If you've got your heart set on a honeymoon or romantic getaway in France, but you can't afford the trip, then we suggest that you consider Quebec City. With its stone walls, 17th-century architecture, outdoor cafés, open-air art galleries and horse-drawn calèches clip-clopping on cobblestone streets, Quebec City offers the same old-world charm with a considerably lower price tag.
 |
 |
 |
| Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac and Upper Town above Place-Royale |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Upper Town sits on a rocky cliff 300 feet above the St. Lawrence River. You can reach the Lower Town, squeezed between the cliff and the river, by descending the Break-neck Stairs, to Place-Royale.
The former marketplace is surrounded with homes built by wealthy merchants. Some have been converted to elegant restaurants.
Walls encircle the city
The oldest street in Quebec, the narrow Petit-Champlain, is crowded with boutiques and workshops where artisans fashion handicrafts from copper, leather, ceramics and hand-woven fabrics.
 |
 |
 |
| Outdoor café above Break-neck Stairs |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
A funicular brings you up to Dufferin Terrace. This 1,430-foot boardwalk offers a panoramic view of the river and its boat traffic, the town of Levis on the opposite shore, the Ile d'Orleans to the east and the Laurentian foothills to the north.
For more memorable vistas, stroll through the Citadel, a huge star-shaped fortress, and along the ramparts, which encircle the city for nearly three miles.
Inexpensive art and free entertainment
The Place d'Armes is Quebec's pulsating center of activity. Here, on summer days, you'll find folk-singers, jugglers, comedians and musicians, as well as calèches. On Rue du Tresor, the next street over, local artists sell inexpensive, but surprisingly good, paintings of the Old Town.
The majestic castle-hotel, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, dominates the Place d'Armes. You'll find equally romantic accommodations in guesthouses that exude an atmosphere recalling the quaint Left Bank hotels in Paris.
Maple syrup pie
 |
 |
 |
| Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Restaurants, bistros, bars and outdoor cafés are also reminiscent of France.
Try an eatery serving Quebecois cuisine. Aux Anciens Canadiens, housed in a 300-year-old cottage, dishes out pea soup, tourtière and maple syrup pie, all tasting like they've been lovingly-prepared by your grandmother over a wood fire.
Afterwards, savor the city's old-world charm by meandering along the cobblestone streets, where the sound of church bells and clip-clop of the calèches will enhance your time-trip back to 17th-century Europe.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Quebec City: www.quebecregion.com
More things to see and do in Quebec:
Unusual Quebec Hotels
Quebec Casino Restaurants
Cabane à Sucre Arthur-Raymond Quebec
A Taste of Charlevoix
CTMA Vacancier ferry cruise
