We arrived in Québec City on a stormy afternoon after a four-hour train ride from Montreal. Although it sounds long, we thoroughly enjoyed riding the train. We read, played, napped, listened to podcasts… what’s there not to love?

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After a very short taxi ride from the train station we got to our little hotel, conveniently located just a couple of blocks away from Terrasse Dufferin and the Château Frontenac.  We checked-in, and went to take a first look at this beautiful boardwalk.

The next morning we headed straight to La Citadelle to experience the changing of the guard and to take a good look at Batisse, the Royal 22e Regiment’s mascot, a pretty regal-looking goat.

We then took the steps back to Terrasse Dufferin, admiring the ramparts, the only remaining fortified city walls in North America north of Mexico.

We continued our way down towards the Petit-Champlain district by taking the “Breakneck Stairs” (Escalier Casse-Cou). We ended up on Rue du Petty-Champlain, a charming little street and one of the oldest commercial streets in North America. We took a break at the quaint Parc Félix-Leclerc and people-watched, before heading back to the Upper Town on the Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec.

We had an early dinner at Conti cafe and ended our day touring the lobby of the Château Frontenac and exploring the streets of Upper Town.

The next day we had breakfast at the popular Café-boulangerie Paillard and then headed to the Marché du Vieux-Port. After purchasing some fresh fruit and cheese curds at the public market we continued our walk along the St. Lawrence River. It was a beautiful day and a lovely walk. It was also very warm, so when we walked by this unique bar we decided to stop and have a drink while we dipped our toes in the water and our little guy  dipped a bit more than just his toes (thankfully I had his swimsuit and water shoes in my bag). After our little oasis break we continued our walk and ended up in a fun splash park by the Old Port.

We hoped on the ferry to Levi and enjoyed a great view of the city. It was a short ride to Levi and back, but it was wonderful being out on the water on such a fine day!

Next on our list was the Place Royale and the Fresque des Québécois mural, a historical, beautiful quaint part of Lower Town.

We had the opportunity to meet up with a friend of mine from Venezuela who I hadn’t seen in many years and who is now a true quebecois, and she gave us a great tour of the city outside of the walls.

We ended our day with a walk along a section of the walls, with a stop at the playground at Parc de l’Esplanade, where our son played with a local little girl to his heart’s content.

A stunning sunset from Terrace Dufferin marked the end of our visit. The next morning we headed to the train station and were on our way back to Montreal.