Tag: Quebec City

City Guide: Quebec City

City Guide: Quebec City

by smharff ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
A trip to Quebec City gave us a chance to visit beautiful
Montmorency Falls, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls.

Last year, we decided to spend a week in Montreal and Quebec City, and it ended up being a really fun trip for our family. We enjoyed the first half of our trip in Montreal, but I’m so glad we decided to take the train to Quebec City for the second half of the week.

We arrived in Quebec City on Thursday morning, then checked in to a suite at the Quebec City Marriott Hotel facing Place D’Youville for one night. It was a great location, within easy walking distance to all the things we wanted to see. From there, walked through the Place D’Youville, past the Porte Saint Louis, the famous city gate, and through the charming streets lined with lovely, quaint buildings.

Charming storefronts abound in Quebec City.

We stopped in several of the charming little shops near our hotel on our way to the Terrasse Dufferin, the boardwalk linking the famous Le Chateau Frontenac, a resort hotel, with the St. Lawrence River.

The famous Le Chateau Frontenac, a classic resort hotel,
located on the boardwalk facing the St. Lawrence River.

From there, we walked to the Place Royale, one of the prettiest squares I’ve ever seen, where we viewed the Quebec City Mural and visited the Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, a quaint old church with a large ship’s model hanging from the ceiling.

Visiting Place Royale, one of the most charming public squares I’ve ever seen.

We continued around the corner and took the funiculaire back up to the Terrasse Dufferin. This was helpful, as Quebec City requires you to walk up and down steep steps all day. We then visited La Citadelle, a very old fort overlooking the river. While there, we toured the Musee Royal 22e Regiment, a military museum with interesting displays of military regalia.

A beautiful display of umbrellas offered shade from the sun on a side street near the funicular, an elevator that offered visitors a ride back up to the Terrasse Dufferin.

After, we walked past Les Jardins du Parlement, a small, lovely garden in front of the Parliament building, and past the Fontaine de Tourny on our way back to the hotel. On our way to dinner, we watched street performers perform, then we had poutine and gourmet cheeseburgers at Les Trois Garcons.

Murals documenting the history of Quebec City can be found in several locations.

After dinner, I walked by myself back to the Place Royale, then went down the Escalier Casse Cou (the breakneck steps) and descended into the Quartier Petit Champlain, a charming area full of quaint shops. While there, I found a lovely little Provencal shop featuring items imported from France, where I purchased a set of amazing Laguoile steak knives from France, along with Provencal napkins and a cute Champagne kitchen towel. 

The next morning, we had croissants and tea at Paillard, then let Cameron play in the water feature in the Jardins de l’Hotel-de-Ville. We then joined our private driver for a trip to beautiful Montmorency Falls, an incredible waterfall that is one and half times higher than Niagara. While there, we took a cable car up to the top, then walked across a bridge over the falls. The view from there was incredible. This was definitely another one of the highlights of our trip. 

The boys at the top of Montmorency Falls, one of the highlights of our trip.

After, our driver took us to Saint-Jean-de-‘Ile-d-Orleans, an agricultural island in the center of the river. While there, we visited a maple farm where we sampled maple products, then had amazing pizza at La Boulange, a cute bakery, and chocolate at Sainte-Petronille, a chocolatier.

Hiring a driver to give us a tour of the falls and the island was definitely worth it. Not only did she take us exactly where we wanted to go, but she shared the region’s history and answered all our questions. The hotel was able to help us arrange this with short notice, but I’d advise you to make arrangements in advance to ensure you don’t miss out. Both boys enjoyed the day, and slept on the train all the way back to Montreal.

Overall, our trip to Montreal and Quebec City was a fun adventure. It allowed us all to experience something very different from our home state of Florida, without leaving our time zone, or spending too much time getting there and back.

Where are your favorite places to travel with your family? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time!

Stephanie

 

City Guide: Montreal

City Guide: Montreal

by smharff ♥ 1 Comment
Beautiful Montreal is a great place for summer vacation with the kids.

Last summer, we wanted to take our boys on an international trip, but we were concerned about how our younger son, Cameron, would handle it. He was only seven at the time, and we worried that he would have trouble making a long trip and adjusting to a different time zone.

We decided to look at locations located on the eastern side of Canada, as they’d allow us to experience a very different culture, climate and topography, while minimizing travel time, and staying in the same time zone. We decided to spend a week in Montreal and Quebec City, and it ended up being the perfect choice for our family.

We arrived in Montreal around 3 p.m. on a Monday and checked in to the Renaissance Downtown Montreal, a comfortable and conveniently located hotel featuring Mid-Century Modern furnishings and cool art. We booked two adjoining rooms, one of which was a suite, so that we had a common area and two bedrooms. The space was colorful and fun, and the boys loved it.

We stayed at the Rensaissance Downtown Montreal. The common areas and rooms featured Mid-Century Modern furnishings and cool art.

After checking in, we had a little time to explore before getting ready for dinner, so we took a stroll down Rue Saint Paul to the Place d’Armes, one of the city’s most famous squares.

After, we rested at our hotel in the late afternoon before enjoying dinner at the Bistro le Modavie, a charming French bistro in the Old Port neighborhood offering great service and food. My roast chicken and vegetables was excellent, and as usual, Cameron wanted to eat everyone else’s food.

Dinner at the Bistro le Modavie, a charming French bistro.

After dinner, we walked around the lovely Place Jacques-Cartier, where Cameron watched the balloon lady. There, we saw the exterior of the beautiful Hotel de Ville and the Chateau Ramezay, a charming museum and historic site that give visitors a glimpse into the history of Montreal. 

An after dinner stroll around the Place Jacques-Cartier,
a popular square filled with shops and street performers.

The next morning, we had breakfast and tea at Olive et Gourmando, a charming café near the hotel. They offered an amazing array of fresh-baked croissants, scones and muffins. My almond croissant was perfect, and my tea was served in a pretty stoneware tea pot for one.

An assortment of baked goods at Olive et Gourmando.

We then visited Le Petit Dep, an adorable little shop featuring snacks and treats, including candy, ice cream and beverages. It was a good place to pick up snacks to take back to our room. 

Le Petit Dep, an adorable little shop featuring all kinds of treats.

While Brian and Cameron road the ferris wheel near the St. Lawrence River, I visited Notre-Dame Basilica with my older son, Jack. The ornate interior was stunning. It featured expertly-carved dark wood, along with elegant, hand-painted panels done in rich shades of blue and green.

The interior of Montreal’s famed Notre-Dame Basilica.

Before the day grew too warm, the boys enjoyed Voiles en Voiles, a ropes course near the beautiful St. Lawrence River. The extensive course included a wide variety of pirate-themed obstacles, which perfectly suited our little daredevil and his big brother. 

Enjoying a sunny day on the ropes course.

That night, we enjoyed dinner at Brasserie 701, another French bistro on Place d’Armes, followed by a stroll down Rue Saint Paul and around the exterior of the Old Customs House. The restaurant was very elegant and offered an elevated menu, but the service was warm and welcoming to our family. Cameron’s favorite part was the fabulous dessert, which featured chocolate three ways–as an ice cream bar, a candy bar and a cupcake.

Dinner at Brasserie 701, an elegant bistro.

The following morning, we took a taxi to Downtown Montreal to enjoy breakfast at Café Myriade, a beautiful little café in the basement of Club Monaco. They offered excellent carrot muffins, croissants and other baked goods, along with coffee and hot tea in an elegant setting.

Breakfast at Café Myriade in downtown Montreal.

Then we walked to the Redpath Museum, a small natural history museum on the lovely grounds of McGill University. It was charming, but hot, as there was no air conditioning. In any case, Cameron loved exploring the old-school displays featuring all manner of flora and fauna.

The Redpath Natural History Museum at McGill University.

We then walked to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. This turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Our visit included a really nice Picasso special exhibit, along with a great permanent collection that included Dutch Masterworks, architectural models, furniture, antiquities and more. I could post countless photos of the incredible art we saw there.

One of the many beautiful displays at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art.
Not only was this space filled with incredible artwork, but the beautiful forrest scene
shown here was actually a video of swaying trees projected onto the wall,
complimented by the soothing sounds of the forrest at night.

After the museum, we had a great lunch at Colette Grand Café at Holt Renfrew, a high-end department store. My cucumber cooler and club salad with chicken breast was great. After, we took a long walk and a steep climb up to the lookout at Mount Royal Park, a Frederick Law Olmstead-designed park, where the view was really beautiful.

Enjoying the view from the lookout at Mount Royal Park.

That night, Jackson babysat this little brother so that my husband and I could enjoy a romantic dinner at Bar George at Le Mount Stephen Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel that used to be the home of a railroad magnate. The incredible interiors were beautiful, and the food was a lofty take on classic comfort food.

Bar George at Le Mount Stephen Hotel, a romantic spot for dinner.

On our last morning, we enjoyed almond croissants at Tommy Café before catching a train to Quebec City for the second half of our trip. During our three hour ride, we relaxed and talked about all the fun things we’d done so far. The kids agreed the ropes course was a hit, and the museums were more fun than they’d expected.

So I’d say Montreal was a great pick for our family. I’d love to hear your ideas for international destinations with your kids.

Until next time!

Stephanie