Quebec, Canada

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

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Introduction
Québec is the heart of French Canada — the only majority French-speaking province, where the language, the food and the joie de vivre give travel a distinctly European flavour on a North American scale. It runs from the cobblestone old towns of the St. Lawrence valley to vast northern forests and a wild, cliff-bound Gulf coast. For travellers the draw is culture and landscape together: the only walled city north of Mexico in Québec City, the festival energy of Montréal, ski mountains and lakes in the Laurentians, and whales, fjords and sea cliffs along the great river that built the province.

Discover Quebec

Québec City is the most European place in North America. Its Old Town (Vieux-Québec), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only walled city north of Mexico — a hilltop maze of narrow stone streets, ramparts and the unmistakable green-copper turrets of the Château Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world, above the boardwalk of the Dufferin Terrace. Below, the Petit-Champlain quarter and Place Royale, where French settlement began in 1608, hold the oldest streets and the prettiest shopfronts. The Plains of Abraham, the battlefield park where the fate of New France was decided, now hosts joggers and summer concerts. Just outside the city, the Montmorency Falls drop higher than Niagara, and the pastoral Île d'Orléans grows the strawberries, cider and maple of the Québécois table. In winter the city becomes the stage for the famous Carnaval de Québec.

Travel Types

Historic Cities

Québec City's walled UNESCO Old Town and Château Frontenac, and the festivals and food of Montréal.

Mountains & Skiing

Mont-Tremblant and the Laurentians' lakes and slopes, and the vineyards of the Eastern Townships.

Whales & Fjord

Whale-watching at Tadoussac where the Saguenay Fjord meets the St. Lawrence, and the scenery of Charlevoix.

Wild Coast

The Gaspé Peninsula's Percé Rock, gannet colonies and the cliffs of Forillon National Park.

French Culture

A French-speaking province of sugar shacks, cider, cheese and a European café culture on a North American scale.

Frequently asked questions

It helps, but no. Québec is officially French-speaking and French dominates daily life, especially outside Montréal and in rural regions. Montréal is very bilingual and tourist areas of Québec City are used to English speakers, so visitors manage easily. A few words of French — bonjour, merci, s'il vous plaît — go a long way and are warmly received.

About three hours by car, train or bus along the St. Lawrence — an easy connection that makes pairing the two cities the classic Québec trip. Many visitors spend a few days in each. From Québec City you can continue downriver to Charlevoix and the whales at Tadoussac; the Gaspé Peninsula is a much longer drive beyond.

Summer (June to September) is warm and full of festivals, ideal for the cities, the Laurentians and the St. Lawrence whale season. Late September and October bring spectacular autumn colour. Winter is long, cold and snowy but central to Québec culture — the Carnaval de Québec, skiing at Mont-Tremblant and sugar-shack season in early spring. Spring's 'sugaring-off' at the maple cabins is a local tradition worth catching.

Cities in Quebec

2 cities with detailed travel information

MontréalQuébec