Visiting Quebec City this winter? Say, mais oui to these 10 must-see/must-do places and activities.
• Breakfast at Panache: At least one morning, treat yourself to breakfast at this restaurant, housed in an 1822 stone warehouse and part of the Auberge St. Antoine, a Relais & Chateau inn in the Old Port section of the city. Worth the splurge: Lily French Toast made with caramelized apples and grilled nuts.
• Musee de Civilisation: Exhibits trace Quebec’s heritage, ponder its future, and tackle some intriguing and often unexpected topics. It’s in the Old Port, adjacent to the Auberge St. Antoine.
• Get the shot: Know that iconic photo that looks upward from the lower section of the old city to the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, which caps the city walls? Best way to take a similar shot (or to watch the famed canoe races) is to walk aboard the ferry, which operates nearly round the clock between Quebec City and Levis, on the opposite shore of the St. Lawrence. Make it a transportation double-header and ride the funky funicular, a cliff-scaling elevator.
• Old Port Market: For lunch, nibble your way through this year-round farmers’ market. Also here is a fabulous frommagerie specializing in Quebec cheeses–try the migneron de Charlevoix–and a combo chocolate shop and bakery, with scrumptious goodies.
• Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec: The largest known collection of Quebec art is housed in three buildings, including the former Quebec City Prison, located on the Plains of Abraham. General admission is free, although special exhibits may require an entrance fee.
• Erico Chocolate Museum: Chocoholic heaven! An artisanal chocolaterie and museum that also makes to-die-for hot chocolates crafted from chocolates of various pedigrees and intensities. Go ahead, overdose and pair it with a chocolate chip cookie; you won’t be sorry.
• Moisan Market: Notice a food theme? Well, this is Quebec, after all. For more regional specialties, poke around a Pandora’s box, which claims to be the oldest grocery store in North America. It’s practically across rue Saint-Jean from Erico.
• Rue Tresor: Since the 1960s, artists have been showing and selling their works in open-air gallery, just off Place d’Armes, in the upper section of the Old City.
• St-Laurent Bar & Lounge: Sip a Winston Churchill martini while overlooking the St. Lawrence from the warmth of the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac’s famed bar.
• Le Café St.-Malo: Escape the crowds and savor a swoon-worthy mussel soup at this cozy, tres French bistro amidst the antiques stores and galleries in the Old Port district. No web site, you’ll have to work to find this intimate treasure.
Read more about Nangle’s travels on her Web site.
I have three passions in life: Maine, traveling and skiing. Okay, four: chocolate. Maybe five, spa-ing (is there such a word?). I guess writing would be my sixth passion. And cheese, oh yeah, artisan-crafted and farmstead cheeses. Did I mention lobster? What can I say, I’m a passionate kinda gal. You can find more of my tips for traveling through Maine at: Maine Travel Maven. My three Moon Maine guidebooks are — Maine, Coastal Maine, and Acadia National Park. They are available at bookstores and online.
