Quebec City

Introduction

Quebec City

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One of Canada's most historic cities, and the proud capital of the mostly French province of Quebec, Quebec City offers visitors both the feel of old Europe and the history of New France. Founded in 1608, Quebec City is the only fortified city in North America and proud defender of the Francophone culture and language in Canada. Quebec will celebrate its 400 years in 2008^[1]. A visit to the Plains of Abraham^[2], scene of a famous battle in the seven years war, and Vieux-Québec (Old Québec), a UNESCO World Heritage travel destination and the only fortified city in North America, provides the traveller with 400 years of history to discover.

Neighbourhoods

Quebec City has 8 boroughs, divided into 34 districts:

• La Cité - Latin/Old Quebec, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Montcalm, Saint-Sacrement, Petit Champlain, Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Roch, Saint-Malo.
• Les Rivières - Lebourgneuf, Duberger, Les Saules and Vanier.
• Sainte-Foy-Sillery - Cité universitaire, Saint-Louis, Sillery, Pointe-de-Ste-Foy.
• Charlesbourg Saint-Rodrigue, Des Sentiers, Des Monts.
• Beauport Vieux-Moulin, Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux, Villeneuve, Courville.
• Limoilou Maizerets - Vieux-Limoilou, Lairet, Du Colisée.
• La Haute-Saint-Charles - Lac-Saint-Charles, Saint-Émile, Neufchâtel and Loretteville.
• Laurentien

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Quebec Winter Carnival

The Quebec Winter Carnival, held in the city since 1894 is the world's largest winter carnival and has given the natives and thousands of visitors a reason to celebrate and indulge in merry-making during cold and snowy winters. This annual event lasts for 17 days and is normally held between the end of January to mid-Febraury. The carnival takes place in various locations of Old Quebec. The opening and closing ceremonies take place in the legendary Ice Palace in front of thousands of visitors and the mayor of Quebec. 'Bonhomme' , a large snowman sporting a red cap and black buttons, is the official symbol and ambassador of the festivities. Some of the attractions and activities popular at the carnival are the Arctic Spa Village, Snow slides, Giant Table Soccer games, Ice palace, Ice tower, snow rafting and skating, Bistro, Zipline, snow sculpture and canoe races.
Kiosks and other outlets in the city sell the traditional Bonhomme effigy tag for around $10 that gives access to many of the carnival events, however some activites may cost extra.

Bonhomme des Neiges

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• Quebec City Summer Festival
• Quebec New France Festival

Weather

Quebec has warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures range from 24 degrees Celcius during the day in summer on average, to -17 degrees Celsius in winters at night. Temperatures have been recording though of 36 and -37 degrees Celsius respectively. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year with around 12 to 17 days of rain or snow each month. From November to March, most of it is actually snow. Summers are a little wetter regarding the amount of precipitation, around 100 mm a month, compared to around 70 in winter.

Getting There

By Plane

Jean Lesage International Airport near Quebec City (airport code: YQB) handles flights to and from the city.
Flights mainly go to other Canadian cities but there are connections with Central America, the USA, the Caribbean and even Paris as well.

By Train

Via Rail offers train service between Quebec City and Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and on to Windsor near Detroit.

By Car

By Bus

Intercar and Orleans Express provide services throughout Quebec.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

Some of the options to rent a car include the following companies:

• Avis
• Budget
• Discount
• Hertz
• National
• Enterprise
• Thrifty

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• University of Quebec City

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Postal service is provided by Canada Post, a crown corporation owned by the government but run as an independent business. The lettermail service allows the mailing of a letter. The basic rate is currently set at $0.52 for one standard letter (30 grams or less). The rates for lettermail are based or weight and size and determine whether the article falls into the aforementioned standard format, or in the oversize one. The rate is the same for a postcard. Mail sent internationally is known as letterpost. It can only contain paper documents. The rate for a standard letter is of $0.93 if sent to the United States, and $1.55 if sent to any other destination. Oversize or overweight letters may be charged a higher fee ^[3]. Larger parcels can be shipped via Canada post both domestically and internationally, the rate is dependent on the weight and destination. ^[4]. Federal Express or DHL also provide interntional shipping from Canada.