Old Quebec

Old Quebec is the most European city in North America, the historic heart of Quebec City and the cradle of French Canada, and the only walled city north of Mexico. A UNESCO treasure of cobbled lanes, stone houses, spires and squares, it climbs from the riverside Lower Town to the ramparts above, all crowned by the fairytale turrets of the Chateau Frontenac hotel above the mighty St Lawrence.

History

Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec on 3 July 1608 on the site of Stadacona, a long-abandoned St. Lawrence Iroquoian settlement, and it became the cradle of North America's French-speaking population; English privateers under David Kirke captured it in 1629, and it was returned to France by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1632. In 1665 the town had 550 people in 70 houses, a quarter of them members of religious orders. It held off an English attack in 1690, but in the Seven Years' War British troops under General James Wolfe defeated the French under Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham on 13 September 1759 and took the city after a short siege; today it is the only fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still stand (Wikipedia, Quebec City).

What's there

• The Chateau Frontenac - the fairytale grand hotel above the river.
• The old town lanes - the cobbled streets of the Lower Town and Petit-Champlain.
• The city walls - the ramparts, the only walled city north of Mexico.
• The Dufferin Terrace - the boardwalk with sweeping river views.

When to go

Summer for warm weather, festivals and outdoor cafes; autumn for the colour, and December for the magical, snowy Christmas charm and the famous Winter Carnival in February. It is lovely in any season, each with its own mood.

Good to know

It is popular and the old town busy with tourists and cruise passengers in summer, and prices in the Petit-Champlain quarter run high. Winters are bitterly cold, though magical. The old town is steep and stepped between Upper and Lower towns. French is the working language, part of its charm.

Nearby

The Montmorency Falls and the Ile d'Orleans are close; Montreal is a few hours west.

Key facts