Old Quebec on Foot: The Walls, the Château and the Lower Town

From late June to early September the Lower Town fills by mid-morning, so start the loop by 8 or 9 a.m. September and early October bring cooler air and thinner crowds. Winter is a different city altogether: snow on the walls, the toboggan slide on Dufferin Terrace during the Winter Carnival, and far fewer visitors, but dress for serious cold and icy stairs.

VIA Rail trains from Montreal arrive at the Gare du Palais in the Lower Town, and Porte Saint-Jean is a short uphill walk from there. The walled city is compact enough that you will not need transit once you arrive. If you are driving, park outside the walls and walk in.

The ramparts, Dufferin Terrace, Place Royale and the Breakneck Stairs cost nothing. Pay only for what adds something: the funicular if your knees need it, and a Parks Canada site if you want to see the forts under the terrace.

On summer afternoons the funicular line at the top of Dufferin Terrace can be longer than the ride. The Breakneck Stairs next to its lower station take a few minutes on foot, so walk down and save the funicular for the climb back up if you need it.

The lanes around Petit-Champlain and Place Royale are the most atmospheric place for lunch; Rue Saint-Jean, inside and just outside Porte Saint-Jean, is where locals eat and drink in the evening. Menus inside the walls are priced for visitors, so compare a few before you sit down.

Sleeping inside the old town lets you walk the lanes at night after the day visitors leave; small inns along Rue Saint-Louis and Rue Sainte-Anne are the classic choice, and the Château Frontenac is the splurge. The Saint-Roch neighbourhood in the Lower Town, west of the old port, is usually cheaper and is where many of the city’s newer restaurants are.

Kids tend to love the funicular and the cannons along the ramparts. Plan the Breakneck Stairs going down, not up, and promise the funicular for the return. In winter, the toboggan slide on Dufferin Terrace during the Carnival is the highlight for older children.

Dufferin Terrace is built over the ruins of the Saint-Louis Forts and the Château Saint-Louis, the residence of French and British governors. Skylights in the boardwalk let you look down into them for free even when the site itself is closed.

Côte de la Montagne and the stairs get slick in rain and treacherous in ice. Wear shoes with grip, keep to the handrails, and in winter assume every step outdoors could be icy.