This Is the Perfect 48-Hour Itinerary for Tasting Quebec City

Quebec City, founded in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain on a strategic bend above the Saint Lawrence River on the unceded territory of the Huron-Wendat Nation, is one of North America’s best-preserved cities: Walking these narrow streets lined with stone buildings or looking out over a river so grand that Quebecers call it “the sea,” it is easy to imagine those early visitors marveling at the beauty and bounty of nature (until winter arrived).

Happily, thanks to central heating, modern clothing, and the best hot chocolate imaginable, Quebec City in winter is now utterly magical, while in the summer, that spectacular situation beside the glinting river really does give it the feel of a seaside town — one with an amazing array of local products for the city’s many talented chefs to play with.

Here’s how to spend 48 hours amid the historic sites, destination restaurants, and sugar shacks of Quebec City.

Day one

Drop your bags: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

Quebec City is home to plenty of excellent accommodations, from the Auberge Saint-Antoine, with its artifacts (some found on-site) showcasing more than 300 years of European history, to the simpler pleasures of Le Monastère des Augustines, a former monastery, sensitively refurbished, that now offers wellness stays. Still, nothing beats Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, commanding the heights from the site of de Champlain’s original fort. This imposing building, with its excellent restaurant and cocktail bar (try the pétoncles, the local name for scallops, or a cocktail with maple liqueur), has played host to everyone from the late Queen Elizabeth II to Paul McCartney. In winter, there’s a steep three-lane slide for tobogganing just outside; the views over the St. Lawrence River are wonderful at every time of year.

Walk: exploring the Old Town

From here, it’s downhill to historic Old Quebec — and there’s a funicular to whisk you back up afterward. Stop at Érico, which may serve the best hot chocolate in the world, in a shop that doubles as a museum: If you’ve never seen a full-size grandfather clock or fully dressed mannequin made entirely out of chocolate, now’s your chance. Wander the boutiques of charming Rue du Petit-Champlain, one of the oldest shopping thoroughfares in North America, and admire the circa-1688 stone church in the cobblestoned Place Royale.

Lunch: northern cuisine with a French accent

At Chez Boulay – Bistro Boréal, chefs Jean-Luc Boulay and Arnaud Marchand work with vegetables, cheeses, herbs, and meat culled from local fields and forests, while the freshest fish comes from the Gaspé Peninsula, a little farther east. Try the epic weekend brunch, savory or sweet, including housemade bagels and waffles.

Related: This National Park in Quebec Is Home to Some of the Best Food in Canada

Museum stops: history and art

The Plains of Abraham are now a delightful park bordering the river, but in 1759, this was a bloody battlefield. (The French lost, paving the way for British control of Canada.) One museum tells the story of the battle, while another, the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, designed in part by famed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, showcases Quebec art. This is a lovely place to stroll around in summer, while in winter, part of the park becomes a glorious open-air ice rink. (It’s free, but you’ll need your own skates.)

Dinner: urban hunting lodge vibes

Le Clan, which launched in 2021, focuses on local producers — bread from the city’s best bakery, and salmon smoked using traditional Wendat techniques, for example — beneath stuffed animal heads that might distract from the tasting menu if the dishes weren’t so good.

Day two

Excursion: farms, sugar shacks, and waterfalls

In warmer months, take a 20-minute boat trip to the Île d’Orléans, Quebec City’s garden: Pick your own strawberries at a farm, kayak on the St. Lawrence, hike, or cycle. If you’re there in early spring (March through April), tuck into a meal of maple syrupy dishes at a sugar shack, such as Cabane à Sucre Familiale. Later in the year, lunch on summer delicacies at Le Moulin de Saint-Laurent, a former mill built in 1720. In winter, visit the spectacular Montmorency Falls, which, at 272 feet, are nearly 100 feet higher than Niagara (although much narrower).

Dinner: hit the cellars

Plan (and book) ahead to dine in the elegant 17th-century cellars at Tanière, the much-lauded Old Quebec restaurant where chef François-Emmanuel Nicol serves upward of 15 exquisitely prepared courses incorporating delicacies from truffles to asparagus, sourced from Gaspé and closer.

Before bed: peak nightcap moves

Monsieur Jean, a smart hotel in Old Quebec, opened in 2019 — difficult timing for any hospitality venture, but this place has thrived, thanks in part to its speakeasy, Le Bijou, where local plants meet premium spirits in surprising cocktails made with ingredients like blueberry liqueur and sea buckthorn. There are also Quebec beers — the province goes wild for microbreweries — and even wines, plus vegetarian snacks, local cheeses, and truffled french fries.

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