Layout of Quebec City

[Frwinkley]

After much reading, I hopefully have an understanding of the layout, but am still struggling as to where to stay this summer.

Is Old Town divided into Upper town and lower town?

Is all of old town within the walls? I thought I read somewhere that only upper town was.

Is upper town more centrally located to most tourist spots?

If staying in lower town, what parts are most centrally located? I think I like the charm of the lower town better, especially the Petite Champlain area.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I will be traveling this summer with my DH, DD and son-in-law. We'd ideally like to find a hotel room or Airbnb that will accommodate us all, but what to make sure we stay in a good location.

 

[isabellea]

Bonjour!

I was born in Qc city and lived there for 18 years so hopefully I can answer all your questions even though I left 20 years ago. Worst case, I can always ask my sister or my parents who are still living there if I don't know!

Old town or Vieux Québec is both upper and lower town. Quebec city is built on a cliff so the first migrants established themselves in the lower part (Petit Champlain, Place Royale), then they moved up and built a fort with fortified walls as they established a more permanent settlement. Place Royale is the oldest part of Qc city, with cobblestone streets and the oldest stone church in North America. You can easily access upper town from a very steep staircase or if you take the funicular that brings you to Terrasse Dufferin just next to Château Frontenac where you can buy a yummy beaver tail or other treats.
https://www.quebecregion.com/en/quebec-city-and-area/old-port-place-royale/

Tourist spots are all over lower and upper town. Within and outside the walls. It really depends what you want to see, visit and if there's a festival while you go like Festival d'été (can be very crowded around the Plaines d'Abraham when there's a big show like Paul McCartney or Celine Dion who performed at the festival a few years ago) or Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle France. Best to check your dates. I personally like both although Place Royale and Petit Champlain are much smaller than upper town.
http://www.infofestival.com/en/
http://nouvellefrance.qc.ca/home/

Restaurants:
For a restaurant well liked by the locals in Petit Champlain, go to Le Cochon Dingue: http://www.cochondingue.com/le-cochon-en
For a restaurant in one of Qc oldest building: http://www.globeater.com/view-restaurant/?restaurant_name=Aux Anciens Canadiens&id=894

I personally like a nice crepe from Crêpes Bretonnes, a poutine from Ashton or a nice french onion soup from Café Buade.
http://aupetitcoinbreton.ca/en/
http://chezashton.ca/les-frites-et-poutines/ (there are multiple locations in Vieux Québec)
http://www.cafebuade.ca/html/home.html

 

[Frwinkley]

Thanks for the great information!

I'm struggling with a place to stay that will accommodate 4 adults (ideally either 2 bedrooms or a bedroom or a sleeper sofa).

Are Airbnbs not legal in Quebec? I've found the government's website that lists those that are legal, as well as Airbnb's that lists many more with lots of reviews.

Any insight?

 

[isabellea]

I know there are a lot of very strict by-laws within the walls. I know it’s legal in the province but the city might restrict them. Since I always stay with my family when visiting, I don’t know much about places to stay.

 

[lorenni]

Technically you cannot rent for less than a month in QC, so the AirBnB contract will be for a month. But not really.

We stayed at a great place during HORRIBLE construction that the owner failed to mention. Horrible as in the entire street was a pit outside the front door and heavy machinery started beeping at 7 am and shook the house. That was in upper old town.

We preferred lower old town and ended up walking down there every day. The distances are short pretty much everywhere. You’ll be fine as long as you are in old town - upper or lower - and everyone in your party is ambulatory. Old Quebec City is NOT accessible overall and not a place I would want to stay if I had limited mobility. Lots of hills.

We did do the hop on hop off bus the first day to help us get acquainted with the layout of the city. That was very much worthwhile. We stayed on for the loop and then ended up walking over to various things we had seen later on during the week.

 

[ottawamom]

isabellea's description is spot on. I will agree with all of her restaurant suggestions as well. I have eaten at a number of them. When we stayed in Quebec City a few years ago we stayed just outside the walled city (2min walk to the wall) in a hotel that had a bedroom with a door and a murphy bed queen bed/sofa in the other room. The price we paid for the room was reasonable if you split it between two couples. We parked the car and walked everywhere. (Palace Royal by Hotel Jaro)

There are lots of bed and breakfast type accomodations inside the wall if you prefer that type of accommodation.

One thing we did on our first full day was to take a walking tour of the city. Great way to soak up some history and get your bearings.

 

[isabellea]

isabellea's description is spot on. I will agree with all of her restaurant suggestions as well. I have eaten at a number of them. When we stayed in Quebec City a few years ago we stayed just outside the walled city (2min walk to the wall) in a hotel that had a bedroom with a door and a murphy bed queen bed/sofa in the other room. The price we paid for the room was reasonable if you split it between two couples. We parked the car and walked everywhere. (Palace Royal by Hotel Jaro)

There are lots of bed and breakfast type accomodations inside the wall if you prefer that type of accommodation.

One thing we did on our first full day was to take a walking tour of the city. Great way to soak up some history and get your bearings.

Hôtels Jaro is a local hotel chain (family-owned). Also, if you find accommodations close to one of the Metrobus lines (800 and 801), you can get to the center of old Qc (Place d'Youville) very quickly. You rarely wait more than 5-7 min for a Metrobus bus.