Bonjour Quebec

Bonjour Quebec:
A Stroll through La Belle Province.


Arriving at the International Airport of Dorval after clearing customs walk across to the garage building where you may rent a car.  Hertz, Avis practically all US of car rentals are in Canada as well. The way to the city is easy just follow the sign “Centre-Ville” downtown and get off at Peel if you go to the Marriott Chateau Champlain or hotels in the center city area.

The Quebec Province is one of the largest of Canada and also one of the most beautiful year-around. In the winter of course there is plenty of snow for skiing in the Laurentide Mountains and Ice Carnaval in Quebec City. During the rest of the year from Montreal to the Saguenay River there are Jazz festivals in the cities and “beaucoup” of things to do from Casinos and nightlife to great outdoors and sports activities.  Don’t let the French language intimidate you. You will only need it in the small towns. If you are still worried get a French phrase book and try it out on the natives. You will be surprise how a little  “Bonjour” will open doors and bring smiles to faces. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go “Allons-y!”

Montreal

The most populated city in the province and one that is situated in an island of the Saint Lawrence River.  Although the people are French speaking as with the rest of the province there is a very large English speaking population and McGill University is an English speaking university.

Downtown (Centre-Ville)

The city is divided in neighborhoods but the heart of the downtown area (Centre Ville) is centered on West Ste.Catherine between Peel and University Street. To the East you will get to the Place of the Arts and Chinatown, to the West the Art Museum, to the North the foothill of Mount Royal and to the South Place du Canada, Square Dorchester Place Ville Marie and the Bonaventure Center. The Tourist Information Center is located on the Dorchester Square. It is also there where you may find the City Tour buses.

Montreal is too large to visit all of it by foot. However, you may buy a tourist Metro pass and get off at the stops on the different neighborhoods.

Lodgings

Chateau Champlain Marriott Hotel – This is a very nice and centrally located hotel and the prices are moderate for a luxury hotel. The Bonaventure Metro stops under the hotel. This is the line that will take you to Old Town.

Wyndham Hotel – 4 Complexe des Jardins. Two steps away from the Place of the Arts. During the Montreal Jazz festival in June it is practically impossible to find a room. Moderately priced like the Marriott.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel – 900 Blv. Rene- Levesque. Beautifully restored main hall. This luxury large hotel is like others connected to the underground city and the railroad terminal.

Restaurants

Marché Mövenpick – Place Ville Marie. This restaurant has a very original system of assigning tables to customers and giving them a variety of choice of foods located throughout the one floor room. You pick the plate or plates and they mark the coupon and you pay as you exit. Great variety of salads, soups, appetizers, pizza, etc. and they do serve beer and wine. Moderate to inexpensive.

L’Actuel (Belgium) – 1194 Peel Street. It has great food and a large variety of Belgium and Canadian beer. Their specialty is mussels prepared in different ways. Moderately priced.

Tsirco – 1075 Drummond. Jazz Club and Restaurant.
This is an Italian/Mediterranean nouvelle cuisine with a good wine menu. It is expensive and showy place, but a nice splurge where to take your date.

Avoid the restaurants with barkers advertising all-inclusive meals. Usually the food isn’t good and the service is slow.

Shopping:

Downtown Montreal has a number of department stores such as Ogilvy and La Baie. For tourist souvenirs there are specialized stores on W. Ste.Catherine Street across Chapters bookstore and in Old Montreal around Place Jacques Cartier.

HMV Music Store – Located at 1020 W. Ste.Catherine Street at the corner of Peel Street. It is very similar to a Tower Records or Virgin Megastore.

Chapters Bookstore – On West Ste.Catherine is the Canadian version of Borders. It has books, CDs and a café with pastries and hot and cold beverages. It has a huge magazine selection.


What to See and Do:

St. George Anglican Church – on Peel Street by the Bonaventure Metro Station. This is a 19th century Church with the Gothic gargoyles on the arched entrance and beautiful stained glass windows.

Mary Queen of the World      Cathedral



On the other side of Dorchester Square is the imposing Cathedral that reminds one of the Vatican’s St, Peter and St. Paul. The interior is large with vaulted naves and has a beautiful altar and on the left side a chapel memorializing the bishops and archbishops of the city.

Museum of Fine Arts (Musée de Beaux Arts – 1380 Sherbrooke.  The grand façade with white marble columns and stairs founded in the 19th century by Anglo-Saxon amateurs is the oldest and the most important art museum in Quebec.

Old City (Vieux Montreal)

Metro Stops Place d’Armes or Champ-de-Mars.

Restaurants:

Old Montreal has the largest amount of seafood restaurants. The sidewalk cafés on Place Jacques Cartier are more known for sandwich and fast food fare.

Titanic (Deli) – 445 St-Pierre Street. It specializes in French baguette sandwiches of all types and Mediterranean Salads. Inexpensive.

Chez Delmo (Seafood) – 211 W.Notre Dame Street. They make an excellent bouillabaisse, oysters and other fruits of the sea. Moderate.

Homard Fou (Seafood) – 403 Place Jacques Cartier. Charming historical building in the heart of Old Montreal. Features lobster specialties and fresh fish. Moderate.

Solmar (Portuguese) – 111 St.Paul Street. It features traditional Portuguese cuisine as well as wild game and fresh fish. There is piano soft music in the background and elegant ambient dining room. On weekends there is a Fado show.  Moderate.

Take a walking tour of the old city starting from the Metro Stop “Place d’Armes.” Walk a few blocks to:

What to see and do:

Place D’Armes – A square immediately in front of the Basilica. In the middle of the square there is a Monument to Maisonneuve founder of Montreal. This is a monument with a fountain at its pedestal with figures all around signifying the important people in the history of the city, which includes an Iroquois warrior.



Notre Dame Basilica -
Built in the mid 1820s in a neo-gothic style the Cathedral has a glowing blue, white and gold interior that reminds you of the Quebec Flag.


 

City Hall (Hotel de Ville) – 275 Notre Dame Street. This is a stately building in the style of Napoleon III Second Empire is surrounded by manicured and engraved lawn.



Place Jacques Cartier (Metro: Champs de Mars)




From Street Notre Dame slanting down towards the old port Quai Jacques Cartier is the picturesque plaza and street with several sidewalk cafés and shops. Tour the area including the small street of Saint-Amable with its artist stands and shops..

Old Port

The old port offers tram rides the whole length to give the visitors a feel for the area. From the Esplanade you can see the skyline of the city, the old town and Bonsecour Market and the St. Helene Island with the Biodome.





Mount Royal

The Park Chalet & observatory



Oratory St. Joseph

This imposing copper domed building can be reached by ascending 300 steps on which pilgrims climb on their knees to show their devotion to this miraculous shrine. Many faithful have been cured of their physical problems and have left behind their crutches and such.


Maisonneuve

Olympic Stadium


The top of the tower is an observatory where one can see much of Montreal. The stadium is being used for special events and for the Expos to play during baseball season.

Latin Quarter

The quarter is best known for its nightlife since there are many nightclubs and dance clubs in the area.

A good walking tour of the area would be getting off the Orange Line Metro train at Mont Royal stop and walk over to St. Denis Street then to Duluth, Boulevard St. Laurent and finally to Place St. Louis off Prince Arthur. Catch the Orange Line Metro at the Sherbrooke Station to return. On the way you will see the Champigny Library on 4380 St. Denis Street, a great store for art, literature and magazines. St. Denis Street has many specialized stores and boutiques like Senteurs de Provence, a fragrance store selling soaps, sachets, and potpourris. On Duluth Street you will find fine Portuguese and Spanish bistros and eateries. Where the old garment district on Boulevard St. Laurent Street used to be there are now clubs, bars and trendy eateries. On colorful Prince Arthur you will find a Greek town of restaurants and sidewalk cafés ending up at Victorian St. Louis square where during warm weather you may find street concerts or a Brazilian Carnaval drum session rehearsing.

Restaurants

La Brioche Lyonnaise – 1593 St. Denis Street. They serve coffee and delicious pastries. Inexpensive.
Le Commensal – 1720 St. Denis Street. They sell food by weight from a buffet. Moderate.

Casa Galicia (Spanish) – 2087 St. Denis Street. It specializes in authentic Spanish cuisine featuring Paella and Sangria. Watch for Flamenco nights. Moderate.

Moyshes  (Steakhouse) – 3961 St-Laurent. Moyshes has been around for many years and enjoys the reputation for the finest steakhouse in Quebec. Expensive.

Quebec City


City view from 31st floor of the Marie-Guyart observatory, which is located on 1037 Chevrotière Street.

Old City (Uptown)
Take a self-guided walking tour on the promenade above the city starting on
St Jean Street And ending on St. Louis Street. Make sure you visit both of these main streets for the shops and the restaurants.
 
St.Loius Street          St. Jean Street


Aux Anciens Canadiens Restaurant  – (Quebec) 34 Rue Saint Louis. Good Quebecois cuisine at affordable prices.

Place d’Armes




This square is where the Quebec Tourist Office is located. It is also where you take the funicular to go downtown. On one side of the square there are pleasant sidewalk cafés as shown in the picture above and on the other the Chateau Frontenac.

Chateau Frontenac



The Chateau Frontenac is part of the Canadian Pacific Chain. It was built in1893 with 170 rooms some with fireplace and bath. Today it has 613 well-furnished comfortable rooms a Greek-Roman Internal Pool and a Gym. It is a luxury, elegant and comfortable hotel. Tours are offered daily telling the story of the hotel and showing the main areas. The hotel has a veranda bar and restaurant as well as an elegant dining room and a small café. In the main floor there are several gift shops. As you walk out you are on a boardwalk terrace.

Terrace Dufferrin



This wide and long terrace goes from the Funicular station at Place d’Armes to the Governor’s Promenade that will end up on La Citadelle. 

La Citadelle

Built in the 18th century as a fort for the protection of the city it still remains a armed forces active center. It is worth a visit and if time allows a tour to know more about the history of this fortress and of the city of Quebec.



                   
La Citadelle





Old City (Downtown) Little Champlain and Old Port
         
Downtown can be reached two ways:  by foot climbing the steps down or by Funicular.

La Mailloche - At the Funicular station there is a Glass Factory and Shop where they show how the glass is blown and shaped.


         

Place Royal

The most historic French of the squares in Quebec is Place Royal. It resembles a village square in the northwest part of France. It is also in this square that the Notre Dame des Victoires Church is located.







Notre Dame des Victoires Church

This small and unpretentious church built in 1688 making it the oldest in Canada. It is only open to weddings, baptisms and funeral ceremonies. There is a sailboat hanging from the ceiling, a reminder of the principal means of transport from Europe through the St. Lawrence River.


    Notre Dame des Victoires Church



    Mural on side of a building

Nearby are two museums the Museum of Civilization, which has special traveling exhibits, and the Son et Lumiere, which showcases Quebec’s famous explorers Cartier and Champlain on film.

After strolling along the old harbor and seeing the lower Quebec sights the weary traveler will be ready to rest and for some good seafood.

Marie Clarisse Restaurant (Seafood) – 12 Rue Du Petit-Champlain. Excellent seafood dishes at nice surroundings. Moderately priced.

Grand Alley

Parliament

Built in the 19th century this imposing building with the appearance of the Louvre Museum is known by the Quebecois as the National Assembly as it is the seat of the Quebec Government. On the façade of the building there are 22 bronze figures of prominent people that help shape the Province.


         
Cosmos Café – 575 Grand Allée. This is a great value eatery for hearty and healthy breakfasts in a futuristic ambiance. The young crowd favors it and it gets very crowded on weekends.

Quebec Hilton located just outside the old city walls and across the street from the Parliament building on Dufferin Avenue across from the Congress Center. This is a modern hotel where the higher floors afford a nice view of the Citadel and the old city. It is also near the Grand Allée and only a short walk to St. Jean Street. Moderately priced.

Isle d’Orleans

North of Beauport that is north of Quebec City there is a bridge that will take you to the Ile d’Orleans. The Island is open year round. There are six districts starting from the bridge: Ste. Petronile, St. Laurent, Saint Jean, Saint François, Sainte-Famille and St. Pierre each with its own personality and beauty. The drive around the island takes approximately three hours with a stop for lunch in one of the delightful roadside restaurants. There is one in Sainte-Famille called Le Relais des Pins with its own Sugar Shack. Try a bowl of pea soup with a side dish of fried pork rinds, or the game meats, the maple syrup pie and the wine drink called Caribou. “Bon appetit!” The day I went there was entertainment during lunchtime with music a la concertina and the playing of spoons and a swift polka dance. Ooh la la!

Chute de Montmorency

The Falls are located outside the Quebec City suburb of Beauport next to the bridge to Ile d’Orleans.

One and one half higher than Niagara Falls the Montmorency Falls can be reached by cable car and from the top the view of the surrounding area including the Ile d’Orleans is magnificent. 





Between Beauport and the little village of  Baie Ste.Catherine there is a beautiful stretch along the Charlevoix region with many panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River or bays from it.  Along the way you will pass the Manoir Richelieu a Casino and several enchanting towns. If you have the time you may want to make a small side trip to explore the views of some of the capes.


Baie Ste. Catherine
Several hours north from Quebec City skirting the west bank of the St. Lawrence River you arrive at the place where tourists come take boat cruises to see the whales feed.






Baie Ste. Catherine Motel and Hotel - This is a moderately priced best value in town as it is right by the water and of easy access to either the whale watching cruises or the ferries across the river to Tadoussac.


              Saguenay Crossing               
Whale watch and fjord boat tours –

The first part of the cruise takes you into the wide waters of the St. Lawrence and if the waters are calm and you are lucky you will see some whales. The second part of the cruise takes you inland on the Saguenay River to see the fjords.

La Mauricie National Park (Center of Quebec) –

On the way back to Quebec City if there is time left for a few hours side trip take the Trois Rivières exit towards Mauricie. A beautiful park ride in the fall with wild flowers and bright red maple leaves. There are hikes on boardwalks, canoeing and sweeping views from lookout points.

The Laurentides

Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts

The nearest ski station to Montreal and therefore very touristy year around but still maintains the charm of a small town with a large artist population as shown by the numerous art galleries on Main Street.

Sainte Agathe-des-Monts

1 hour Tour of Lake of Sables aboard the boat “Allouette” gives an idea and the flavor of how the people live in this part of Quebec. One can see that there is pride and taste in lake properties.


Mont Tremblant

Located at 100 km. (60 miles) from Montreal. Mount Tremblant is the highest mountain in the Laurentides. Colorful Canadian Disney-like Park. Must do: At the Traveler’s Square (Place des Voyageurs) take the free cable car (Cabriolet) to the Cable Car Station to the Summit. The Cabriolet Cable Car will give you a nice view of the Tremblant Village and the Cable Car to the Top of Mont Tremblant will give a sweeping view of the region and Lake Tremblant. The Summit Grand Manitou Restaurant also has beautiful views.

Back to the Village Place Saint-Bernard is the main area with hotels, shops, boutiques and restaurants.

Residence Inn, 170 Ch. Cure-Deslauriers. Typical Residence Inn with a Kitchenette, foyer, nice furnishings and comfortable bed and bathroom. Walking distance from Place Saint Bernard and the cable car station. 

 

Quebec has to be experience to enjoy. I hope I was able to whet your appetite for the trip. So far the Canadians have not asked Americans to get a tourist visa to enter their Country but do take your passport or legal proof that you live in the US.

Au Revoir! Bonne chance. (Good Bye and Good Luck)