down; descending on foot via the Breakneck Stairs is easy and free.
- Time needed
- 10 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
Experience · Old Québec – Lower Town and Old Port
5.Québec–Lévis ferry
The commuter ferry crosses the St. Lawrence to Lévis in about 12 minutes and is an inexpensive way to see the city's skyline from the water. In winter the boats push through ice floes. On the Lévis side, a riverside path and terraces look straight back at the Château Frontenac.
Cross just before sunset and walk the Lévis riverside for the view of the old town lit up.
- Time needed
- 1 hour return
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Photo spot
Street · Old Québec – Upper Town
6.Rue Saint-Jean
The old town's main commercial street runs from inside the walls out through Porte Saint-Jean into the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district. Inside the walls it is pedestrianised in summer and full of pubs and crêperies; outside it becomes a local shopping street with grocers, bars and bakeries.
Walk it from end to end: the stretch beyond Porte Saint-Jean is where locals eat and drink.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- After dark
Nature · Beauport
7.Montmorency Falls
About 12 km east of the old town, the Montmorency River drops 83 metres into the St. Lawrence — about 30 metres higher than Niagara. A suspension bridge crosses the top, a long staircase descends the cliff, and a cable car links the base with the Manoir Montmorency. In winter, spray builds a cone of ice at the foot of the falls.
Take the cable car up and the panoramic staircase down to see the falls from every angle.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Market · Limoilou
8.Grand Marché de Québec
The city's main public market at ExpoCité brings together farmers, cheesemakers, butchers, maple producers and bakers from the Quebec City region under one roof, with prepared-food counters for lunch. It replaced the old Marché du Vieux-Port in 2019.
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
Aquarium · Sainte-Foy
9.Aquarium du Québec
On a wooded clifftop near the Pierre-Laporte and Quebec bridges, the aquarium has walrus, seals and polar bears in outdoor habitats as well as indoor tanks of St. Lawrence and tropical species. It is one of the city's main days out for families.
Time your visit around the feeding sessions posted at the entrance.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
Historic site · Old Québec – Upper Town
10.Morrin Centre
Built as the city's first prison and later a college, this building now houses the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec and a Victorian-era library with wooden galleries. Guided tours visit the old cells in the basement and the library above.
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
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and Musée de la civilisation |
| History | Château Frontenac, Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, La Citadelle de Québec and Fortifications of Québec |
| Views | Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade, La Citadelle de Québec, Fortifications of Québec and Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park) |
| Outdoors and nature | Fortifications of Québec, Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park), Montmorency Falls and Aquarium du Québec |
| Food and markets | Rue Saint-Jean and Grand Marché de Québec |
| After dark | Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade and Rue Saint-Jean |
| With children | Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade, La Citadelle de Québec, Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park) and Musée de la civilisation |
| On a rainy day | Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Musée de la civilisation, Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral and Parliament Building |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Quebec City?
Château Frontenac. The copper-roofed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, opened in 1893 as a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel, dominates the skyline from the clifftop above the river.
+What can you do for free in Quebec City?
Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade, Quartier Petit-Champlain, Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires and Fortifications of Québec. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Quebec City when it rains?
Head indoors to Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Musée de la civilisation, Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral and Parliament Building.
+What is there to do in Quebec City at night?
Dufferin Terrace and Governors' Promenade and Rue Saint-Jean are best after dark.