Girl’s Guide to Québec City
If you're searching for a destination that seamlessly blends history, culture and exquisite beauty, look no further than Québec City. Strolling through Québec City feels like walking down cobblestone streets in France. And if you know us, we love a French vacay moment! I hesitate to call this a “guide” because visiting a city for 4 nights doesn’t mean expert level understanding of all it has to offer. However, we did make the most of our time there, ate at a handful of very cool (and delish) restaurants, and had, what I would consider, a pretty successful girl’s trip to Québec City. Keep scrolling for our recommendations and a list of things on our list for next time!
Remember, you can always schedule a call with me to chat travel itineraries, recs, etc. Happy to help!
Old Town Quebec City
HOW TO GET THERE + GET AROUND:
Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) is the airport you fly into. If you’re coming from the US, you’ll most likely have a layover in either Montreal or Toronto. Unfortunately, there aren’t many direct flights to Québec City.
When it comes to getting around: Walk walk walk! We walked close to 7+ miles every day; it’s the best way to explore the city and get a lay of the land. Uber wait times and reliability are a little tough. We had no issue calling an Uber to pick us up at the airport but throughout our stay, we either had very long wait times or Uber requests that ended up getting canceled because they couldn’t find a driver. We had a few successful attempts but just be mentally prepared for what COULD happen and ….
Have a Taxi number on file or lean on your hotel to call transportation for you!
Where to Stay:
We used points (MARRIOTT BONVOY member here!) and booked Hotel PUR located in Saint Roch - it’s a no frills, centrally located hotel with comfy beds and customer service you’ve come to expect from Marriott Properties.
The biggest debate is whether to stay in the Old Town or outside of it, so I’ll give you two data points to consider:
The younger, more diverse, dare I say “hip” restaurant and nightlife scene is on Rue Saint-Joseph in Saint Roch (downtown) which is about a 20+ minute walk from Old Quebec. If you’re a long-time EDP follower, it’s the vibey spots you’ve come to expect from our travel guides. The downtown is definitely more gritty and not as picturesque…
Old Quebec is full of charm, old hotels, and more Québécois restaurants. Because it’s a Unesco world heritage site, it draws more of an older, retired crowd. We LOVED spending our mornings and early afternoons exploring the charm of the Old Town but found the night scene we craved was located on the street of our hotel. Because of that, I’m so grateful we decided to stay in the Saint Roch area. It was easy for us to walk to the Old Town during the day to explore and be within walking distance to the nightlife after dark. Versus if we stayed in the old town, we would’ve had to call Ubers/taxis to take us to downtown at night.
View of Château Frontenac from Old Town Quebec City
Guide to Quebec City
Language barrier:
True story: they speak more French in Québec City than they do in Paris. Most locals we encountered were bilingual but always led with French even if it was very obvious we didn’t speak the language. They aren’t really catering to English speakers, by any means. But most menus do have English translation and everyone we encountered was amazingly kind and welcoming.
THINGS TO DO:
Walk through the Old Town once, twice, maybe 3 times. Explore the charming streets of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Quartier Petit-Champlain, where you'll find cozy restaurants, boutiques and beautiful scenery. While there, you won’t miss the iconic Château Frontenac. (You can see it in the photo above!) Standing proudly above the city's skyline, this fairy-tale castle-turned-hotel offers magnificent views of the Old Town and the St. Lawrence River. There’s just so much beauty to take in that you’ll discover something new every time you go.
Do a spa day at Strøm Spa. This is an absolute must if you want to treat yourself to a relaxing, re-energizing experience. We’ve never been to a Spa quite like this (even in Finland!) and you can truly spend ALL DAY there (we spent 5 hours). The Spa features North America’s largest flotation bath, outdoor whirlpools, Finnish saunas, eucalyptus and essential oil steam baths, Thermal and Nordic waterfalls, indoor and outdoor relaxation areas with fireplaces and much more. See more from my IG REEL below. Make sure to book your spa pass at least 48 hours before and when you get there, book your lunch reservation. Enjoy!
Don’t miss Montmorency Falls. There’s a few ways to take in this gorgeous waterfall: ziplining, hiking, or driving. It’s gorgeous and so much bigger than you can comprehend until you’re standing right in front of it.
Cochon Dingue - Champlain
Old Town in Quebec City
Ash really did her homework (as she always does) when it came to the food aspect of this trip, as French food isn’t always our favorite. Every spot delivered with aesthetics and unique cuisines. Below find a list of cafes, restaurants and bars that far exceeded our expectations.
Coffee, breakfast and lunch:
Café Saint-Henri - A gorgeous cafe located in the popular Saint Roch area. We ordered two lattes and a sugar donut. All of their donuts are made in house and you can sit and watch them fill them with different creams and jellies and then frost them. No flavor syrups for the coffee, but you can ask them to add maple syrup - I will warn you though, it makes for a latte on the sweeter side.
Cafe Pékoe - Across the street from our hotel, this is a great spot to work from while also getting a good cup of coffee. They have a small lunch offering of Banh-Mi sandwiches and homemade ice cream and boba on the menu as well. Ash tried a sandwich her first day there and said it was fine, so maybe just stick with coffee and a snack.
Cochon Dingue - Champlain - This is a chain breakfast and lunch spot within the city of Quebec. French inspired with a delicious menu that has everything from the traditional bacon and eggs breakfast to poutine and croque-madame bread. The lattes are literally troughs of coffee (called ‘bowl of café au lait’ on the menu) and the serving sizes are generous. We ordered the French Toast from Ile D’Orléans and the Duck Confit Omelette and it was probably enough for three people.
La Galette Libanaise - St. Joseph - We had a 9 o’clock reservation one night and were in need of something quick to tide us over until dinnertime. This Lebanese sandwich shop is a small chain as well, all highly rated throughout the city. It was two minutes from our hotel and we ordered a Gyro to split between the two of us. We were either famished or it as the best sandwich we’d had in a long time. The bread was hot and fresh and the ratio of meat to toppings (and how they were placed within the sandwich) was applause worthy. Definitely worth a stop in if you need a quick bite.
Le Saint-Pub - Microbrasserie Charlevoix - On our day trip into Baie-Saint-Paul, we stopped for lunch here and ordered a flight of beers and a burger to split. It had a younger crowd than we were used to seeing on our trip and wonderful service.
L’Affaire Est Ketchup
Honō Izakaya
Dinner:
L’Affaire Est Ketchup - I would go as far to say that this was my favorite stop of the trip. Loosely translated to ‘it’s all good’ in English, L’Affaire Est Ketchup is a restaurant that makes you feel right at home the moment you walk in. They offer two dinner times, at 6PM and 8:30PM. There is no menu handed to you, only a chalkboard on the wall with one or two words for every dish. For drinks, they have servers with a wealth of knowledge about wine and spirits and you simply tell them what you like and they deliver. One of the waiters then gathers the attention of the entire restaurant and delivers a Ted talk worthy description of all of the meals and you choose from there. All the dishes were thoughtfully put together with beautiful attention to detail. We ordered the falafel starter, the scallops and the duck and lobster. For dessert, they had a white chocolate chip brownie with a cream made from bailey’s that was as decadent as it was undercooked. When you’re dealing with the experts though, in them you trust. I think we were very lucky to get a reservation here, as Anthony Bourdain featured them on his show during his trip to Quebec City, so we would recommend calling weeks ahead for a reservation.
Le Clocher Penché - Rustic chic restaurant with a creatively inspired menu and the best scallops you’ll ever have in your life. We ordered the tuna tataki, the scallops and their version of a carbonara. Every bite was a sensation and made better by the exceptional service and recommendations we received. Both the cocktail and mocktail offerings were phenomenal as well.
Le Lapin Sauté - Translated to ‘the sauteed rabbit’ in English, this French restaurant is tucked away in the Old town of Quebec and serves quintessential French fare surrounded by a lovely and warm ambience. We ordered the french onion soup and the Mediterranean style fettuccine with rabbit added for an extra charge. Likely our most adventurous meal of the trip however rabbit really just tastes like a more delicious chicken? This place is worth the stop for the soup alone, so don’t miss it.
Honō Izakaya - This cozy hotspot with Japanese small plates was exactly what we were looking for on our last night in the city. We ordered edamame, marinated cucumbers, miso salmon sake, sashimi, a rice bowl and pork and shrimp dumplings. Every dish was fresh and the sashimi was melt-in-your-mouth good. Reservations are highly recommended.
Bar 1608
Jjacques Speak Easy in Saint Roch, Quebec City
Drinks:
Bar 1608 - Our first stop of the trip and holy Magic Mike. This bar seems to only employ solid 8 and up men who serve the most unreal cocktails and charcuterie boards. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but the flavor profile that they put together for their boards is something to write home about. Enjoy great people (and bartender) watching and strong yet delicious drinks at hotel prices. Once you’re done, head out to enjoy the view overlooking the St. Lawrence River.
Jjacques - Recommended to us from our waiter at L’Affaire Est Ketchup, this speakeasy-esque oyster bar was the perfect spot for a delicious night cap. We only stopped in for cocktails, all of which are organized into thoughtful categories inspired by different forms of travel (makes more sense when you see it). Ash ordered their Mezcal drink and I ordered from the mocktail menu. Cozy and sophisticated, this is a must if you’re looking for a pre or post dinner drink.
Visiting Quartier Petit-Champlain in Quebec City
Visiting Quebec City
On our list for next time:
We had grand plans to be a little more adventurous but the weather had other ideas + we did not pack for adventuring in the rain! But here are some recs that came from the EDPfam that feel so on brand with an adventurous portion to this trip:
Vespa ride on ile d'Orléans: there are wineries, candy shops and galleries to see
Visit Beauport Lake at Entourage sur-le-Lac for boat rentals and restaurants
A hike at Parc de la Jacques Cartier or rafting on Jacques Cartier river
We absolutely loved our time in Québec City and came back totally refreshed (which can’t always be said about girl’s weekends) - it truly was the perfect mix of relaxation and beauty combined with never ending laughs and adventure. The city really transports you to another time and place which is all you can ask for when you’re trying to soak up time with your bestie and quiet the noise of every day life. You can always book a call to chat travel itineraries, recs, etc. Happy to help!
xo Ash + Marissa
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