Quebec's Big Birthday: Hotels in Quebec by Rebecca Ford
Featured Hotel in Quebec City
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
See all hotels in Quebec City >
“Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and gentlemen!” The crowd, which fills the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, jostles for position. I crane my neck and spot two young guys in the centre. They rip off their shirts with a flourish, then launch into an impressive acrobatic act – leaping, somersaulting, riding unicycles and juggling with flaming torches. It’s classy street theatre and typifies this vibrant, arty city. But no, I’m not in Paris, I’m in Quebec.
The reason for the celebrations is that this is the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, the first permanent European settlement in mainland Canada - or New France as it was called back in 1608. It established a Francophone presence in North America that flourishes to this day.
Arriving from Montreal...
I’d arrived by train from Montreal, a relaxing three-hour journey. Quebec sits at the mouth of the mighty St Lawrence River – a site of such strategic importance that the French and British fought for over it for years. My first night hotel, the plush Chateau Frontenac, is perched high on a scarp overlooking the river. Built in the 19th-century, it’s a bustling place with bell boys, stunning views and the occasional visiting royal. It sits on the site of fortifications built by Quebec’s founder, French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Champlain’s settlement allowed France to establish lucrative fur trading routes between Europe and the New World. It was a trade Britain was equally keen to control.
Quebec’s European origins are apparent in its layout. The next day, I find neat little squares, winding streets and pavement cafes. And, refreshingly for North America, the car isn’t king. In fact you get great exercise taking the steps between the Upper Town – where the wealthy used to live, and the Lower Town down by the river, the city’s original trading hub.
My first stop is the Musee de la Civilisation in the Lower Town. There are exhibitions on Quebec’s years of French rule – which effectively ended after General Wolfe took the city for Britain in 1759 (the whole province was won in 1760), and also on the indigenous Amerindians whose distinctive culture largely disappeared when Europeans arrived. Exhibits include wampum belts (beaded belts that served as records of agreement), and a stunning 36ft long canoe.
A Stroll through Quartier Petit-Champlain
Later, I stroll to Quartier Petit-Champlain, home to tradesmen in the 17th-century and now an arty area with bars, craft shops and street artists. All signs are in French. For the first few years of British rule, English was the official – unpopular – language. But when it became clear that the Americans were becoming ‘uppity’ and itching for independence, it was decided that it would be expedient to keep the residents of Quebec on side by letting them speak French instead.
But Quebec isn’t simply France with jet lag. The city has a distinctive Canadian flavour: menus feature caribou and sugar pie as well as escargots; ice hockey is the national sport, and the sweet scent of maple syrup seems to permeate the air. There’s also a New World expansiveness. Down at the Old Port, huge grain silos provide a canvas for an ambitious 3D projection, The Image Mill, which brings aspects of the city’s history to life.
A Historical Hotel
That night I transfer to Auberge Saint-Antoine in the Lower Town, a former riverside warehouse that’s now a chic boutique hotel. Archaeological finds uncovered during the conversion have been skilfully built into the walls – there’s even a rare French cannon behind a glass panel in reception.
Cannons are dotted throughout the city, but most are British – a reminder that once we’d won this prize we weren’t going to give it up. Next day I go for a walk along the Plains of Abraham – now a public park with stunning views, but the site of the decisive battle. Wolfe’s British troops took General Montcalm’s French forces by surprise, scaling the steep cliff face that was thought impregnable. The battle was over in 20 minutes and both generals died. General Wolfe lies in Greenwich: they say his body was sent home in a barrel of rum.
The name Quebec comes from ‘Kebec’, an Amerindian word meaning ‘place where the river narrows’. The Hurons (so named by the French for their distinctive bristly hair style) played a vital part in helping France establish its colony and their reservation, Wendake, is just a 30-minute drive from Quebec city. At first glance there’s little to distinguish Wendake from any pleasant suburb, but then I notice signs pointing to the houses of various chiefs.
Wendake’s spanking new fur-strewn, four-star Hotel Musee Premieres Nations contains a fascinating museum. The Hurons, I learn, traded furs and introduced the colonisers to canoes and snowshoes. The French introduced them to Catholicism and rifles. The local church bears testament to this exchange, with inscriptions in French but wooden snowshoes propped against the altar. It seems to sum up Quebec’s unique and quirky charm.
Planning a trip to Quebec? See our full collection of luxury hotels in Quebec City.