Port guide: Quebec City, Canada

Ships dock either at Vieux-Port or adjacent Basse-Ville and you’re a hop from cafes, a farmers’ market, and plenty of shopping.

Who goes there

Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Silversea are among cruise lines that visit Quebec City, which is usually the start or finish port for Canada and New England cruises, although smaller ships can sail further up the St Lawrence River to Montreal. Cruises conclude in Boston or New York.

Both ports are a hop from cafes, markets and retail shops.Credit: Quebec City Tourism

Sail on in

Be on deck for your arrival. The St Lawrence River is clamped between the Appalachian foothills and Laurentian mountains, and just before Quebec City you pass Ile d’Orleans, a large island of snug farms and yellow rapeseed fields. Then Quebec’s old town appears on a rock outcrop topped by an ogre’s mad castle, Chateau Frontenac, built for 19th-century guests travelling on Canada’s new railway.

Berth rites

Ships dock either at Vieux-Port or adjacent Basse-Ville and you can start walking. You’re a hop from cafes serving mussels with frites, a farmers’ market hawking maple biscuits and ice wine, and plenty of shopping. If, however, you’re unlucky enough to hit a busy cruise day, you might have to take a shuttle from a dock further along the river.

Going ashore

Cobbled Basse-Ville (Lower Town) was settled in 1608 by French traders and claims the oldest commercial street in North America, Rue du Petit-Champlain, now cluttered with souvenir shops. Then clamber up to Haute-Ville (Upper Town) for old churches, pretty squares, historic houses and a curious blend of British and French architectural influences. Rue du Tresor is colourful with street-vendor paintings. The parliament building is distinguished from others in Canada (which are Victorian neo-Gothic) by its French style and statuary.

Don’t miss

A walk along Dufferin Terrace at different times of the day for the best views in town. Ironwork gazebos and green park benches recall Parisian parks, and a large statue of French explorer Samuel de Champlain is a reminder of how different history might have been if the French had beaten the British for control of North America. You can look down onto Basse-Ville’s rooftops and the river, while behind you rises the wonderful folly of Chateau Frontenac.

Quebec’s steep geography will give you a workout anywhere.Credit: Quebec City Tourism

Get active

Old Quebec’s steep geography will give you a workout anywhere, but if you keep going along the bluff past Dufferin Terrace and skirt up the hill behind you’ll arrive at an early 19th-century British fort and current Canadian garrison post. Keep going and you can trek along St Lawrence River paths. The city has a good cycle network into the suburbs and green belt beyond. You can also kayak and canoe on the river.

Best bites

French-influenced eateries in Vieux-Port district include rustic Bistro St-Malo for cassoulet, rabbit in red wine and pots of mussels, and the more polished L’Echaude where classic dishes such as duck confit and beef tartare are plated in an artful contemporary style. Chez Muffy has upmarket farm-to-fork dining that showcases Quebec ingredients and slow-cooking techniques. In Upper Town, Champlain Restaurant tempts with ambitious nouvelle Quebec cuisine: the caribou in sweet-and-sour maple syrup is delicious.

Further afield

Unless you’ve been to Quebec City before, you won’t want to stray, but among shore excursions are visits to Montgomery Falls (higher but not as wide as Niagara Falls) and pilgrim destination Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre with its large basilica. The most interesting excursion is to Ile d’Orleans, which has pretty 17th-century villages in a surprisingly rural setting given its proximity to the city. The island has farmers’ markets, art galleries and cellar doors for cheese, wine and maple syrup.