Destination 01
Quebec City
Walled French city in snow; 3 nights for the Upper and Lower Town and the Christmas market.
Glissades de la Terrasse
Wooden toboggan run on the Terrasse Dufferin, open in winter since 1884, beside the Chateau Frontenac.
Tip Buy tickets at the hut at the top; the run is best at dusk when the terrace lamps come on.
Quartier Petit Champlain
Narrow Lower Town street of 17th- and 18th-century stone houses with boutiques and bistros, dressed in lights for the holidays.
Tip Take the Breakneck Stairs (Escalier Casse-Cou) down and the Funiculaire back up.
Place Royale
Cobbled square where Champlain founded the city in 1608, framed by stone houses and the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church.
German Christmas Market
Marche de Noel allemand: wooden chalets selling mulled wine, sausages and crafts by City Hall and its gardens.
Tip Weeknight evenings are calmest; bring cash for the smaller stalls.
Place D'Youville rink
Free outdoor skating rink just outside the Saint-Jean Gate, with skate rentals and music in the evenings.
Tip Skate rental is available at the rink chalet.
Aux Anciens Canadiens
Traditional Quebec cooking in a red-roofed house from the 1670s: tourtiere, pea soup, maple syrup pie.
Tip The fixed-price lunch menu is the best value; book dinner ahead in December.
Montmorency Falls
83 m waterfall, taller than Niagara, that builds a frozen spray cone called the sugarloaf in winter.
Tip The suspension bridge over the falls and the stairs stay open in winter; wear boots with grip.
Hotel de Glace
Ice hotel rebuilt each winter from snow and ice at Valcartier, with sculpted rooms, an ice bar and a chapel.
Tip Open from early January to late March; day visits are possible without staying the night.
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
Turreted 1893 railway hotel above the St. Lawrence, the landmark of the Quebec City skyline.
Tip Even if you stay elsewhere, have a drink in the 1608 bar for the river view.
