The jewel of Quebec
QUEBEC CITY— Like a passionate but brief holiday love affair, 48 hours in Quebec City is romantic, rejuvenating and far too brief.
It’s impossible to experience all the delights of the jewel of French Canada in two days, but here’s how we did it, concentrating on Old Quebec. Day one: Morning: Stroll along the Dufferin Terrace in front of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac to admire the iconic hotel and views of the St. Lawrence River below. Tread carefully down the steep Breakneck Stairs from the Place d’Armes to Lower Town. It’s like travelling back in time as you enter the cobbled, narrow streets and perhaps encounter folks in period costume. Check out the cannons and statues, enjoy the music of scattered buskers and make your way to Old Port. Amble along Rue Saint-Paul, past antique shops, galleries and sidewalk cafés. Noon: Treat yourself to a gourmet lunch at Panache, a restaurant set in a historic warehouse that adjoins Auberge Saint-Antoine, a familyowned hotel where guests have included Paul McCartney, Cindy Crawford and Stevie Wonder. Note the original rustic wide plank floors, beamed ceilings and stone walls. Check out the hotel’s displays of artifacts unearthed on the site, dating back to the 1600s. Afternoon: Stop into the modern Musées de la Civilisation in Old Port, where there are several intriguing exhibitions, including Egyptian Magic, complete with amulets and mummies, that runs until April. Night: For traditional French-Canadian cuisine, try Aux Anciens Canadiens on Rue Saint-Louis. It’s in the oldest house in Quebec and has offerings such as pea soup, baked beans, bison and deer. Work off the calories with a walk through Upper Town and make sure to stop to admire the portrait artists at work along Rue de Trésor. Maybe you’ll want to sit for your own portrait. Day two: Morning: Trek down to Lower Town for shopping along Quartier Petit-Champlain’s narrow cobblestone streets with its unique boutiques and galleries. Take a photo of the fresco by Murale Création that depicts the origin of the neighbourhood. Noon: You may lunch in Lower Town, or for some tasty eats and trendy ambience trek up to the Château Frontenac and dine in Le Sam, Bistro évolutif, where celebrity chef Stéphane Modat, a TV personality and co-author of the bestselling Les Recettes de Papilles et Molecules ( The Recipes of Taste Buds and Molecules), has transformed formerly staid Château restaurants into hip culinary hot spots. Afternoon: Check out the formidable defence system developed between 1608 and 1871 in North America’s only remaining fortified city. After playing king of the castle along part of the 4.6 kilometres of stone wall fortifications, fortify yourself with a brew or two in Pub SaintPatrick, an authentic Irish pub on Rue Saint-Jean. Night: Tonight’s dining experience is about a fun twist on traditional French-Canadian cuisine with a visit to La Buche, a fun new eatery on Rue Saint-Louis. Its cheerful sugar-shack decor is informal and inviting, its menu offerings of tourtière, smoked salmon, poutine and poor man’s pudding are divine, and it has a very cool restaurant washroom.
With the sun setting literally on 48 hours in Quebec, traipse to the citadel to admire the pink-hued sky over Old Quebec. Tracy Hanes received a hotel room for this trip from Tourism Quebec, which did not review or approve this story.