300c.com

Quebec City Information

The City

Québec City spreads from its historic heart into a bland suburbia but the highlights lie beside the St Lawrence, with main attractions being evenly distributed between the upper and lower portions of what is known as Vieux-Québec (Old Québec). On the Cap Diamant, Haute-Ville (Upper Town) continues along the St Lawrence from the old city walls and the furthest you need to wander from here is to the Musée du Québec, set in the extensive parkland of the Plains of Abraham. As the oldest part of the city, this area comprises some of the main sights of interest, including the magnificent Citadelle. The Terrasse Dufferin is also worth a stroll to watch street entertainers, unproductive students or the views over the river, but it gets overcrowded in the evening. The second part of the city, the Basse-Ville (or Lower Town) is connected to Haute-Ville by funicular from Terrasse Dufferin or by several windy streets and stairs. One of the main pleasures of the area, besides the wonderful old houses and small museums, is the Musée de la Civilisation.

This itinerary begins at Vieux-Québec’s Place d’Armes and then explores the upper part of Vieux-Québec and the rest of Haute-Ville as far west as the Musée du Québec. To finish the tour, you can explore Vieux-Québec’s compact Basse-Ville, which can be reached directly from Place d’Armes. Strapped between the cliffs and the St Lawrence, this district is of considerable interest and is a pleasant area to wander around.

For information about Québec City’s sights and events, as well as an accommodation service, the main information centre is beside the Voltigeurs de Québec armoury, off Place Georges V at 835 ave Wilfrid-Laurier (late June to mid-Oct daily 8.30am-7.30pm; mid-Oct to late June Mon-Thurs & Sat 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 649-2608, www.quebecregion.com ), in the same building as the Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham. Information on the whole province (as well as Québec City) is available at the Centre Infotouriste on the other side of Place d’Armes from the Chateau Frontenac at 12 rue Ste-Anne (daily: late June to early Sept 8.30am-7.30pm; early Sept to late June 9am-5pm; tel 1-877/266-5687, www.bonjourquebec.com ). Both centres provide a free booklet, Greater Québec Area , which has a good map.

LISTINGS

Airlines Air Canada and Air Alliance, Aéroport de Québec (tel 692-0770 or 1-800/630-3299); Canadian Airlines, Aéroport de Québec (tel 692-1031 or 1-800/665-1177), Continental Airlines (tel 1-800/231-0856).

Banks and exchange American Express, Place Laurier, 2700 boul Laurier, Ste-Foy; Banque Royale, 700 Place d’Youville and 140 Grande-Allée est. Caisse Populaire Desjardins du Vieux-Québec, 19 rue des Jardins (summer daily 9am-6pm; winter Mon, Tues & Fri 9.30am-3pm, Wed & Thurs 9.30am-6pm) has exchange facilities and a cashpoint (ATM) in Vieux-Québec; as does Banque Nationale, 1199 rue St-Jean (summer: Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-8pm; winter: Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-4.30pm).

Bike rental Vélo Passe-Sport Plein Air, 22 Côte du Palais is conveniently situated, but Cyclo Services, 84 rue Dalhousie in the Vieux-Port, is cheaper, rents rollerblades and is close to the start of the bike trail. Information on cycle trails from Promo-Vélo (tel 522-0087).

Bookshops English books can be purchased at Librairie Smith, Place Laurier, 2700 boul Laurier in Ste-Foy; La Maison Anglaise, Place de la Cité, 2600 boul Laurier in Ste-Foy; and there’s a small selection at Pantoute, 1100 rue St-Jean. For travel books, there’s a small shop inside the tourist office at Place d’Armes.

Bus enquiries Long-distance: bus terminal, 320 rue Abraham-Martin (tel 525-3000). Local: STCUQ (tel 627-2511). Ski shuttle: Hiver Express (tel 525-5191; winter only).

Car parks Hôtel-de-Ville, rue Pierre-Olivier Chauveau (near Hôtel-de-Ville), rue Haldimand (near Jardin des Gouverneurs), ave Wilfrid-Laurier near the tourist office outside Porte St-Louis, Place D’Youville (off Dufferin), rue Dalhousie, Vieux-Port. Long-term parking: opposite bus terminal.

Car rental Avis, Hôtel Hilton , 900 boul René-Lévesque est (tel 523-1075) and at the airport (tel 872-2861); Budget, 380 rue Wilfred-Hamel (tel 687-4220), 29 Côte du Palais (tel 692-3660) and at the airport (tel 872-9885); Discount, 12 rue Ste-Anne (tel 692-1244); Hertz, airport (tel 871-1571), 44 Côte du Palais (tel 694-1224), and 580 Grande-Allée est (tel 647-4949); Thrifty, Château Frontenac (tel 877-2870) and near the airport, 6210 boul Wilfred-Hamel (same phone).

Consulate US, 2 Place Terrasse-Dufferin (tel 692-2095).

**Dentists* For dental emergencies, ring 653-5412 (Mon-Wed 8am-8pm, Thurs 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-4pm) or tel 656-6060 at the weekend.

Hospitals Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, 11 Côte du Palais (tel 691-5042); Jeffrey Hale Hospital, 1250 chemin Ste-Foy (tel 683-4471, ext 0).

Ice hockey The Rafales, who are not in the NHL, play at 350 boul Wilfred-Hamel (tickets tel 691-7211 or 1-800/900-SHOW; season is mid-Sept to April).

Laundry Lavoir la Lavandière, 625 rue St-Jean; Lavoir Ste-Ursule, 17B ave Ste-Ursule (Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-6pm).

Left luggage Both the train and bus stations have $2 luggage lockers.

Medical advice 24hr medical service (tel 648-2626).

Pharmacy 24hr service: Pharmacie Brunet, Les Galeries Charlesbourg, 4250 ave 1ère, in the northwesterly suburb of Charlesbourg.

Post office 300 rue St-Paul (Mon-Fri 8am-5.45pm); also 5 rue du Fort (same hours).

Rape crisis line Viol Secours (tel 522-2120).

Ridesharing Allo-Stop, 665 rue St-Jean (tel 522-0056, www.allostop.com ).

Road conditions For 24hr information, call 648-7766 (Nov to mid-April).

Taxis Taxi Coop (tel 525-5191); Taxi Québec (tel 525-8123).

Train enquiries VIA Rail (tel 692-3940 or 1-800/361-5390); Gare du Palais, 450 rue de la Gare-du-Palais; Gare de Ste-Foy, 3255 chemin de la Gare.

Weather information For 24hr bulletins (tel 648-7766).

Quebec City City Information

Population: 671,889

Elevation: 300 feet (91 meters) above sea level

Land Area: 1957.1 square miles (3,149.7 square kilometers)

Location: Located in the southern section of Canada, close to the border of the United States

Time Zone: Eastern Time Zone (when it’s noon in Quebec City, it’s 9am in Vancouver). Quebec City observes Daylight Savings Time from Late April - Late October

Weather:

Average Temperatures:

Month High Low

January 18F 2F

February 20F 4F

March 31F 15F

April 45F 29F

May 61F 41F

June 72F 52F

July 76F 57F

August 73F 54F

September 64F 47F

October 51F 37F

November 36F 24F

December 22F 9F

Climate:

Québec has three distinct climates: the humid continental climate in the region covered by boreal forest (south of the 50th parallel), the sub arctic climate in the taiga region (between the 50th-58th parallels), and the arctic climate of Nunavik, the tundra region above the 58th parallel, home of the Inuit.

Québec’s southernmost climate is marked by seasonal extremes of temperature. A rigorous snowy winter, with an average annual snowfall of over 3 metres (10 feet), gives way to an exhilarating spring and a pleasantly warm summer, followed by a crisp and colorful autumn. Through all the thermometer’s ups and downs, the hospitality and conviviality of the people of Quebec is legendary.

Local Seasons:

The crowds are at their most bustling throughout summer (June through August), particularly over the last two weeks of July when Canadian factory workers and other heavy-industry personnel traditionally lay down their tools and take a “long lunch”. Another peak period is the week in mid-March when elementary and high-school students are released from school for the annual family holiday, which in Québec City often means a pilgrimage to nearby ÃŽle d’Orléans.

                  * Region: Québec
* Geography: Northern Hemisphere