Canada 2026: Québec City

Am I in Canada?

Of all the cities we visited in Canada, Québec City was probably the one that surprised me the most. Montréal had certainly given us a taste of French Canada, but Québec City felt like we’d crossed the Atlantic without actually leaving North America.

The French language was everywhere, even more noticeably than in Montréal, and the architecture, old streets and general atmosphere all added to the feeling that we could have been somewhere in Europe. I kept catching myself thinking, Am I actually in Canada?

Our hotel, the Hôtel du Vieux-Québec, was right in the old town, which probably helped. It’s a small place with plenty of charm — the staff were wonderfully friendly and helpful, and they left awesome little breakfast picnic baskets outside your room in the morning. Its location made it easy to get around on foot, too. Exactly the sort of hotel I like — no grand lobby, just somewhere comfortable in the right spot.

We were also close to the famous Château Frontenac, the enormous hotel that seems to dominate the Québec City skyline. We spent time walking along Dufferin Terrace, the boardwalk beside the château, taking in the views over the St. Lawrence River. It’s a wonderful spot to wander, and the combination of the old stone, the river and the distinctly European atmosphere made it easy to forget where we actually were.

Getting our bearings

As we’d done in the other cities, we started with a bus tour to get our bearings. It was a good way to take in the old town and the port, and to get a feel for how the different parts of Québec City fitted together. There was plenty to see, and it gave us a useful introduction before we set off to explore on our own.

Montmorency Falls, Île d’Orléans and a little copper magic

The following day, we headed out on a tour that included Montmorency Falls and Île d’Orléans. This turned out to be one of the highlights of our time in Québec City.

Montmorency Falls is actually higher than Niagara Falls, at around 83 metres. That’s roughly 30 metres higher than Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls, although Montmorency is considerably narrower. It’s an impressive sight, particularly with the fall colours starting to appear across the surrounding landscape.

By this point in our trip, the fall colours were becoming increasingly noticeable, and the combination of the waterfall and the changing leaves made for some beautiful scenery.

One of the more unexpected stops on the tour was the Albert Gilles Copper Art Studio. The Gilles family has been working with copper for generations, producing intricate artwork using the technique of copper repoussé, in which designs are shaped by hammering the metal.

The studio has a connection to the nearby Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, where Albert Gilles created copper doors. We had the opportunity to feel some of the copper artwork, including the doors, and the level of detail was remarkable. These weren’t things that had been churned out on a production line. They were painstakingly handmade pieces, with work that could take months to complete.

As a blind traveller, I particularly enjoyed this stop. So much of visiting a new place is about taking in the visuals, which is wonderful, but being able to explore something with my hands adds a completely different dimension to the experience. Feeling the detail in the copperwork gave me a much better appreciation of just how intricate it was.

The tour also took us to Île d’Orléans, an island in the St. Lawrence River known for its rural character and agricultural history. It was a sharp contrast to the old town — open countryside and small communities instead of cobbles and crowds. Between the island, the waterfall and the copper studio, it was a varied day that showed us a completely different side of the region.

One last trip on the St. Lawrence

On our final day, we took a cruise on the St. Lawrence River in the morning. And I’ll be honest with you: it was perfectly nice.

That’s the kindest and most accurate thing I can say about it. A leisurely pace, some commentary, a bit of scenery. A good way to take in Québec City from the water, and after a few busy days, a reasonable way to wind down.

But if you asked me to rank the boats of Canada 2026 — and nobody has — this one would be at the back of the queue.

Back to the falls

We enjoyed Montmorency Falls enough that we went back that afternoon for a second visit. Mostly because the first visit had barely counted.

The tour stop had sounded generous on paper, but a good chunk of it disappeared into the queue for the cable car to the top. By the time we’d shuffled our way to the front, admired the falls for what felt like a brisk fifteen minutes, and been herded back towards the bus, I’d spent more of the stop queuing than I had at the actual waterfall.

So we returned independently and did it properly. We walked the suspension bridge across the top of the falls, where you can feel the whole structure respond to the water thundering underneath, then made our way down to the bottom where the water crashes down. Standing near that much falling water is an experience you feel as much as hear — the ground, the air and the spray all doing their part. None of which you can appreciate from the back of a queue.

Sometimes the second visit is the one that actually counts.

A city I’d happily return to

Québec City was one of my favourite stops in Canada. I loved the old town, the French atmosphere, the narrow cobbled streets and cafés, and the feeling of being somewhere quite different from the rest of the trip. Montréal had its own distinctive character, but Québec City felt as though it belonged to a different part of the world entirely.

I suspect it’s one of those places where an extra couple of days would disappear rather easily. I’d be very happy to find out.