Winter Getaway in Quebec City

We went to Quebec for a vacation and for the kickoff of the Winter Carnivale. It was very cold, but there was a lot going on due to the festival, which gave us more of an incentive to go out and explore. We were only there for the first night of the Carnivale, but it was worth it. There were snow and ice sculptures to view, music to listen to, and caribous to drink (hot whiskey and wine concoction - not great, but it will keep you warm). We also enjoyed tubing down some small snowy hills that were created for the event!

For food, I would strongly recommend eating at D'Orsay's! The staff is very fun (go Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays to meet Pistache, who will make your dining experience a memorable one), and it has a nice atmosphere and great food. We also really enjoyed Tatum for breakfast, which had very yummy frittatas. It is known for coffee, so it would also be a nice place to go to get warm and try a new kind of joe.

For the bar scene, I would recommend Pub St. Alexandre, which had a cozy atmosphere, and on Friday night, a live band. It was crowded, but everyone was having a great time. For a trendier location, try Cosmos. They had an extensive food and drink menu, and it is worth going to just for the atmosphere.

The rest of our trip was spent walking around Old Town. There are tons of stores to stop in to get warm and look at the souvenirs and a lot of museums as well. Bring your winter boots and wear at least two pairs of socks!!

Quebec is a beautiful city in the winter, so I can only imagine what it must be like in the spring and summer. We look forward to going back when it is warmer so that we will get the chance to explore a little more.

Quick Tips:

Keep all of your receipts for gifts or products bought (a receipt must be at least for to count) and for lodging. Stop at the duty-free store at the border to receive money back for the taxes paid in Canada.

We bought an effigy (little rubber image of Bonhomme for the Winter Carnivale), because I read somewhere that it would get us discounts on certain things during the festival, but we found it of no use. However, we were only there one night of the festival, so it may be useful later in the festival.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is probably the best way to get around. There isn't much need to drive because the fun of Quebec is popping into all of the little stores and restaurants along the way.

We loved Hotel Manoir Victoria! We stayed in one of the rooms with a fireplace and a Jacuzzi, which really helped us to warm up. The room was very big and the beds were nice and soft. The hotel pool and sauna were a little bit under par.

And there is an attendant that sits in the pool area and makes sure that you shower before entering the pool, shower once you get out, shower before you get into the sauna, and once you get out (she was a bit heavy on the rules). Otherwise, the rest of the hotel was beautiful and conveniently located. We did not eat in any of the hotel restaurants, but they looked very nice.

We had a great time here! The food was excellent, the atmosphere was romantic, and the staff was fun. If you are a vegetarian, you may want to ask the wait staff when ordering if your entrée has meat, because the pasta I ordered had no mention of meat in it on the menu but arrived with ham. They happily exchanged it for some pasta without meat when I explained that I am a vegetarian.

Tatum has a great breakfast menu. I believe on weekdays it is served until 11am and on weekends until 2pm. The frittatas are amazing! They are like omelets but have a thin layer of crepe-like batter on the outside. They also have great coffees from around the world.

My husband and I chose to eat here because of other recommendations and because they offer what seems to be a great deal - a full-course meal for only $14 until 5:45pm. However, neither of us was very impressed with the food. The wait staff was great, but they only offer two vegetarian options, which were basically just steamed veggies on rice with cheese. My husband had the meatballs but did not think that they were anything special. The deal is good because of the amount of food you get for the price, but I would probably choose to go elsewhere the next time around.

It has a dark and cozy atmosphere, with a fireplace and stage for live music. The drinks are not cheap, but if you go on a night with live music, it is worth it.

This place has a very cool atmosphere. There are lots of different types of lights hanging from the ceiling and colorful walls. The bar is dark, with wet-looking stacked stones in the background. There were a few large-screen TV's with sports playing. It offers a large food and drink menu. We had the nachos with some beer, and they were great! The crowd seemed mostly younger, although there were a few older people as well.