Bring good walking shoes, but this tour is really worth it.
Google Map of walking tour: Walking Map
This walking tour is fantastic. Open the Google Map above and print it out. Take it with you and follow the tour.
Walking Tour Part #1 (from Google Map)
1) Start at Auberge Aux Deux Lions (photo). Turn right out of the Auberge and follow Boulevard René Lévesque E for one block and then turn right on Avenue Turnbull. Turn left on Grande-Allée Est and then right on Avenue Taché and stop at Martello Tower #2 (photo) This tower was built by the British to protect Quebec City from a land approach.
2) Take a few steps to the Joan of Arc Garden (photo1) (photo2). This is a very pretty place to sit and take in the surroundings. The large open ground between the Garden and the River is the Plains of Abraham. This is Quebec City’s major park and is the site of the battlefield of the Battle of Quebec between the French and the British in 1759. The British prevailed and wrested Canada from the French. Both Generals died in the battle.
3) Return to Grande-Allée Est and turn right and walk toward the Old City. Grande-Allée Est (photo) is is a grand avenue that is home to many good restaurants and beautiful buildings. Continue until you see the Quebec Parliament Building and Tourny Fountain (photo) by the traffic circle on your left.
4) Enter the old city walls through the Saint-Louis Gate (photo). You are now on Rue Saint-Louis (photo) which is one of the more popular streets of the old city. Those that enjoy military history and fortifications should take the detour to the Citadelle. Try to time it to see the changing of the guard.
5) Continue down Rue Saint-Louis. This is a very pretty street. Stop at the Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens (photo). This restaurant has great lunch specials and specializes in traditional Canadian food. The lunch special includes beer/wine, appetizer or soup (try the Grandmother pea soup), entree (try the meat pie!), and dessert for about $20. Great deal (menu). Next to/behind the restaurant is the school and museum of the Ursuline Convent. This is the oldest institution for learning for women in North America.
6) Continue to the park/square Place d’Armes (photo). This square was created for military drill. It now a small park with a fountain named monument to the faith (photo) at its center. The statue symbolizes the Faith and is a woman holding a cross in the right hand and a palm in her left. You will commonly see numerous horse drawn carriages surrounding the park.
7) Walk past the famous Chateau Frontenac (photo) to the Champlain Statue (photo). Turn right and take a stroll along the boardwalk Terrasse Dufferin. Sit and enjoy the awesome view of the St. Lawrence River below the cliff.
8) Take the funiculaire (photo1) (photo2) (video) down to the lower city. Begin walking down Rue du Petit-Champlain (photo). This is a very pretty street filled with shops and restaurants. Be sure to stop at Parc Felix-Leclerc (photo1) (photo2) to listen to street musicians (video) and to take in your surroundings. Continue to the end of Rue du Petit-Champlain and take a hard left onto Boulevard Champlain.
9) Walk down Boulevard Champlain and be sure to stop at Cochon Dingue (crazy pig) Restaurant (menu) if you have not had lunch yet. The food is very good (photo) and the sidewalk vibe just can’t be beat (photo).
10) Turn left on Rue du Cul de Sac (photo). Turn left on Rue Notre Dame and come to Rue Sous le Fort. Turn left to take in a very pretty clock with a view of the funiculaire (photo). Turn right to follow Rue Sous le Fort to the Royal Battery overlooking the river.
11) Go back to Rue Notre Dame and follow it to the stunning Place Royale (photo). This is the oldest spot in Quebec. Be sure to see Notre-Dame-des-Victoires (photo1) (photo2). Place Royale is also home to a Louis IV statue that was a gift from France (photo). Be sure to stop and listen to street musicians near the multi-story Quebec City Mural (video).
12) Continue on Rue Notre Dame and turn left on Côte de la Montagne. Begin to climb this curvy road back up to the upper city. Be sure to stop to admire the fantastic multi-story Quebec City Mural from above (photo). You will pass a stairway to the lower city on your left (photo). Continue up Côte de la Montagne through the Prescott Gate (photo) and enter Parc Montmorency on your right. This parc offers stunning views of the river below (photo).
Walking Tour Part #2 (from Google Map)
13) Walk through Parc Montmorency to the Cannons overlooking the river (photo). Continue to the far end of the parc to the Marie Rollet statue (photo). Leave the parc and follow Rue de Buade to Rue du Trésor. Turn left and admire the artwork in this makeshift outdoor gallery (photo).
14) Continue on Rue de Buade to the quaint Place de l’Hotel-De-Ville (City Hall Plaza). This cobblestoned plaza (photo) is bounded by Rue des Jardins and Côte de la Fabrique. See Quebec City Hall (photo) at the west end of the plaza.
15) Walk up Rue des Jardins and turn right on Rue Sainte Anne. Pass the historic Hotel Clarendon (photo) on your left and continue past the fountains along City Hall. Turn right on Rue Pierre Olivier Chauveau and walk down the hill to Rue Saint-Jean.
16) Turn left on pretty Rue Saint-Jean (photo) and walk to the Saint-Jean Gate (photo). Pass through the gate and visit Place D’Youville and Le Capitole Theater (photo).
17) Turn left on Avenue Honoré Mercier and walk past Kent Gate on your left (photo).
18) Turn right on Boulevard René-Lévesque Est and follow it up the hill back to Auberge Aux Deux Lions (photo).