<p>I have such happy memories of visiting Quebec City during my childhood that I’m planning to take my family there for a brief family vacation before dropping D1 off for her freshman year at college in the Northeast. The old city is very, very old and feels both older and far more European than almost anywhere else in N America. I also recall the Ile d’Orleans, an island in the St. Lawrence River just a few miles downstream from Quebec City, made a very pleasant day trip. It was one of the first places settled by the French and the entire island is now a National Historic District, replete with charming little farmsteads, villages, historic churches, and roadside produce stands.</p>
<p>It has been many years since I visited Quebec City. We were there during the summer and were delighted to see how much they love their flowers. In Vieux-Quebec, it seemed as if every window had a window box bursting with color with long tendrils of vinca or ivy reaching for the sidewalk.</p>
<p>One evening, we were walking by a restaurant/bar that had large garage-style windows open to the street. An Abba cover band started playing Dancing Queen. Passersby stopped to listen and began dancing in the street.</p>
<p>Having two boys, going to the Citadel was a must-see. They have a changing of the guard ceremony that, for some reason, has a goat mascot. I learned that day to never stand down-wind from a goat.</p>
<p>Be sure to find la Rue du Tresor, an alley really, where all the artists set up shop. You will definitely find a beautiful souvenir to bring home with you.</p>
<p>So, 12rmh18- I hope you give a trip report when you get back 
Where are you staying? I just made reservations at a small inn called Hotel Marie-Rollet which I think is not far from la Rue du Tresor and the Cafe bistro du Cap that Ilovela mentioned. Endicott- I had already planned to go to the bird island- Bonaventure Island. It sounds fantastic! And I sure hope they are still selling bread on the side of the road-ummmmm!</p>
<p>^^^Onward, we’re headed there tomorrow. Today is Canada Day, so it’s only fitting to be posting. We’re staying at [Hotel</a> Port Royal Suites](http:/<a href=“http://www.leportroyal.com%5DHotel”>www.leportroyal.com), which apparently is near the Museum of Civilization in the lower city/old port section. The [Festival</a> d’Ete de Quebec](<a href=“http://www.infofestival.com/index.php?lang=en&page=programmation][i]Festival”>http://www.infofestival.com/index.php?lang=en&page=programmation), which is an 11-day music festival, begins July 8. </p>
<p>Both my French neighbor and the July issue of Washingtonian magazine recommend [Le</a> Patriarche](<a href=“http://www.lepatriarche.com/pages/ang_accueil.php]Le”>http://www.lepatriarche.com/pages/ang_accueil.php) restaurant in the Old City; their specialty is wild game. We’re also hoping to rent bicycles and ride around Ile d’Orleans. Au revoir! Thanks for all the tips, everyone. A trip report will follow.</p>
<p>12rmh18, my brother in law said not to miss the museum of the Ursuline Sisters. He said they pretty much ran the colony in the earlier days. He also highly recommended touring Ile d’Orleans and buying bread and other food stuff from the side of the road. Bon voyage!</p>
<p>We’re back from a week in Quebec City. It was terrific! Early-mid July is a great time to visit because there seemed to be a party every night of the week. There was a lot of free entertainment. We stayed at the Port Royal Hotel in the Old Port area of the lower city. It was a great location in a hotel with a nice suite (bedroom with separate kitchenette/living room) where we were able to cook a few meals to give our wallets and cholesterol levels a break.</p>
<p>Do not miss [Cirque due Soleil - Les Chemins invisibles (Furrow of Dreams)](<a href=“http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/events/chemins-invisibles/show.aspx”>Page 500). This is a free show performed Tue-Sat under the Dufferin-Montmorency highway overpass. Given that regular tickets to Cirque start at $90-100, this is a great bargain. The performance is like watching an aerial ballet performed to opera. If I only had time to do one evening event, this would be it. Performance begins at 9:30 pm but the line starts forming around 8:30-8:45.</p>
<p>Our hotel was across the street from the 81-silo Bunge grain mill that is transformed into the world’s largest projection screen (1,968 ft long) in a multi-media production called [Moulin</a> a Images (the Image Mill)](<a href=“http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/08jun_moulin0.html]Moulin”>http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/08jun_moulin0.html). The Image Mill takes you through 401 years of Quebec history in a show that is a blend of Pink Floyd-style music and Monty Python-esque animation. Bring a bottle of wine and a picnic blanket to enjoy this free show.</p>
<p>[The</a> Summer Festival (Festival d’Ete de Quebec)](<a href=“Home | Festival d'été de Québec”>Home | Festival d'été de Québec) began this week. Check the schedule for performances by Santana, Black Eyed Peas, Iron Maiden, Rush and others. Iron Maiden was sold out but we could hear their music blasting from the Plains of Abraham across the entire Upper City. We called our sons to say that their ancient parents were in the mosh pit, rocking out to Iron Maiden and French rap music. They did not believe us …</p>
<p>We spent the first few days walking everywhere, up and down the hills between Upper and Lower City until we discovered the cute little Ecolobus (fare=$1), which connects the Old Port (ferry terminal) and Upper City. For a great view of the Quebec skyline, take the Quebec-Levis ferry to the other side of the St. Lawrence river. Cost is $3/person each way.</p>
<p>Within the city, we walked through the Plains of Abraham, where British general Wolfe defeated French general Montcalm in 1759 to capture the body - but not the soul - of New France. Today the battlefield is a city park filled with picnickers, soccer players, and families with strollers. We wandered through the streets of Upper and Lower City, the rue Petit Champlain shopping street, the Citadelle (10 am changing of the guard), the Dufferin Terrasse, and wandered through the lobby of the massive Chateau Frontenac Hotel. We enjoyed looking at artwork in the [Rue</a> du Tresor](<a href=“http://www.ruedutresor.qc.ca/anglais/main.html]Rue”>http://www.ruedutresor.qc.ca/anglais/main.html). There were street performers throughout the city.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of restaurant suggestions:
– Casse-Crepe Breton, rue St. Jean in upper city. Great local specialty, not expensive.
– Le Buffet de l’Antiquaire, great breakfasts & inexpensive meals near the antique stores on rue St. Paul in Old Port.
– Boulangerie & Cie., bargain breakfast $2.50 for coffee and muffin on rue St. Paul.
– [Le</a> Patriarche](<a href=“http://www.lepatriarche.com%5DLe”>http://www.lepatriarche.com) for fine dining. Recommended in Washingtonian magazine.
– [Panache</a> (in Saint-Antoine Hotel)](<a href=“Auberge Saint Antoine Quebec | Hotel | Auberge Saint Antoine”>http://www.saint-antoine.com/) for fine dining; also recommended in Washingtonian; very expensive but considered one of the best restaurants in Quebec.
–[Aux</a> Anciens Canadiens](<a href=“http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/Homeang.php]Aux”>http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/Homeang.php) for the Early Bird special ($19.95/person prix fixe) before 5:45 pm.</p>
<p>Quebec City is bicycle-friendly and honeycombed with bike trails. One day we rented a tandem bicycle (Bicycle rentals -Cyclo Services on rue St. Paul (418-692-4052) and took a day trip along the St. Lawrence up to Ile d’Orlean (~30-mile ride to/from/around Ile d’Orlean). The trail took us past the spectacular Montmorency Falls. Unfortunately the bike shop failed to warn us about crossing the bridge to Ile d’Orlean, which is a 1+ mile suspension bridge (hello vertigo!) followed by a steep 1-mile uphill climb. Ile d’Orlean itself is a lovely rural place filled with roadside stands with freshly picked raspberries and strawberries, homemade bread, cheese, and small wineries. It is NOT for a casual cyclist - let alone 2 inexperienced doofus tandem riders - as the island is quite hilly. We had a great time bicycling but I think Ile d’Orlean is better explored by auto than by bicycle. Being gluttons for punishment, we rented the tandem a second day and took the Quebec-Levis ferry across the river to explore (flat!) bike trails on the Levis side. </p>
<p>What could be better after a hot bike ride than a cold beer? The bike store mechanic recommended the nearby Microbrasserie (microbrewery)[La Barbarie](<a href=“http://www.labarberie.com/spip.php?rubrique140”>http://www.labarberie.com/spip.php?rubrique140</a>), where we sampled custom brews such as lime-raspberry beer, hot pepper beer, blonde biologique, and my favorite, the fruity 9% Sangri-beer, which reportedly had me singing “O Solo Mio” as I staggered back to our hotel.</p>
<p>Another day we rented a car and drove up to Charlevoix, a region which is often called the “Switzerland of Quebec” where the mountains meet the river. We stopped at the town of Baie St. Paul, which is best known for its art galleries, though the local Microbrasserie offered a wheat beer that was one of the best we tasted in Quebec. We also drove to the village of Malbaie to see the rugged shoreline of the St. Lawrence. Given our motion-sickness issues on the bridge to Ile d’Orlean, we decided to forego whale-watching in Tadoussec, a village further north in Charlevoix.</p>
<p>What we missed: we did not visit the Museum of Civilization or the Museum of Ursuline Sisters. Although I regret this, it just gives me a reason to return to Quebec in the future.</p>
<p>Onward, I hope you have a great trip to Quebec too!</p>
<p>Thanks for the trip report. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Do they still have the funicular? It’s a type of elevator that runs between the upper and lower city.</p>
<p>Thanks for reporting back.</p>
<p>12rmh18- Thank you, thank you for your report! I can’t wait to go. I am just finishing up making our reservations; due to dh’s work, we had to change some dates. Right now, we are planning on going to Quebec City and then up to Tadoussac to whale watch. Then we plan to go over to the Gasp</p>
<p>@Toledo, yes the funicular is still going strong. For some strange reason we never used it. I wish we had.</p>
<p>Something we learned from the brewer at La Barbarie: restaurants stop serving alcohol at 11 pm. Nightclubs and bars, however, are allowed to serve until 1 am. </p>
<p>We spent time in the old walled city (Vieux Quebec), but I always enjoy getting out of the touristy areas to see where the “real” people live. The St. Roch district, which is where Cirque du Soleil is located, is a gritty working class neighborhood that is “up and coming” with trendy restaurants and La Barbarie microbrasserie. Blvd. Charest Est is the main thoroughfare and shopping avenue that has Benjo, a 25,000 sq. ft toy store nirvana which rivals FAO Schwartz in NYC. La Barbarie microbrewery just expanded their patio - it was so new that they had not yet swept the piles of sawdust off the decking. Unfortunately the only food that they serve with their beer is potato chips, but they don’t mind if you bring your own food with you.</p>
<p>Another museum we missed: the Museum of Beaux Arts on the Plains of Abraham. However, I think our side trip to the [Musee du Chocolat](<a href=“http://www.chocomusee.com/”>http://www.chocomusee.com/</a>) on rue Saint-Jean might have compensated. The Saint-Jean Baptiste district is an eclectic neighborhood filled with used book, record, and instrument stores, and gourmet (“Epicerie”) stores such as J.A. Moisan on rue Saint-Jean. We particularly liked la brulerie de cafe de Quebec, a small store that has an extensive selection of coffee beans for sale. The owner told us that he roasts most of them on the premises.</p>
<p>Another restaurant we liked was [Poisson d’Avril](<a href=“http://www.poissondavril.net/en/restaurant_poisson_avril.asp”>http://www.poissondavril.net/en/restaurant_poisson_avril.asp</a>) in the Old Port area. They serve heaping bowls of mussels on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The waiter told us that “Poisson d’Avril” is a play on words - it also means “April Fool.”</p>
<p>Overall, the people of Quebec were very friendly and wanted to share their city with us. We had total strangers come up to us on the street and tell us about upcoming concerts, free events, and insider tips to local watering holes and restaurants. And they were gracious when I tried to speak French and mangled their language.</p>