What To Expect In Quebec City

How convenient it is to take a 2 hour bus ride from Montreal to Quebec City.  Transportation provided by Orleans Express. Very reasonable priced tickets and a variety of times to choose from throughout the day. 

Quebec City Bus Terminal

From the bus terminal it was a short cab ride to the Chateau Laurier Hotel located in 

the Old Town Quebec City.  

From what I notice, Quebec City isn't one of Canada's larger cities.  With that said, it seems to be pretty easy to get around town. You can get around in a hop skip and a jump, whether you decide to do a tour, take a cab, or walk around.  Give yourself a couple days to spread the sightseeing out that way you don't miss a beat.

After checking into the Chateau Laurier Hotel, I had quite an appetite.  So many options to choose from, but where would I pick for my first meal. I do recall the Chateau Laurier concierge recommending a restaurant called Savini. This restaurant is located in Old Quebec City. Savini is one of Quebec Cities top restaurants. The reviews from the hotel are the cuisine is superb and the restaurant has a phenomenal ambiance. 

As I arrived to the restaurant the hostess asked if I wanted to sit in or out. That question wasn't hard to answer, I replied, "Outside please." Oh boy oh boy, the weather was beautiful and the streets were hopping. Great time to people watch and enjoy my meal at the same time.

Indoor Seating 

Private Wine Tasting Area

The restaurant staff mentioned that on certain days of the week the restaurant has special trained Cirque Du Soleil dancers who perform on the hoop that you see in the photo. The performance is usually in the evenings. If you are interested in checking this out please
contact the restaurant directly to get further details.

You will find below that the items that were chosen, came highly recommended by wait staff.  Feast your eyes on this delicious 4 course meal that I put together myself.

2 Starters:

Beef Carpaccio topped with arugala and shaved parmesan cheese

Prosciutto with melon

Try wrapping the prosciutto around the melon, I find that it has a nice sweet and salty taste

Main Course:

(This is an Italian Favorite)

Chicken Parmesan with fettuccine alfredo paired with a vegetable medley

Desert:

Could you resist eating this dessert? Not in a million years would I pass up an exquisite dessert that looks like this. Beautiful presentation. To be honest it was hard to take a bite. I didn't want to ruin a masterpiece. 

Alright well time to close the night!!


The best way to start my adventure in Quebec City is to take a group bike ride to see one of the most famous sites, Montmorency Falls.

Quebec Bike Tour

The bike ride tour is approximately a 45 minute ride from Downtown Quebec City to Montmorency Falls. The tour has a few stops in between to see other sights along the way. You get a beautiful view of the city and the ride is pretty smooth. On this bike trail you get to enjoy sharing the road with other bikers, joggers, and roller-skaters.

The first stop we made was a quick one to the Chateau Angos-Des Maizerets, didn't have much time to explore. If you'd like to get more information about this tourist site please visit the website.

Stopping to snap some photos of the view

Our Final Destination, Montmorency Falls!!!

A little history about Montmorency Falls, it is located between the borough of Beauport and Boischatel, it is approximately 7.5 miles from the heart of the Old Quebec City.  The area surrounding the falls is protected within the Falls Park.  This is the mouth of the Montmorency River where it drops over the cliff shore into the Saint Lawrence River, opposite from Ile d'Orleans.

It was so exciting to take a Funitel also known as an aerial tram, that transports you up to the Falls. Lots of chit chatting with all the different people riding on the aerial tram with me. We talked about the beautiful scenery around us and what to expect when getting to the top.

There are staircases that allow visitors to view the falls from several different perspectives.  The picture of me above I am on a suspension bridge that is located over the crest of the falls, this provides access to both sides of the park, and as a plus you get an incredible view.

In the summer the park hosts an international fireworks competition with the falls as a backdrop.

After all the excitement, its time to walk down some steep stairs. Just as a safety precaution, make sure to hang on tight when walking down, the stairs can be pretty slippery. 

Time to ride back to town, I have plenty of energy what shall I do next?

I came across an indoor food market called, Marche Du Vieux Port, that looked pretty interesting. Maybe its like the ones we have back in the United States.

As I walked around there was so much fresh fruits, vegetables, pastry items, and so much more to choose from.  I enjoyed just walking around and trying different samples of things.

After I left the indoor food market I just couldn't resist going to see the hotel that is said to drops jaws......

The Fairmont Hotel Frontenac

The old historic hotel is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and has been around for decades, there are 611 guest-rooms and suites if you want the comfort of old luxury, you have come to the right place.  Expect to pay top dollar prices when booking this hotel. "You get what you pay for." 

Keep in mind its a good idea to book ahead, availability might be limited depending on the time of year you visit. 

                                      

As I walked into the hotel and stepped into the main corridor area, I got that old royal feeling.  As I looked around, I felt like I was in one of those movies about a king and queen.  Lots of bright lights coming from the beautiful chandeliers. 

There is much history in this hotel and if you have time, take a tour through.  When I went inside it was very busy, lots of conventions and events going on.

The reputation of the restaurants is nothing but high quality.  Also if you decide to take a peek around yourself there is a small museum behind glass with some history about the hotel.

There are limited areas for tourists who are not staying at the hotel.  After I did some peeking around I made my way back to the hotel.  I think I did enough for one day, don't ya think....

Life In Montreal

Arriving in Montreal was very exciting, I was eager to see what this city had to offer to me. From what I heard, the city is a great place for people of all ages. There is some great sightseeing during the day, and when you get hungry don't worry, you have a variety of great restaurants to choose from. Whether your looking for fine dining or casual eateries it would be hard not to find what your taste buds are craving.

Before the sun goes down book a party bike and be open to meeting new people, beware you will have a great driver who is very upbeat, loves to dance, and pushes you to peddle when you may wanna quit.

What better way to see one of the hottest areas in Montreal than to do a walking tour with Montreal Food Tours. Expect this tour to last a few hours. Take a walk with me
through the hippest streets of Montreal.

Since the 1980s Mile End has been known for its culture as an artistic neighborhood, home to artists, musicians, writers, and filmmakers. Many art galleries, designers' workshops,
boutiques and cafés are found in the neighborhood.

For all you vegan/vegatarians out there, stop into this popular restaurant that may just surprise you how good it is

La Pantiere Verte also known as the "Green Panther"

serves the freshest, tastiest local vegan food around. If you are ready to make your mouth water, have a look at our organic goodness.

Saint Laurent Boulevard is a major street in Montreal, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north-south through the near-centre of city and is nicknamed The Main which is the abbreviation for "Main Street."

Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian subsidiary of the French video game developer.
Founded in 1997, initially developing low-profile projects, the studio is now one of the largest in the world. For all you gamers out there this company is responsible for founding and developing, among others, games in the Prince of Persia, Far Cry, Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs series, as well as those in the Tom Clancy's franchise.

A little history on Saint Urbain Street is a major one-way street. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the street was home to several of Montreal's prominent British and French merchants, notably the explorer Alexander Henry the elder. By the turn of the 20th century, the area was industrialized and had become run down, 
when it was settled by Jews, predominantly from Eastern Europe. 

Genevieve Grandbois, worked her way at a young age to follow her passion for chocolate.  Not only did she learn to perfect it to her liking and make it desirable for customers, but she fell in love with the chocolate and the work she was doing. Below is the decadent chocolate she perfected.

Delicious samples of rich dark chocolate with a little something special to top it off

Famous Bagel Shop

The legendary La Maison du Bagel Shop is located in a multi-cultural neighborhood in Montreal. It is truly one of Montreal’s landmarks and has been immortalized in numerous paintings, and in films.

When walking into the small shop every worker plays a part in the makings of the best bagels in Montreal. One person makes the dough, then rolling and forming the dough. And the final product, you have all your delicious bagels, ready to be eaten or taken home.
This is not just a tourist hot spot but also the locals seem to swear by it.

Rumor has it by the Canadians, that Montreal bagels are way better than New York bagels.  I would like to know how the New Yorkers feel about this statement.

This would seem to be a bit of a controversy.

                                                                      Rialto Theater

The Rialto Theatre was originally a neighborhood movie theatre, the Rialto Theatre
was built in 1923-1924.

The Rialto Theatre Timeline

Designated as a Historical Monument by the City of Montreal in 1988 

By the Government of Quebec in 1990,

National Historic Site of Canada in 1993.

The inside of the theater

The Beaux Arts façade was inspired by the Paris Opera while the neo-baroque interior

features a rich décor signed Emmanuel Briffa.

This gives you an idea of a suburban neighborhood in Montreal

As we continued on, we started walking through the suburbs of Plateau Mont Royal, it was so nice and peaceful.  Not a lot of traffic, the roads very narrow, cute little houses to observe.

The tour guide works hard to be informative with the people on the tour, very important to get the history correct

Not far down the street I found a little flower garden, don't mind me just taking a selfie

Drogheria Fine Conserve Montreal

The tour guide highly recommended this quick an easy Italian shop.  If you want delicious homemade Italian food and need it in a jiff this is the place to stop in and grab some food.

Boucherie Lawrence

A neighborhood butcher shop offering locally and respectfully raised meat, charcuterie and sandwiches, as well as dairy, eggs and more from small independent producers.

Nice variety of a meats, cheeses, with different selection of wines to try

Kem Coba Gelato

As the tour ended I stopped and saw this sorbet shop called Kem Coba. The place was packed with people. I figured the place must be good with almost a line out the door. Its worth the wait to find out how delicious this sorbet must be. 

                                     

As small as this place was they still made room for this creative background drop.

This Sorbet was so refreshing

The tour guide was nice enough to get me to the location of the Velo Festif, which is a party bike. I said goodbye to a sweet and wonderful tour guide who took me on an amazing adventure today. I found this banana in the center of the courtyard. I thought, "What a great picture this would be." 

As I arrived, I was prepared to have some real fun..... 

Velo Festif

Bachelor Party and of course the tour guide, strike a pose

The Velo Festif consists of your choice of music and as a group you all peddle together in order for the bike to move. Its a wild ride with this fun outgoing tour guide. The best part was waving to all the locals and tourists. This bike tends to get a lot of attention. Some people look at you like they've never seen such a bike before. Made me laugh. But I always like the attention.

Go figure, at the end of the tour we picked up some stragglers. Where were they at the beginning?

Mount Royal is an affluent on-island suburban town

located on the northwest side of the eponymous Mount Royal

Mount Royal is a large volcanic-related hill or small mountain in the city

It was a hot one today, so its time to close the night and go check into the hotel. 

Tomorrow has more sights to come.

Delta Montreal Hotel

Welcome to the Delta Montreal, feast your eyes on one of the nicest rooms in the hotel,

The Presidential Suite
This room category offers one bedroom, 2 living spaces, 2 bathrooms, a marble staircase of your own, a conference room if you have business meetings, and a full kitchen at your disposal.
This room is also on the club floor and when you walk outside the front door you are right there
The club room offers a full breakfast in the morning, and depending on the
day they offer appetizers, dessert, and beverages in the evening.

The location of this hotel is right in the heart of Downtown Montreal, if you decide to rent a car you can either valet or park in the garage. But in my opinion walking is great and the public transportation system is pretty good for a small price.  Walking to several of the sightseeing spots is very convenient from the hotel, depending where you want to go, the walk could be 20 minutes or 10 minutes just depends.

This hotel has a lot of events and conventions going on throughout the year, with that said, I would recommend booking ahead.  The airport isn't terribly far from the Downtown Montreal area, but just keep in mind traffic conditions and wait times on the road. 

When booking with this hotel please make sure you mention carlasgotthetravelbug.