The Best Photo Locations in Quebec City.
Quebec City is an incredibly photogenic city, blessed with an impressive geographic location and a quaint city center (made up of the lower and upper town). Looming above it all is the historic Chateau Frontenac, a 19th century hotel that is one of the most photographed hotels anywhere in the world.
We spent 2 ½ months in Quebec City and I have a detailed guide coming up. But for now, I’m going to give you a taste of Quebec City by highlighting some of the best photo locations in the city.
The Lower Town
The heart of Quebec City’s lower town is the district of Le Petit-Champlain. It is a very compact area and walking it won’t take you long. But I’ll point out the best photo spots below.
Note: for all the spots in the lower town, photography is best in the morning and in the evening.
Place Royale
Quebec City’s oldest square dating back to 1608 when Samuel de Champlain founded a small fort here. You’ll see the oldest stone church in North America (Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church, built in 1688) and a statue of Louis XIV, the French king who declared Quebec City the capital of New France in 1663.
Quebec City Mural
Just steps from Place Royale is this wall where a giant mural was painted portraying Quebec history and culture. The square is ringed by historic stone houses.
Rue de Cul-de-Sac
A favorite of instagrammers because of the umbrellas and the views of the Chateau Frontenac above. It’s a tiny but very pretty street (Cul-de-Sac translates as “dead end” street).
Rue Sous-le-Fort
Rue Sous-le-Fort (“under the Fort” street) is at the end of the funicular station and the stairs that lead to the Upper Town. Pretty stone buildings, more views of the Chateau Frontenac as well as of the funicular cars going up and down the steep cliff.
Royal Battery
Rue Sous-le-Fort (mentioned above) continues to the Royal Battery which were a set of defenses built (in 1691) facing the river. From here cannons could protect the Lower Town. Looking back towards where you came from, you get more wonderful views of the historic buildings, funicular and the Chateau Frontenac.
Rue Petit-Champlain
A touristy but pretty street featuring lots of little tourist stores and restaurants. As mentioned above; come in the morning as there are less people and the light is better for photography (the photo below was taken in the afternoon which is the worst time…).
Around the Ferry Terminal
Taking the ferry to Lévis is something you should do and I’ll write about it in my guide. But besides that, you get some great views looking back to the Chateau Frontenac from the main street in front of the Ferry Terminal (as I said, all these places that I’m mentioning in the Lower Town are literally 30 seconds to 1 or 2 minutes away from each other).
Escaliers Casse-Cou
These stairs (literally translated as “break-neck” stairs) take you from the Lower Town to the Upper Town. From the stairs you get nice views looking down upon Rue Le Petit-Champlain.
The Upper Town
The Upper Town is bigger than the Lower Town but you’ll find most of the best photo locations within a few blocks of each other.
Dufferin Terrace & the Chateau Frontenac
The Chateau Frontenac is the symbol of Quebec City. It is a hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1873 when the company was expanding its train lines across the country. It is 18 stories high, has 610 rooms and is considered the most photographed hotel in the world. The Terrace (boardwalk) in front of it is the place to be in Quebec City, here you have great views of the hotel and the St. Lawrence river and Lower Town below. The Terrace is called the Dufferin Terrace, named after Governor General of Canada (Lord Dufferin) who in the 1870s preserved the fortifications of Quebec and even had some of the gates like the Porte St. Louis and the Porte St. Jean modernized to allow for modern traffic.
The UNESCO Monument
Quebec City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, the first urban center in North America to be awarded this. But I mention it because it’s also a photogenic spot with views of the Chateau Frontenac, Place D’Armes (the square across the street), and the colourful buildings on la Rue Sainte-Anne (including the Tourist Information office).
Note: The UNESCO monument is on the far side of the Dufferin Terrace close to the funicular.
Rue du Trésor
This is more of an alley than a street: an alley just a block down the street from the Tourist Office where local artists sell their work. It’s not super impressive to be honest but it’s colourful, unique and very emblematic of Quebec City.
Place de l’Hôtel de Ville
Place de l’Hôtel de Ville (City Hall Square) is surrounded by impressive buildings: the Notre Dame de Quebec Cathedral (the oldest church in Canada dating back to 1647), the Seminary of Quebec (hidden behind the Cathedral to the left), and lots of pretty buildings around the square. On the opposite side of the square from the Cathedral is City Hall (more on that soon).
City Hall
City Hall was built in the late 1800’s on the site of a former Jesuit College. On the other side of City Hall you’ll find City Hall Gardens which is a nice place to relax after all the walking around the city. On summer evenings they have fountains and a light show making it a fun place to be.
Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons Terrace
Back around the Chateau Frontenac, the Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons Terrace can be reached by a path or a set of stairs (just look at the hill looming over the Dufferin Terrace and head that way). This terrace has some of the very best views of the Chateau Frontenac and the St. Lawrence River. The Terrace is named after Pierre Dugua De Mons, the Lieutenant General of New France from 1603 to 1610.
The Outer walls of the Citadelle of Québec
From the Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons Terrace, there are some steps leading up. You’ve arrived at the outside walls of the Citadelle, a fortress built on Cape Diamond, the highest piece of ground in Quebec City (The fort was built by the British in the 1800’s to defend against the Americans).
From this spot there are more great views. You can walk around the entirety of the walls (just follow the path) and you’ll have many vistas of the city skyline.
The Gates of Quebec
There are 4 remaining gates to the city of Quebec. Of those, 3 are easily accessible of you walk downhill from the Citadelle, following the walls. Doing so will bring you to the 1st gate; the St. Louis gate which was one of the first gates built by the French in the 1600’s. There are steps at that gate which you can climb…it’ll bring you to the top of the gate and from there you can proceed to walk along the top of the fortifications that protected the city of Quebec. You’ll see the Kent Gate and the St. Jean gate along the way. Very impressive and lots of good views.
Outside the City Walls
There are a few places outside the city walls that are very photogenic and “must-see’s”.
Parliament Building of Quebec
Just outside the city gates (best accessed from the St. Louis Gate) is the Quebec Parliament building. It’s a very impressive building built in the late 1800’s.
Note: best seen in the morning
Observatoire de la Capital (Quebec Observatory)
A few blocks away from the Parliament building is the Quebec Observatory – an observation point on the 31st floor of a modern building. You have to buy a ticket. But the views are absolutely great and give you a perspective on the layout on the city. They also have information panels giving you a history of the city and province.
Note: best seen in the afternoon.
Grande Allée
This main street is one of the Quebec City’s grandest, with luxurious homes built by the wealthy and famous (they called it Quebec’s “Champs-Élysées”). It also has a famous hotel: Hotel le Concorde which has a rotating restaurant on the 28th floor. Great views if you choose to eat here.
Besides having some interesting photo opportunities, la Grande Allée is a good place to come for a meal or a beer. Locals come here and it’s much cheaper than eating/drinking within the walls of the Old Town (you can get a pint of beer on la Grande Allée for $7. I’ve seen prices as high as $16 in the old town).
Quebec Sign at the Train Station
Finally, if you’re taking the train to Quebec you might want to look outside the beautiful train station for the Quebec sign.
There are many photogenic spots in Quebec City. The above includes what I think are the most impressive locations as well as a few interesting spots that you might not have thought of. I’ll be doing a post on the most beautiful streets of Quebec City in the next little while which might give you more inspiration. I’ve also got a detailed guide to Quebec City in the works.
Related: What to Do in Ottawa (a Local’s Guide)
Related: A Local’s guide to Montreal
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