The land of friendly people and elegant cities, Quebec is a beautiful French-North American mixture that surprises and enchants travelers. The largest province in Canada, Quebec is blessed with remarkable landscapes created by snow-capped mountains, 8,279 miles of coastline, as well as fascinating canyons and eye-catching fjords.
Mainly a French-speaking region, the people of Quebec are known for their joie de vivre and passion for their heritage. Finding itself under the spell of water, Quebec can be easily considered an immense water park created by nature. From sandy beaches and lakes to rivers and waterways, this natural water park attracts swimmers and kayakers from many corners of the world.
The cities of Quebec are chic and modern. The glamorous Montreal awaits with imposing skyscrapers and historic quarters and invites travelers to discover cosmopolitan neighborhoods and a fascinating cultural scene. Quebec City is a fairytale land, a place where tiny dining places and chic boutiques can be found hidden on the city’s 17th –century alleyways. The smaller towns of the countryside lure visitors with a quaint ambiance, lovely inns, and stories about the French Canadian culture.
The marvelous Montreal
Quebec is the place where European and North American cultures live in perfect harmony and create beautiful attractions and sights for visitors to discover. A cultural city, Montreal has many venues to keep you entertained. Place des Arts is the core of Montreal’s cultural scene and home to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, theaters and several other venues where you can attend drama, music, opera, and ballet performances.
Montreal also has the best nightlife scene in Canada with many bars and clubs situated on St. Laurent Street, St. Denis Street, and Crescent Street. Renowned as a starting point for many musicians and bands, the city is also popular for its live music scene.
Visitors who love museums will love a visit to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Arts of Montreal, both home to fabulous art collections. The city takes pride in its unusual underworld architecture illustrated through underground shopping centers and recreation complexes, linked by the metro and several walkways, all of them leading to Place Ville-Marie. Old Montreal and its historic waterfront are home to beautiful buildings and places, including Place Jacques-Cartier, Chateau Ramezay, and Notre Dame de Bonsecours, the oldest chapel in the city.
The bohemian Quebec
The best persevered European-style city in the country, Quebec is a wonderland for those who love old-world architecture, museums, and fairy tales. The Old Town is home to the most beautiful buildings in the city, while the Citadel is the largest surviving fortress in North America.
The Museum of French America and the Museum of Civilization will keep history buffs busy for a while with stories and documents about the French colonists. The National Museum of Quebec Fine Arts is the perfect destination if you want to discover both old and modern art created mostly by painters from Quebec.
Outside the city walls, you’ll find the Plains of Abraham, where the English army defeated the French. The site is known today as Battlefields Park and is home to several museums, walking trails, and several places for sports and picnics. The spectacular Montmorency Falls await only one hour away from Quebec City. This 272-foot waterfall is one of the most visited sights in Quebec and one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the province.
The wonderful outdoors
Due to its rich geography, Quebec is ready to entertain the outdoorsy folks be it winter or summer. There is plenty of snow to enjoy fabulous sessions of skiing and snowboarding, especially since there are no less than 80 ski centers in the province. The main regions for winter sports are the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships, and the Greater Quebec/Charlevoix area. These are the perfect destinations for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoe trekking but also ice climbing and even ice fishing.
The Laurentian mountain range is a great summer destination too, perfect for hiking, dirt biking, rafting and swimming. Those who love cycling usually head to La Route Verte, a 4.000 km-circuit of marked paths and roadways. The St Lawrence River Valley is ideal for moderate cycling, while the most experienced cyclists should head to the more challenging and hilly Laurentians region. Parc de la Jacques-Cartier and Mont Sainte Anne are beautiful nature reserves and great destinations for outdoor activities.
Water sports can be practiced almost anywhere. Travelers will have the chance to enjoy a variety of water sports, including white-water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, and boating. Head to the Riviere Rouge for an adventurous white-water rafting experience or enjoy a beautiful sailing experience on the St. Lawrence River.
The many other fun things to explore
Whale watching is one of the most memorable experiences you can enjoy in Quebec. From May to October, you can book a whale-watching tour and admire up to 12 species of whales, including the humpbacks in the St. Lawrence.
Early March, thousands of harp seals give birth on the Magdalen Islands and visitors can book a helicopter ride over the area and admire the spectacle from above.
While Quebec is mostly French and chic, you will get to discover its wild side in the Outaouais region, where the many fun aerial parks invite you to walk or zip line through the forest canopy, enjoy the thrills of white-water rafting, yell as loud as you can while bungee jumping or explore the mysterious caves. The region is also home to the unspoiled Gatineau Park and Omega Park.
Many come to the Gaspesie region to admire the Rocher Perce, a massive sandstone rock rising proud from the Atlantic Ocean, and also to explore the Gaspesie Provincial Park, where the caribou lives in a protected beautiful environment dominated by beautiful woods and lakes.
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