Planning your trip to Quebec, Canada

By Alan Solomon, Chicago Tribune Staff Writer
04:27 PM PST, November 20, 2007

GETTING THERE

United, Air Canada, Northwest and Continental offer one-stop service from O'Hare to Quebec City, some combos much swifter than others (compare times between connecting flights before booking). A recent check found some weekday fares in the $425 range. It's also possible to go by train, combining Amtrak and Canada's excellent VIARail service from Chicago via Toronto and Montreal. The ride will take about 24 hours each way and you likely won't save any money—but with on-off privileges, a one-way train ride to Quebec City and a flight home is an option for enjoying some of the best of Eastern Canada.

GETTING AROUND

Old Quebec City, home of most of what you come to see and experience, is entirely walkable, though some steps and slopes can create some discomfort for the unsteady, especially in nasty weather. Funiculars (cable-driven lifts) can eliminate much of that. Taxis are available for transit to and from the edges, and hotels will be happy to book one of the multitude of available tours. A romantic option: carriage tours, $80 (up to four passengers) for 40 minutes of clipclopping around town.

STAYING THERE

First, some caveats: Few of the dozens of little inns (auberges) and B&Bs in the Old City, charming as most are, have elevators, and some won't have personnel available to help haul your luggage upstairs. If that's an issue, call the lodging and request a low-floor room (if there is one) or see if help is offered if a climb is unavoidable. Air conditioning isn't a given (yes, Canada can heat up in summer), and some cheaper rooms in an otherwise size-generous lodging can be tiny, so ask.

Now . . . within the old city walls, the city's iconic grand hotel remains the (now Fairmont) Le Chateau Frontenac (doubles from $199 U.S. or Canadian for now [all rates subject to change and seasonal variation, and keep an eye on exchange rates]; 418-692-3861 or 800-857-7544; www.fairmont.com/frontenac). See "tiny rooms" warning above; there also may be some lingering view-spoiling scaffolding around, so ask about that too. A few steps and many dollars away is another large-ish hotel, the Art Deco Hotel Clarendon (from $99; 888-554-6001; www.dufour.ca), whose rooms are much fresher than the dour lobby would suggest. The friendly Hotel Manoir Victoria (from $119; 800-463-6283; www.manoir-victoria.com) is a terrific choice downhill from the Frontenac and just off the lively Rue Saint-Jean shopping-dining-night life strip. Two of the many fine smaller properties in the Old City: The Hotel Acadia (from $99; 418-694-0280; www.hotelacadia.com), a contemporary yet cozy dazzler, with flat-screen TVs, DVDs, bare-brick walls and fireplaces; and Le Clos Saint-Louis (from $175; 418-694-1311; www.clossaintlouis.com), like great-grandmama's apartment, assuming it was spotless, full of antiques and radiating kindness. Nearby, facing a park and the Saint-Louis gate, the mid-size (36 rooms) Hotel Manoir de L'Esplanade is both a pleasant (if you bypass the teeniest rooms) and reasonable walkup (from $95; 418-694-0834; www.manoiresplanade.ca). A world away but just beyond the city wall: a terrific 4-year-old Courtyard by Marriott (from $179; 866-694-4004; www.marriott.com), an artfully converted bank. And one more favorite, though with a caution: Auberge Le Vincent (from $129, with full breakfast; 418-523-5000; www.aubergelevincent.com) is a spiffy 10-room charmer full of amenities but a tad out of the action; if you're good walkers, it's a winner.

DINING THERE

It can get expensive, especially now that the U.S. and Canadian dollars are worth virtually the same, but you get value. Lunch at some top-ticket places can give you a taste of the best and save some bucks. Of course, if you haven't tried poutine, fries topped with brown gravy and cheese curds—a Quebec young-people's favorite and addictive—or Montreal-style smoked meat (think "pastrami," but not exactly), or crepes done right (load 'em up), you'll find them here. This is a terrific restaurant town.

Some picks: Wonderful Le Saint-Amour, on rue Sainte-Ursule (418-694-0667; www.saint-amour.com), has been at or near the top in town for 30 years under father and son chefs Boulay. Right up there in renown (and maybe a little more precious, with mains routinely in the $40s), Laurie Raphael (418-692-4555; www.laurieraphael.com) on rue Dalhousie will satisfy the super-serious foodies among you. People I trust also rave about Panache, in Auberge Saint-Antoine (888-692-2211; www.saint-antoine.com). Less pricey and much less formal, Le Clocher Penche (418-640-0597), on rue Saint-Joseph in the Saint-Roch neighborhood, is worth seeking out for its hearty bistro food and warm welcome. Of the many options on the Grande Allee restaurant row near the Parliament building, Restaurant Louis-Hebert (418-525-7812; www.louishebert.com) is a justly popular choice for a comfortably fancy lunch or dinner. Locals shopping the Petit-Champlain quarter mingle with the tourist mob at the casual Le Cochon Dingue (418-692-2013; www.cochondingue.com). A surprise (but not to residents), Restaurant Apsara, on rue d'Auteuil near the Saint-Louis gate (418-694-0232; www.restaurantapsara.com), elegantly serves up world-class Cambodian, Vietnamese and Thai specials. Totally without pretense, Le Freres de la Cote (418-692-5445) on rue Saint-Jean brims with life and excellent fare at excellent (for here) prices. And touristy or not, one meal (the caribou maybe?) at "traditional" Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens (418-692-1627; www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca) in the center of the rue Saint-Louis bustle is obligatory for first-timers—and better than it has to be.