Travel: The City Column
February 7, 2024
The City Column: Quebec City’s Top Hotels, Restaurants, Attractions And More
Put on your boots and take in this French Canadian destination: visit hot hotels, fab restaurants, great boutiques and the winter wonderland that is Old Quebec. Scroll down for the best of Quebec City!
Where to Stay
New: Le Capitole Hôtel
Sitting above the Théâtre Capitole, this new hotel offers elegantly decorated suites with incredible views of Old Quebec, Île d’Orléans and the Laurentians. Across from Place d’Youville and adjacent to the gates of the old city, it’s an ideal base from which to explore on foot.
972 rue Saint-Jean
Classic: Auberge Saint-Antoine
There’s a lot to like about this family-owned, 95-room Relais & Châteaux auberge in Old Quebec. The owners have blended the property’s historical roots (the lobby is set in Quebec’s only remaining early 19th-century dockside warehouse) with fun and contemporary design. There are two restaurants, a cinema and a collection of New France artifacts dating back to the 1600s to enjoy.
8 rue Saint-Antoine
Where to Eat
New: Melba
This chic snack bar offers a fresh take on French classics. The kitchen is overseen by some of the city’s best-known chefs including Guillaume St-Pierre of Italian restaurant Battuto and Charles Provencher- Proulx. Try the “Kentucky Fried Chicken” beans or the Dauphiné ravioli with ratatouille.
398 rue Saint-Vallier Ouest
Classic: Laurie Raphaël
Paying homage to Quebec’s rich landscape and terroir, this storied upscale restaurant is decorated with dark woods, greenery, lighting and carpeting that sets the mood. For 30 years, the kitchen has worked with local food producers to create menus that show off the season’s best, from halibut ceviche to beef tenderloin with stuffed eggplant caviar fritter.
117 rue Dalhousie
What to See
New: Pôle culturel du Monastère des Ursulines
After a restoration, the circa- 1722 chapel at the Ursuline Monastery in Old Quebec is now open to the public. While there, visit the museum and take in Recollections of a House, a permanent exhibit of findings unearthed from the home of the monastery’s founder, Madame de La Peltrie.
12 rue Donnacona
Classic: Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
With more than 42,000 pieces, this museum has an incredible collection of Quebec art, as well as great exhibitions. Voir la Nuit, on until March 17, 2024, is an exploration of creativity evoked under darkness. Don’t miss the permanent exhibit, Decorative Arts and Design in Québec, which explores the province’s tradition of design and craft.
179 Grande Allée Ouest
Where to Shop
New: Galerie Lewis
Located in the trendy Limoilou area, this boutique and exhibition space showcases
imaginative crafts from artists such as Geneviève Lebel, who makes vases and flowers out of sewing materials, and Catherine Baril, whose small sculptures of sequins and glass beads are like Rorschach tests.
975 3e avenue
Classic: G & M Bourguet
Antique hunters will delight in the rich collection curated by father and son Gérard and Mathieu Bourguet. Here you’ll find furniture and objects from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. In business since 1967, this antique shop offers a wide range of pieces, from a hooked rug dating back to the 1880s to an 18th-century Quebecois nasturtium armchair.
103 rue Saint-Pierre
House & Home