Québec City — Canada's Most Beautiful City

Québec City is unique in North America: the only city north of Mexico with a preserved city wall, a UNESCO World Heritage old town that looks like it was taken directly from the 18th century, and overlooking it all the Château Frontenac — the most photographed hotel in the world. Québec City is Europe in Canada, and not as an imitation, but as an authentic continuation of a 400-year-old French colonial history.

Haute-Ville (Upper Town)

The Upper Town is the historic core, surrounded by the city wall (4.6 km walk on the wall — free!). The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac dominates the skyline — built in 1893 in the style of a Loire castle, over 600 rooms, and even if you don't stay there (from 350 CAD/night), a tour (22 CAD) or a drink in the 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar is worth it.

The Terrasse Dufferin in front of the Château offers the best view over the St. Lawrence River and the Lower Town. In winter, a spectacular ice rink and a 110-meter-long toboggan slide are set up here — fun for adults and children alike.

The Place Royale in the Lower Town (via the stairs or the historic funicular/incline lift, 4 CAD) is the founding site of the city (1608 by Samuel de Champlain). The huge trompe-l'oeil mural "Fresque des Québécois" (400 years of history on a house wall) and the tiny Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires (1688, the oldest stone church in North America) are the highlights.

Petit-Champlain — Canada's Most Charming Street

The Rue du Petit-Champlain in the Lower Town is one of the oldest shopping streets in North America — cobblestoned, lined with boutiques featuring Québecois handicrafts, bistros with terraces, and galleries. In summer, geraniums bloom in the window boxes, in winter thousands of lights hang. It's impossible not to photograph here.