Bundle up, chill out in lovely Old Quebec
One of the area’s coolest attractions is the made-of-ice Hôtel de Glace
Bursting with cultural heritage and colonial charm, Old Quebec is an exquisite time capsule with which my 11-year-old daughter Brooklyn and I fell deeply in love. We spent our first morning exploring on foot with Cicerone Tours guide Chantal, learning about Quebec’s founder, French explorer Samuel de Champlain, and the fortified city’s storied past. Exceptional preservation of the 17th-century architecture and streetscapes, as well as the ramparts surrounding the former capital of New France, earned Old Quebec a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1985.
Brooklyn’s favourite stop on the tour was one of the city’s first jails, which became a college in 1862. Today, the Morrin Cultural Centre houses a fairy tale-worthy English-language library akin to the one found at Hogwarts Castle in Harry Potter. For myself, the Fairmont Château Frontenac was the ultimate star. The iconic landmark stands as a sentinel atop Cape Diamond, overlooking the St. Lawrence River and is considered one of the world’s most photographed hotels. Directly below the Château, we discovered one of the oldest commercial streets in North America, Petit-champlain. The historic district boasts a storybook feel with cobblestone streets, 18th-century French architecture and the whimsical Place Royale, where Champlain founded the city in 1608.
A short stroll from Petit-champlain, we wandered quaint streets dotted with art galleries, antique shops and restaurants in the neighbouring Old Port district along the St. Lawrence. The Musée de la civilization is one of the area’s main attractions and a must-see to learn about modern culture. Notable exhibits include This is Our Story, highlighting the 11 Indigenous nations inhabiting the territory of Quebec — from past to present and into the future — as well as My House (available through May 15, 2027), a child-centric interactive space featuring rooms and a garden with real works of art, secret passages and larger-than-life furniture.
After a full morning of touring, we popped into Louise Taverne & Bar à Vin in the Palace-royal Hotel to warm up and chow down. While the menu is simple, with just seven lunch choices, the food is delicious, and the portions are generous, shareable and reasonably priced.
Dining in Quebec is a treat unto itself. With breakfast included at the newly renovated Hôtel Manoir Victoria, where we stayed, our culinary exploration was limited to lunch and dinner. Ciel! Bistro-bar is a hallmark attraction on the 28th floor of Hotel Le Concorde. The rotating restaurant showcases sweeping 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, the St. Lawrence River and top city sights. A kid’s menu and sunset reservation made Ciel! our most memorable meal. For another unique experience, take the kids to La Bûche. The lively, bustling restaurant is well-known for its traditional Quebec cuisine — from tourtière, poutine and maple taffy on snow.
Quebec City is one of Canada’s snowiest cities, and its chilly winter temperatures create the perfect climate for North America’s coolest hotel. Taking inspiration from Sweden’s Icehotel, Hôtel de Glace is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, redesigned and rebuilt annually from 40,000 tonnes of snow and 500 tonnes of ice.
This year’s theme, Historic Timeline, beautifully illustrates the evolution of humanity, resulting in a breathtaking celebration of architectural, interior design and lighting artistry — from the marriage chapel with its fur-lined benches to the Grand Hall’s glittering ice bar and ice slide.
Our suite, complete with a faux fireplace and private outdoor hot tub and sauna, presented an awe-inspiring depiction of “The Birth of the Stars,” with every elegant detail masterfully hand carved.
As the Ice Hotel is open to the public for tours daily until 8 p.m., every guest receives a secondary — backup — room at Hôtel Valcartier. The adjacent year-round resort-style property also features the largest winter playground in North America. Brooklyn and I spent the afternoon tubing down the park’s many snow slides and enjoying an evening glide along the illuminated outdoor skating track. Another highlight for Brooklyn was the massive digital games room, where she annihilated me in Minecraft.
At the end of an exhilarating day of play, we snuggled up in cocoon-style sleeping bags designed to keep us cosy in temperatures as cold as -30 C. The memory foam mattress atop our ice block bed was surprisingly comfortable, and with just our eyes and noses kissed by the crisp winter air, I quickly began drifting off into slumber. Moments later, I heard the phrase I’d been dreading since learning Hôtel de Glace isn’t equipped with indoor plumbing, “Mum, I have to pee.”