Place d’Armes

French colonial soldiers once used this attractive, grassy square just north of Chateau Frontenac as a parade ground, but its uses today are more congenial. Open horse-drawn carriages wait here to offer visitors a journey that reveals the square in all its charm. In the center, the Monument de la Foi commemorates the 300^th anniversary of the 1615 arrival of Catholic Recollet missionaries. On the southwest corner next to the fine Anglican cathedral, lies the grand early 19thcentury Palais de Justice. The Musee du Fort opposite contains a large scale model of Quebec City in the 19th century.

Chateau Frontenac

1 Rue des Carrieres.

Tel: (418) 6923861.

The steep, green copper roofed landmark that dominates the skyline of Old Quebec is a luxury hotel, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway on the heights overlooking the St. Lawrence River. In the 19th century, US architect Bruce Price designed the hotel as a French-style chateau on a huge scale, with dozens of turrets, towers, and a high copper roof studded with rows of dormer windows.

Building continued for almost a century after the first section of the hotel was opened in 1893, with a final part completed in 1983. Made from brick and stone, the hotel now has over 600 rooms. The public salons are sumptuous and elegant; Salon Verchere and the Champlain are the most visited.

Hotel de Ville

Cote de la Fabrique.

Tel: (418) 6914606.

This imposing building stands at the western end of the rue de Buade, a popular gathering place for Quebec artists offering their wares. Built in 1833, and still the town hall to the city, it is the grounds that are the focus for the city’s people.

The small park here holds theater performances in the summertime and is a meeting place for festival-goers.

Seminaire de Quebec

2 Cote de la Fabrique.

Tel: (418) 6922843.

In 1663, the first bishop of Quebec, Francois Laval, built a seminary next to his cathedral to train Catholic priests for his huge diocese. Over the centuries it has been added to and now forms a graceful complex of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century buildings centered on a peaceful courtyard.

Within the seminary, visitors can admire the excellent 18thcentury paneling that covers the walls of the chapel. The Musee de l’Amerique Francaise is part of the complex and has a wonderfully eclectic collection, including a converted chapel decorated with fascinating wooden trompe l’oeils.