What to do in Quebec City?
Events and sights, season by season.
Whether for a traveller's night rest, an afternoon nap, a business meeting or quiet teamwork, the motel is still an ideal place to stay in Quebec City.
Some of you are thinking of coming to Quebec City and asking yourselves: what is there to do?
Here are the events coming up in Quebec City over the next weeks and months. Time enough to plan the trip and book a room in a motel of the beautiful provincial capital.
Fall current season
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Late September to mid-October
Fall colours
Portneuf, Jacques-Cartier and Côte-de-Beaupré
Canyon Sainte-Anne, the Jacques-Cartier valley and the Portneuf nature park are at their best.
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September to March
Remparts hockey season
Videotron Centre
Major junior hockey in front of one of the biggest crowds in the league.
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Late November to Christmas
Christmas market
Old Quebec
Wooden chalets, mulled wine and craftspeople in the gardens of city hall.
Winter
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Late January to mid-February
Quebec Winter Carnival
Plains of Abraham and Upper Town
One of the largest winter carnivals in the world: Bonhomme and his ice palace, the night parades and the canoe race on the frozen river.
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February
International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
Videotron Centre
Youth teams from all over the world for about ten days. Rooms near the Videotron Centre go fast.
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December to April
Skiing at Mont-Sainte-Anne
Beaupré
One of the biggest mountains in Eastern Canada, ten minutes from the motels of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.
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January to March
Ice Hotel
Village Vacances Valcartier
Rooms, a chapel and a bar carved from ice and snow, rebuilt every winter. A daytime visit is enough for most people.
Spring
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March and April
Maple syrup season
Île d’Orléans and Côte-de-Beaupré
Taffy on snow and sugar shack meals in the maple groves around the city. Book ahead for weekends.
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May to September
Capitales baseball season
Stade Canac
Professional baseball in a ballpark built in 1938, minutes from the motels on boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel.
Summer
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July, eleven days
Festival d’été de Québec
Plains of Abraham and downtown
Hundreds of shows on several stages with a single pass. It is the busiest stretch of the year.
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Early August
New France Festival
Old Quebec
The lower town returns to colonial days: period costumes, a public market, music and parades.
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Summer, check the programme
Fireworks at Montmorency Falls
Montmorency Falls park
The fireworks above the waterfall can also be seen from the Beauport shore and from Île d’Orléans. Check this year's dates.
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Around July 26
Sainte-Anne pilgrimage
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica
The novena draws thousands of pilgrims. The motels on boulevard Sainte-Anne are within walking distance of the basilica.
Open year-round
Old Quebec
The only walled city north of Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Château Frontenac, the Dufferin terrace and the Petit-Champlain quarter are all walkable.
Montmorency Falls
Thirty metres higher than Niagara Falls. Suspension bridge, panoramic staircase and cable car.
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica
The oldest pilgrimage site in North America, open year-round.
The Québec-Lévis ferry
Twelve minutes on the river for the best view of Old Quebec. Parking is easy on the Lévis side.
Aquarium du Québec
Walruses, polar bears and seals on the riverbank in Sainte-Foy.
Île d’Orléans
A sixty-seven kilometre loop around the island: vineyards, strawberries, chocolate makers and old villages.
Deschambault
A member of the association of Quebec's most beautiful villages, perched on cap Lauzon above the river.
The periods shown are those of recent editions. Confirm the dates on each event’s official site before booking.