Travel dates: December
Flight: Air Canada nonstop from TPA to YUL (Montreal)
Hotels: Auberge Saint-Antoine, Hôtel Manoir Victoria and Le Versant Mont-Sainte-Anne
What I Loved
Arriving in Quebec City during Le Marché de Noël allemand de Québec—the German-inspired Christmas market that takes over five locations across town on December weekends leading up to Christmas— made for instant magic in this already fairytale-esque town set along the Saint Lawrence River. When I wasn’t sipping hot chocolate or browsing the stalls and boutiques of Old Quebec, you could find me practicing my turns at the Place D’Youville ice skating rink, which stays open through mid-March and is framed by the historic city’s imposing walls.
The iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac was completely booked during my visit, but my family hardly felt deprived. We stayed at Auberge Saint-Antoine, a Relais & Châteaux property in Basse-Ville, where Chez Muffy served an incredible breakfast buffet featuring fresh pastries and local Quebec cheeses. We also spent a night at Hôtel Manoir Victoria, where the kids loved the indoor pool. Just north of town, we spent two nights in snowier surroundings in a Nordic-style cabin near the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski area at Le Versant Mont-Sainte-Anne. The best part? Access to a wellness area complete with a steam room, sauna and outdoor soaking pools overlooking a frozen pond.
We ate particularly well in Quebec City. My favorite addresses were Restaurant La Bûche for traditional Québécoise cuisine (we even made our own maple taffy lollipops in the snow) and D’Orsay Restaurant-Pub, for to-die-for poutine and moules-frites. Bistro Le Sam, overlooking the river at the Fairmont, was also exquisite. For something cheap and cheerful, Le Billig Crêperie-Bistro in the bohemian Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood served delicious buckwheat crepes in sweet and savory varieties —best downed with a local Québec cider.
It’s easy to escape to nature close to town. Start with a visit to the thundering cascades of Montmorency Falls, where you can stroll across a bridge above the 272-foot-high falls—taller than Niagara Falls. One of Quebec’s prettiest national parks, Parc Nacional de la Jacques-Cartier, is roughly 30 miles north of Quebec City and worth visiting to hike moderate trails or go snowshoeing through a coniferous forest during the colder months.
It was rewarding to get a window into Canada’s indigenous cultures with a visit to Site Traditionnel Huron ONHOÜA CHETEK8E, where you can see an incredible replica of a longhouse (built entirely of wood and bark) and learn about the Huron-Wendat people.
Next time…
Because I had my kids with me, I couldn’t sneak off to Old Quebec’s extraordinary (and adults-only) Strøm Nordic Spa. This Scandinavian-inspired retreat features indoor and outdoor wellness spaces overlooking the Saint Lawrence River and North America’s largest flotation bath, saunas, steam baths, thermal waterfalls and more.
I might also consider spending some time in Montreal on my next visit to Quebec and ditching the rental car to take the train between there and Quebec City.
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