Winter Wonderland: New Year’s in Québec City

For me, there is nothing better than starting off a new year in a new country! This year for New Year’s Eve, my friend and I decided to take a trip with the Boston Ski & Sports Club to Québec City in Canada. There is a reason that Québec City has been bestowed the accolade of “most romantic city in North America.” This UNESCO World Heritage site was founded by French settlers in the early 17th century and still retains an Old World Europe charm. Visiting Québec City in the winter, particularly around the holidays, is like stepping back in time in a winter wonderland, and makes you feel like you are in a real-life snow globe.

Getting There

You can reach Québec City via train, plane, or automobile. However, there are no direct flights from Boston so the best option, if you’re coming from New England, is to drive. The route from Boston is relatively easy to navigate, but, it is still a 6-hour drive (on a good day). You need at least 4 days to make the trek worth it, which is one of the reasons it took me so long to make a trip to Québec City happen. Since New Year’s Day fell on a Tuesday this year, I had a built-in long weekend. So it seemed like the perfect time to check Québec City off my bucket list!

Where to Stay

If you’re willing to splurge, the obvious choice is to stay at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2018. The hotel is located in the heart of Old Town Québec, with views across the St. Lawrence River, and is reminiscent of a fairy tale castle.

For this trip, the Boston Ski & Sports Club arranged for us to stay at the Hôtel Palace Royal. This is a mid-range hotel but it is in a perfect location to explore all parts of the city on foot. Another good mid-range hotel is the Quebec City Marriott Downtown, which is right next to the Hôtel Palace Royal.

What to Do

Place d’Youville

We set out to explore the cobbled streets of this picturesque city immediately upon arrival in Québec. The first place of interest on our route was Place d’Youville, on Rue St. Jean. This square features an outdoor skating rink for people willing to brave the cold temps. Behind the skating rink is Palais Montcalm, a popular live music venue and on the other side of the skating rink is Le Capitole, a performing arts center.

Porte Saint-Jean

Just past the skating rink in Place d’Youville is Porte Saint-Jean, considered to be the gateway to Old Québec. Québec is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico, and the medieval-looking tower and gate of Porte Saint-Jean are part of the city walls. The Fortifications of Québec Artillery Park is connected to Porte Saint-Jean. We did not explore the park in great detail on this trip due to the snowy and icy conditions. Hopefully I’ll have the chance if I visit again in warmer weather!

On a side note, make sure you wear very warm winter boots with good traction because the streets of Québec are ICY! The city does not salt the sidewalks, that I could see, so it was not uncommon to see someone slip and fall every few minutes during our walk around town.

Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville

We walked further along Rue St. Jean, which is one of the main streets in Old Québec. It is lined with cute shops and restaurants that are housed in brick row houses with gabled roofs. At the end of Rue St. Jean, we veered right onto Côte de la Fabrique. Here we found Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, a beautiful little square with lights wrapped around the tree branches. On one side of the square is the Hôtel de Ville de Québec (City Hall), and across the square is the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. This cathedral is the oldest Catholic parish in North America and it stands on the same site it has occupied since 1647.

Breakneck Steps

From Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, we continued down Rue de Buade, onto Côte de la Montagne. Along the way, we passed the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps), the oldest staircase in Québec built in 1635. Although there are only 59 steps, the steep incline makes this staircase as treacherous in the winter as the name implies. But the staircase is also the perfect opportunity for a photo of Rue du Petit-Champlain. This is the quaint main street in the heart of Quartier Petit-Champlain, the area most people envision when Old Québec comes to mind.

Place Royale

Rather than attempting the Breakneck Steps, we followed Côte de la Montagne a little further down the hill and passed the Fresque des Québécois mural on a tall building on the right. This mural recounts the story of Québec City and is quite impressive and realistic. We walked a few steps along Rue Notre Dame to Place Royale, a picturesque little square surrounded by brick row houses. This was the site of the first permanent French settlement in North America in 1608. Here in Place Royale you will also find Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the oldest stone church in North America, built in 1688.

Rue du Petit-Champlain

Just past Place Royale, we turned onto Rue Sous le Fort and reached the intersection of Rue du Petit-Champlain. This romantic pedestrian-only lane is one of the oldest commercial streets in North America. During the winter season, this street and the shops selling local Québécois goods are decorated with sparkling lights galore. Part of what gives the street its winter wonderland charm is that just after a snowfall it is not immediately shoveled or plowed. Instead, the cobblestones are paved with snow and the storefronts are lined with snowbanks. One of my favorite aspects of the stroll down Rue du Petit-Champlain, however, is the warming stations with fire pits surrounded by Adirondack chairs. I have never seen this in a city before but the idea is genius since Québec is frigid in the winter!

Old Québec Funicular

After meandering up and down Rue du Petit-Champlain, we headed back to the corner of Rue Sous le Fort to the Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec. The cable car has been in operation since 1879 and is the only one of its kind in America. More importantly, it links lower Old Québec with upper Old Québec so you don’t need to climb back up the hill!

Dufferin Terrace & Toboggan

We ended up on Dufferin Terrace upon exiting the funicular in upper Old Québec. This wooden boardwalk is 671-meters-long and is a fantastic spot for photos of the ice caps on the frozen St. Lawrence River and a bird’s-eye view of the charming streets of lower Old Québec below. Another novelty worth checking out is Les Glissades de la Terrasse. This wooden toboggan slide was built in 1884 and is not for the faint of heart – it races downhill at speeds up to 40 miles/hour!

Le Château Frontenac

Of course, the main attraction on Dufferin Terrace is the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which is said to be the world’s most photographed hotel. The building is reminiscent of a fairy tale castle and is the star of the Québec City skyline. Construction of the hotel began in 1892 as a luxury stopover for passengers on the Canadian Pacific Railway but the interior of the building has been recently renovated in modern chic decor.

We stopped into the Château Frontenac to escape the cold and to warm up by the fire with a glass of wine and a charcuterie plate at the 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar. Pro tip: you need to put your name on a waiting list just to get a seat at the bar (the wait for us was 1 hour) so it might be a good idea to head here first to put your name on the list, then explore the Dufferin Terrace while you wait!

1608 Wine & Cheese Bar (Source)

Old Port

This area is within close walking distance from Old Québec and we had a delicious dinner at Restaurant Légende the first night or our trip. However, this is one area that I did not get to fully explore during the day because we chose to do day trips to the snow park and ice hotel at Village Vacances Valcartier and to go skiing at Le Massif de Charlevoix. I would love to visit again during late November through December to visit the Old Port Christmas Market, when nearly 70 merchants sell their local crafts and delicacies.

Alternatively, a trip in March affords visitors the opportunity to see the unique extreme sport of ice canoe racing. Apparently this used to be the only way to cross the snow-capped St. Lawrence River and the city honors that history by holding ice canoe races every year.

The Nordik Village, which runs from mid-January to mid-March, also seems like a unique experience where you can go ice fishing in an igloo and then have your freshly-caught trout cooked for you in the Old Port Market!

Lastly, I would love to take a ride on the ferry to Lévis, the town on the other side of the St. Lawrence River, to experience the ferry crashing through the ice caps on the river, and to photograph the city skyline and the iconic Château Frontenac from afar. All the more reason to plan another trip back to Québec City!

Parliament Hill and Le Grande Allée

Parliament Hill and Le Grande Allée are located just outside the walls of Old Québec. Obviously, the main attraction of Parliament Hill is the eponymous Parliament Building. This building was modeled after the Louvre Museum in Paris and is the seat of Québec’s government. However, our primary reason for visiting this area was for the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.

For New Year’s Eve, the main street, Le Grande Allée, was blocked off from traffic for the night; the restaurants lining the street set up outdoor ice bars and impressive ice statues; a Ferris wheel flanked one end of the street; a carousel and an outdoor beer garden with fire pits and Adirondack chairs were set up in Place George-V square. We partook in all these activities and then made our way to the Plains of Abraham, an urban park lining the banks of the St. Lawrence River, for a spectacular fireworks show at midnight to ring in the new year. The snow started falling almost immediately after midnight and it truly felt like we were in a real-life snow globe.

Day Trips from Québec City

Le Massif de Charlevoix Ski Resort

There are a number of ski resorts from which to choose for a day of skiing near Québec City. The mountain I chose to ski and highly recommend is Le Massif de Charlevoix. With its upside-down structure (you park at the top of the mountain and ski down), fabulous views of the St. Lawrence River, and the highest vertical drop east of the Rockies, this down-to-earth ski resort is unlike any other.

Village Vacances Valcartier

If skiing is not your thing, head to North America’s largest winter playground and spend the day at the Village Vacances Valcartier snow tube park. Here you can glide down your choice of 35 slides, ranging from easy to death-defying! After you get your fill of fun in the snow, visit the Hôtel de Glace (ice hotel), which is on the same property. Here you can admire the architecture and ice sculptures and grab a drink (in a glass made of ice, of course) at the ice bar inside the hotel!

Montmorency Falls

The Montmorency Falls are located only 15 minutes outside of Québec City (you pass by them on the way to Le Massif de Charlevoix) and they are a sight to be seen. The cascading falls, which are half-frozen in the winter, are over 270 feet tall, which puts them nearly 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls, albeit much narrower.

Where To Eat & Drink

Breakfast

• Paillard (classic French boulangerie with croissants and other pastries)
• Cafe La Maison Smith (great hot drinks and pastries with multiple locations across the city)

Dinner

• Restaurant Légende (upscale restaurant near Old Port that exclusively uses local ingredients from the Québec province)
• Restaurant Bistro L’Atelier (gastropub located on Le Grand Allée known for great cocktails and tartares)
• Le Clocher Penché Bistrot (farm-to-table bistro located in the trendy St. Roch district)

Drinks

• 1608 (cozy, chic wine and cheese bar in Le Château Frontenac)
• Ciel! Bistro-bar (revolving bar at the top of Hôtel Le Concorde Québec on Le Grande Allée)
• Taverne Belley (locals hang out with a pool table near the Old Port)

Have you been to Québec City in winter?

[elementor-template id=”1865″]

Loved this post? Feel free to share it!