Quebec City suggested itinerary

[zoebartlett]

We''ve booked a hotel for our new honeymoon destination and I''ve been reading about suggested things to do in the area. If you have any other suggestions and/or tips, I''d love to hear them. We''ve booked our hotel stay for 7 days so I'' assuming we''ll have plenty of time to get to know the area. We''ll have out own car, so getting around will be easy enough. Here''s what we''re planning so far:


Visit Montmorency Falls

Take a ferry ride from QC to Levis (what should we do while we''re in Levis?)

Visit L''Ile d''Orleans (an island near QC -- again what should we do while there?)

See St. Anne-de-Beupre (a basilica)

Have a picnic lunch on the Plains of Abraham (a local park)

Shop on Le Rue Petit Champlain (supposedly a great shopping area/street in Lower Town)

Tour the Charlevoix region (any specific things we should do or see while we''re there?)

Visit the Canyon Sainte-Anne (another park)

Go to JA Moison (one of the oldest shops in North America -- grab stuff for our picnic lunch here)

Tour Sillery (I think this is a neighborhood of QC but I don''t know anything about it)

Take a cruise (maybe a dinner cruise?) on the St. Lawrence River

Visit the farmer''s market in Lower Town


While this may seem like a lot, it''s my understanding that a lot of this can be done by strolling through Lower Town and Upper Town. Any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[zoebartlett]

Bump

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Zoe I would try to be of some help but I have never been. All I know is you better know some French!!

 

[CrownJewel]

zoe, I LOVE Quebec City. My FI and I stayed right outside the downtown area, and we just walked around everywhere. I think it''s a good idea though to have the car for the other places outside the city.

You won''t really need to know French. I went shopping alone and just about everyone spoke English. FI speaks just the tiniest bit of French and he never had to use it. Staff in the restaurants we went to spoke English. There''s a cute little creperie in the downtown area that I adored. It was touristy but it was really good. And of course, I don''t remember the name of it. I may have the name somewhere in my scrapbooking box.

The whole city is so beautiful. We spent at least 4 days just walking around the upper and lower towns. There are lots of stairs! There is also a funicular that you can ride up or down, but I think it''s just for kicks and most people take the stairs. There was an art museum that was quite nice somewhere in the upper town. I have the worst memory in the world, so I''m sorry I can''t give you names.

You two lovebirds will have a great time.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

haven't been to Quebec City, so can't help you there. But you may have better luck visiting the forums over on tripadvisor.com I posted this website on one of your honeymoon threads, but I thought you were going to Portugal? maybe I'm thinking of someone else?

Anyway, go check out tripadvisor for help with your itinerary and you can also see how your hotel ranks- they rank them in order of "favorites" with the members. It's a wealth of travel info!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 1/23/2008 1:02:30 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl
haven''t been to Quebec City, so can''t help you there. But you may have better luck visiting the forums over on tripadvisor.com I posted this website on one of your honeymoon threads, but I thought you were going to Portugal? maybe I''m thinking of someone else?

Anyway, go check out tripadvisor for help with your itinerary and you can also see how your hotel ranks- they rank them in order of ''favorites'' with the members. It''s a wealth of travel info!

Thanks ladies! No, Charger, you''re thinking of the right person. We were SUPPOSED to go to Portugal but the prices are just too high right now. We had a hard time justifying it when that money (or a good chunk of it anyway) could be used for other things. We decided to put off Portugal for a while and go somewhere more local. QC is about 6-7 hours away from where we live.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Hi, Zoe. I think you hit all the high points. My advise is to spend a lot of time just wandering. We loved the little shops, cafes, even just people watching. Enjoy a glass of wine in the afternoon and then head back to the hotel for a nap.......

French is not necessary. You will cope fine without.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Zoe, it looks like you pretty much have all the major things. If anything, I wouldn''t worry so much about an itinerary per se and just enjoy relaxing.

For me, Quebec is really about the maple products though. I forget the name of the "Sugar Shack" en route to the big waterfall to the West of the city, but here''s a website of a variety:
http://www.greatermontreal.worldweb.com/SightsAttractions/MapleSugarShacks/
http://www.quebecregion.com/e/vac-prog-cabane-a-sucre.asp
I remember they baked bread nearly continuously, and when you walked in, the aroma of fresh bread would be punctuated as someone smearing some maple butter on a slice and put it in your hand.... man, I loved that place! Seriously, though, that industry is significant from both a cultural and historical perspective, so perhaps it''s worth a swing-by?

Depending on the time of year you go, there are a lot of outdoor activities which might interest you (canyoning, paragliding, etc). Have you come across the following site yet?:
http://www.quebecregion.com/e/sensations-fortes.asp

 

[zoebartlett]

It looks like we have a lot on the list I posted earlier but I think some things can be easily combined. We definitely want to relax and not be on the go constantly, so if we find out that we''re planning too much, we can always cut back. I''ve read the posts on Trip Advisor and I''m getting more familiar with the names and locations of sights, etc. It''s hard to plan when you don''t know an area. I''m glad to hear we''re on a good path in terms of recommended things to do.

What would be a good area to go swimming? I know there''s a lake nearby but I can''t remember the name of it. There''s supposedly a resort hotel on this lake near QC but I''m not sure if there are any public beaches. I don''t think our hotel has a pool, which is kind of a bummer. I''d love to go swimming at some point.

LC -- The hotel we''re staying at is ranked on TA but I can''t remember what its rank is.

Thanks for the links FDL! I live in New England, and maple products are EVERYWHERE at certain times of the year. I''ll check out the links.