Port of Québec

By Ted McDermott

The people of Québec City don’t require water—much less warmth—to boat. Each year, as part of the city’s Winter Carnival, you can find teams pushing canoes across snow-covered streets and the iced-over St. Lawrence River. Called, fittingly enough, ice canoeing, the sport started, according to legend, as a competition between families seeking mail delivery contracts. Today, there are races and associations and a huge, 40-team competition during the city’s Winter Carnival, the world’s largest.

If you’re in Québec City on the weekend of February 6 through 8, you can see this singular pastime taking place on rue Saint-Joseph or the frozen river. You can also attend the Calgary Flapjack Breakfast or Normandin Soapbox Derby or Outdoor Dance Party. And that’s just some of what’s going on during one weekend of this more than two-week-long event. Between January 30 and February 15, Québec will be celebrating, rather than avoiding, the city’s long, cold winter.

Family activities, sports and nightlife will take place throughout the winding, snowy streets of the city and in the breathtaking areas around it. There will be night parades, ice fishing, concerts, snow sculptures, skating, football and horse-drawn sleighs. There even will be dogsled races through the streets of Old Québec. With all of this, winter isn’t a deterrent to visiting this vibrant and historic Canadian city—it’s an invitation.

If you accept it, you’ll find one of the North America’s oldest and most picturesque cities. Founded as Kébec in 1608 by the great French explorer Samuel de Champlain, Québec has just finished celebrating its four-hundredth anniversary. In that long timeline, it has gone from an outpost in the French colonial enterprise to the capital of New France to the capital of Lower Canada to what it is today, a provincial capital with a population of more than 600,000. Despite all its many changes, the city retains much of its history as well as its French origins.

Ninety-five percent of the population is French-speaking. That said, it is easy enough to get around the city with English, as most people who work in service or tourism are bilingual. The cultural difference, however, is obvious. The French Canadian mix of Old World charm and New World fortitude is a legacy of the city’s difficult beginnings in this remote corner of North America and its ability to thrive despite many obstacles.

Coming here by boat along the St. Lawrence Seaway, you will be struck by the pristine landscape. As you approach the city, you will be taken aback by views of the Château Frontenac and the spires and rooflines spread out below it.

Located at the heart of the historic district of the Old Port, the Port of Québec Marina is the ideal location for those looking to moor in the city. Before arrival, simply contact the lock keeper on VHF channel 71 to indicate that you wish to enter or leave the marina. Reservations, especially during summer weekends, are recommended, but transients are welcome.

With more than 415 slips and facilities for vessels up to 200 feet in length with a draft of 20 feet, it can accommodate most every craft. Each berth has a drinking water hook-up and a 30-amp hydro hook-up (50- and 100-amp hook-ups are also available). Gasoline or diesel can be obtained at the service station. Dockage for boats up to 59 feet in length is $1.85 per foot, per night, and the marina offers discounts for stays of one week or longer.

On the marina site, the Riviera Cafe offers an unparalleled view of Québec City. It’s a good place to begin a visit, but it’s only a starting point. Because of the marina’s ideal location, you will be within walking distance of most of the city’s major tourist attractions. The city certainly warrants a longer trip, but many of the highlights can be seen in a well-planned day.
From the marina, it’s a short walk to Old Québec (or Vieux-Québec, in French), a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Treasure that is alive with a rich history. Circumscribing this historic area are the city’s imposing fortifications.

Declared an historic monument in 1957, the wall forms a 2.9-mile-long belt. A path, which runs atop the ramparts and gates, includes interpretive signs that allow visitors to become acquainted with the evolution of the defense system of the last fortified city in North America. Located at the southern end of Old Québec is the Citadelle, a star-shaped fortification built between 1820 and 1850. The site is open to visitors only as part of guided tours, but they are offered daily and are easy to join.

Also located within the city walls are a number of beautiful, old churches. Perhaps most impressive of all is Notre Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, the oldest parish in North America. First built on this site in 1647 and twice destroyed by fire, the cathedral is richly decorated with impressive works of art. Guided tours are available daily from May to October and by reservation the rest of the year.

A tour of the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity shows off the city’s British influence. Modeled after London’s Saint-Martin-in-the Fields, it houses numerous objects donated by King George III and the benches are made of oak imported from the Royal Windsor Forest.

You could easily spend an entire day wandering from site to site, from museum to church without ever leaving the walls of Old Québec. On a longer stay, it’s well worth taking the time. If, however, you’re in a hurry, there are a number of walking and horse-drawn carriage tours that will give you a good overview and feel for the area.

From there, take a nice, short walk up Parliament Hill and find the majestic form of the Parliament Building. It is particularly stunning when lit up at night, but this is a marvel of stately 19th Century architecture any time of day. Before the building, the Fontaine de Tourny, a monumental ironwork fountain, rises up. Nearby, the Observatoire de la Capitale, a 727-foot tower, offers breathtaking panoramic views of Québec City, the mighty St. Lawrence River, Old Québec and Battlefields Park, the site of a decisive British victory that led to the end of French rule.

The city’s Musée national des beaux-arts is also well worth a visit and located nearby, but be certain to save enough time to head down into the bustling streets and neighborhoods of contemporary Québec.

From Parliament Hill, it’s a short walk to rue Saint-Jean, an excellent place to immerse yourself in the city. With hip cafés, restaurants, bars and boutiques, this street is extremely popular not only with tourists but also with residents. No cars are allowed on summer evenings and weekends, which makes it a particularly great place to stroll and enjoy the scene.

As you pass through the Saint-Jean Gate and continue down rue Saint-Jean, you enter Faubourg Saint-Jean Baptiste, one of the most popular districts in Upper Town. Here you will find bookstores, grocers, record shops, boutiques, bakeries and artisans’ workshops.

When you come to rue Sainte-Claire, turn right and continue on into the Saint-Roch District and Lower Town. Saint-Roch Garden is a lovely urban oasis with its small waterfall and varieties of flowers, trees and shrubs. Turn right again on rue Saint-Joseph for shops big and small on a street that’s brightly decorated during the winter holidays.

From there, it’s not far to rue Saint-Paul and the Old Port district. Vieux-Port, as it is known in French, is located at the confluence of the Saint-Charles and St. Lawrence rivers and, as a result, boasts a rich maritime and shipping history. Rue Saint-Paul is known for its concentration of antique dealers, but it is also home to posh boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and charming little sidewalk cafés.

Boaters will want to check out the Naval Museum of Québec, too. Located on rue Dalhousie and the St. Lawrence River, it lets visitors navigate the history of the city and the role the river played in its growth. Unfortunately, it is closed now for exhibition setup but it will reopen on June 15, 2009. On the plus side, admission is free.

A nice final stop is the Quartier Petit Champlain, which is located just a bit further down the riverfront. In 1608, when the city was founded, this area was a small portside village comprised of fur trading posts and elegant homes. After a period of decline, a restoration project has revitalized this neighborhood as a quaint riverside village with narrow streets that are lined with unique boutiques and bistros.

This mix of French culture, Canadian ruggedness and modern luxury typifies what is so singular about Québec City—and what makes a visit so worth the trip.

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