From the Château Frontenac to the Parliament of Quebec, explore the quaint streets of Old Quebec (Upper Town), full of French, British and American influences. Discover why and how a small fur trading post became the capital of a modern democracy.
(Based on 104 reviews)
Quebec City, a UNESCO world heritage, is the cradle of the French civilization in North America. French founded a small fur trading post, where pioneers and missionaries gathered. The town grew and managed to become a city despite of threats, wars, epidemics and Winter. It used to be the main city of New France and later Canada. Due to its strategic position, it has the biggest defensive network of America with its fortifications, batteries, forts and citadel. It is still the capital of Quebec Province.
This is an introductory tour that focuses on history, culture and architecture. You’ll learn the main facts and see some of the highlights of the old city, Upper Town, without setting aside little stories and interesting details.
To avoid steep streets, the walking tour stands in Old Quebec Upper Town and Parliament Hill and will suit most of people. Just wear good shoes and check weather forecast to dress accordingly.
Highlights of the guided tour in Old Quebec
Each guide has its own itinerary, but you’re mostly going to see :
- Château Frontenac,
- Dufferin Boardwalk,
- Holy Trinity,
- Cathedral-basilica Notre-Dame de Québec,
- Price Building,
- City hall,
- Fortifications,
- St. Louis gate,
- Entrance of the Battlefields Park,
- Parliament of Quebec.
Depending on the itinerary your guide chose, you might see :
- Grand Séminaire,
- Augustines,
- Ursulines,
- Morrin Centre.
How to get there ?
At the corner of Côte de la Montagne and Rue des Remparts, there’s the Montmorency park. On Rue des Remparts‘ side, there’s a statue with Louis Hébert, Marie Rollet and Guillaume Couillard.
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We had a fantastic walking tour of Quebec City with Xavier. He not only takes you on a journey through the city, but through history as well. We walked away with context for the architecture, the culture, and the people that made the rest of our visit that much richer. He is clearly very knowledgable and enjoys sharing his personal experiences along with the wealth of information he has at his fingertips. Great experience!
By Katherine M. on Google Review (2021) -
Super informative, thoughtful and detailed tour! Xavier presented a chronological history of Québec which made it easy to follow along. I highly recommend booking the tour!!!
By Patrick E. on Google Review (2021) Xavier was exactly what you look for in a tour guide: friendly, knowledgeable and professional. There's a lot of history in Québec, and this tour provides a lot of context for how it came to be.
By Jeremy R. on Google Review (2021)Quelle belle expérience ! Nous avons eu la chance d'avoir Xavier pour nous tout seuls, ce qui nous a fait sentir très VIP ! La visite était parfaite, dans le respect des gestes barrière. Nous avons appris plein de choses et avons pu poser toutes nos questions. Xavier est passionné, disponible et très sympathique. Le tour se construit aussi avec les échanges, la visite est donc très interactive, impossible de s'ennuyer. Merci encore pour cette belle matinée ensoleillée !
By Justine (Montréal) on Airbnb (2021)This is an above and beyond tour. Principally, Xavier is very knowledgeable about the topic, and always had an answer for the 1.000.000 questions I asked through the course of the tour. The price you pay for the very well organized historical information you get is a REAL DEAL! This experience definetely set the base for such meaningful trip a Ville de Quebec. If you, dear searcher are reading this, please look no more and book your spot for his tour - Xavier is your guy!
By Adriana (Venezuela) on Airbnb (2020)We got a private tour for our family with Xavier today. Even before the tour I had contacted him for sightseeing suggestions & things to do around QC. He was very prompt and suggested very good places including hidden gem, Beaupot Basilica. He was able to relate historical/political point of views with great details. I would suggest everyone to take his tour when in Quebec City.
By Ajit (Ottawa) on Airbnb (2020)I really enjoyed this walking tour. I learned a lot and the Tour Guide was fantastic! Highly recommend!
By Anthony (Edmonton) on Airbnb (2020)If your contemplating between this guide with Xavier, or one with a bigger company, Xavier is the right choice. With Xavier we had the opportunity to experience the most popular tourist attractions, but also explored locations off the beaten path. His tour includes a plethora of history hacks that help you understand your surroundings for when you continue exploring alone. We learned how to differentiate between stones and time periods, how to tell if they were built by the English or French. Xavier helped us by informing us future sight seeing opportunities, told us of local coffee shops and breweries, and described places to see different styles of architecture. The tour itself was personal, engaging and thought provoking. The walk was comfortable, with barely any up hill treks. The tour was worth every penny and great value for money. I recommend this tour to anyone that wants a genuine and local experience. I feel much more confident continuing our trip by foot with our new knowledge of Quebec City layout.
By Megan (Kingston, Ontario) on Airbnb (2020)Xavier is such a warm personality, very knowledgeable about Quebec's history and highly motivated (recommendable!). I was lucky enough to get a private exclusive tour and truly enjoyed walking through the area with him. Would highly recommend this walking tour!
By Parteek (Jersey City) on Airbnb (2020)This tour is a most if u are visiting quebec. I had the benefit of been the only one on this tour and it was quite an experience. Xavier is really an expert on the subject and could answer all my questions. He also made the experience fun and he gave a neutral opinion/perspective (because he is french) and from a QC perspective (because his wife is from QC).
By Cristina (Montréal) on Airbnb (2020)
If you need help or if you didn’t find an availability that suits you, please contact us. We might add an availability for you if we can. It is also possible to provide a private tour.