Most of the main sights are easily reached on foot. The city can conveniently be divided into three parts. Basse-Ville, or Lower Town, is the oldest part, and rambles along the St. Lawrence River at the foot of Cap Diamant. Above lies the walled city, Haute-Ville, or Upper Town. This area is full of shops and restaurants, similar to the Basse-Ville, but both Catholic and Protestant cathedrals are here, as is the imposing Château Frontenac. Beyond the walls stretches Grande Allee, with the Hôtel du Parlement where the provincial parliament of Quebec sits.

 

QUEBEC CITY: Sights At Glance

Assemblee Nationale

Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Quebec

Chateau Frontenac

Citadel

Fortifications de Quebec

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Hotel de Ville

Monastere des Ursulines

Musee de la Civilisation

Parc des Champsde-Bataille

Place d’Armes

Place Royale

Rue du Petit Champlain

Rue du Tresor

Seminaire de Quebec

Terrasse Dufferin

Vieux Port

Parc des Champsde-Bataille

835 Ave. Wilfrid Laurier.

Tel: (418)648 4071.

Once a battlefield where the future of Canada was decided, the National Battlefields Park is now a delightful grassy recreation ground, with grand monuments and a dedicated fountain the only clues to the area’s bloody and dramatic history. On September 13, 1759, British regulars under General James Wolfe defeated the French army on this clifftop field, the Plains of Abraham, just outside the walls of Quebec, establishing permanent British rule in Canada. In 1908, the 100- ha (250-acre) battlefield was turned into one of the largest urban parks in North America.

Terrasse Dufferin

Sweeping along the top of Cap Diamant from Chateau Frontenac to the edge of the Citadel, this boardwalk is well equiped with benches and kiosks, and offers unmatched views of the St. Lawrence River, the Laurentian Mountains, and Ile d’Orleans. During the freezing Quebec winter, the municipal authorities install an ice slide for toboggans on the terrace, known as Les Glissades de la Terrasse.