Bienvenue à Québec

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Traveling in Quebec, Canada is like visiting an entirely different country. The road signs, which had been in both English and French until now, were all in French. I found myself regretting the fact I had not brushed up on my French with Duolingo. Of course some signs do not require words at all.

The day was cold, dark, gray and drizzly. We stopped at an excellent Tourist Info Center in Rouyn-Noranda where we picked up a Quebec city brochure, purchased a carte routière officielle du Québec (Quebec road map) for $8 and got back on the road. Our Garmin GPS, by the way, has a terrible French accent.

The Visitor Center at Rouyn-Noranda was particularly good.

We entered the Réserve faunique La Vérendrye (animal reserve)  and drove and drove and drove. We expected a Visitor Center or some other information about the park, but found none. It’s a wild, natural area and probably lovely on a sunny day. Though there were lots of camping opportunities, there were no other services (gas, rest stops, restaurants, etc) and we saw nary an animal.

In late afternoon we pulled into the free overnight RV parking lot in Mont-Laurier. It was still drizzling and only 40°F (4°C). We turned on the diesel heater to ward off the chill and stayed put for the evening. Hot soup and crackers for dinner, some reading and writing and we hit the sack early, happy to be snuggled under the covers.

On the road again and west of Montreal, we began to head north. We couldn’t help but notice all the saintly named towns along the route. There were the usuals… Marc, Luc, Jean-Paul, but they must have run out of ‘usual’ after awhile because some of the town names became quite bizarre, e.g. St. Bartolemy, St. Eustache, St. Stanislaus, St. Cuthbert, St. Hubert, St. Ubalde, St. Narcisse, St. Casimir and St. Tite. That’s a lot of saints.


It’s interesting that Quebec of all the Canadian provinces remained so very French and so very Catholic and we wondered why. A little Canadian history…  In 1763, following the Seven Year’s War, France ceded most of its North American territory to Great Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain was very Protestant and only English was spoken. Quebec founded as New France was very Catholic and spoke only French. Governing new citizens who were not loyal to the Crown posed a problem. The Quebec Act of 1774 passed by King George III insured that Quebec could continue to practice Catholicism, speak French and that many aspects of French law could be maintained in their legal system. All this in an effort to gain the loyalty of the Québécois because the 13 British colonies to the south were beginning to get a bit rebellious.

Enough history… back to the trip

We continued north and the day finally warmed up. We’d found an RV park close to Québec City and checked in. Though the staff was friendly enough, the park was crowded with lots of ‘resident’ trailers in different states of repair and disrepair. The washrooms at our end of the park were basic at best and unserviced. Not our favorite place. We stayed one night then resorted to using hotel points once again to find a much more comfortable, definitely cleaner Comfort Inn closer to the city.

Québec City

We booked a city hop-on/hop-off bus tour and headed into the city early in the morning. Our last visit to Quebec City was 26 years ago to celebrate David’s 50th birthday and it was a memorable trip. That time we’d stayed three nights at the iconic Frontenac within the city walls in the heart of old town. This time the rooms were $750CAD/night, a bit much, hence the Comfort Inn alternative.

The bus tour was mediocre at best. The taped commentary was kind of lame and sometimes out of sync. There were long stretches when the bus was whizzing around and there was no commentary at all. We usually enjoy these type of tours for city orientation and figuring out exactly what we want to see and do. In retrospect, we could have skipped the bus tour and just headed to the old city and wandered around our own and been just as happy.

Quebec is the oldest city in Canada. Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, he is considered the father of Quebec and his statue stands prominently on the Dufferin Terrace, a beautiful boardwalk overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

Behind Champlain the majestic 600+ room Château Frontenac sits atop the Cap Diamanté and rises high above the city. Designed by the American architect, Bruce Price, it was constructed in 1893 as one of the hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is nothing short of magnificent.

The majestic Château Frontenac

The Plains of Abraham also known as Battlefield Park is a large plateau, now a public park, high on hill within the walled city. The land was originally owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin, hence the name. It was here that the famous Battle of the Plains of Abraham aka The First Battle of Quebec took place in 1759. It was a key battle of the Seven Year’s War (the North American venue was referred to as the French and Indian War) between France and England. England’s victory resulted in the France ceding most of its North American territory in the Treaty of Paris. Today, the park is a popular venue for re-enactments, soccer games and picnics.                         

We walked and browsed and explored the city, but pictures tell the story better than words. Come along with us as we wander.  

A lunch of moules-frites (mussels and French fries) at a sidewalk cafe.

City view

Porte Saint-Louis, one of the gates of the walled city - photo taken from the upper deck of the bus

Provincial Parliament building

Fountaine de Tourny

La Fresque des Québécois

Escalier Casse-Cou - Literally, Break Your Neck stairs, because they’re so steep. Casse-cou is French for a daredevil.

Though the area was under repair, I was able to take a photo over the construction fence of La Fresque des Québécois (The Quebec City Mural). At 40’ high x 400’ wide, this impressive mural on the side of a building showcases influential figures and pivotal events that shaped Québécois identity through its history.

Busy Rue Petit-Champlain offers boutiques, shops, restaurants and charm

One of the many restaurants on Rue Petit-Champlain, Cochon Dingue (Crazy Pig)

Rue Sous-le-Fort is one of the prettiest streets in the city.

We walked down to the lower city, but decided to take the Funiculaire back up to the Place Royale.

Rue de Tresor isn’t much more than an alley, but it’s the traditional place for local artists to sell their work.

Rue de Tresor

Dufferin Terrace high above the St. Lawrence River at Place Royale

this toboggan run operates every winter since 1884 on the Dufferin Terrace.

After two days of wandering, it was time to leave and begin the drive north along the St. Lawrence River and onto the Trans-Quebec and Labrador Highway. There was lots to see, so come along for the ride.

See how far we’ve come in blue on the map below… and how far we plan to go in red.