3 to 4 Days in Quebec City: Old Quebec, Ramparts, Montmorency Falls & Île d'Orléans

Days 1 and 2 are walkable without a car across Upper and Lower Town, while Day 3 heads 15 minutes east to Montmorency Falls and Île d'Orléans. Read our Funicular and Bus 800 guide before Day 1.

Day 1: Upper Town (Haute-Ville), Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace, Ramparts & La Citadelle

• Morning: start on Dufferin Terrace in front of Château Frontenac; peek inside the rose-marble lobby, descend beneath the boardwalk into the crypt of 1620 Fort Saint-Louis, and visit the golden interior and Holy Door of the 1647 Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec.
• Midday: tour the 1812 cells and Victorian library of the Morrin Centre, then enjoy a traditional lunch of tourtière and pea soup at Aux Anciens Canadiens inside the 1675 Maison Jacquet.
• Afternoon & Evening: join the guided tour of the star-shaped Citadelle de Québec, then walk the grassy top of the UNESCO Ramparts past Porte Saint-Louis, Porte Kent and Porte Saint-Jean, finishing with dinner on pedestrianised Rue Saint-Jean.

Day 2: Lower Town (Petit-Champlain & Place Royale), Lévis Ferry Sunset & Plains of Abraham

• Morning: walk down the 59 steps of the Breakneck Stairs into Quartier Petit-Champlain; roll maple taffy on snow, stand on the 1608 stones of Place Royale (1688 Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church), admire the Fresque des Québécois mural, and tour the waterfront Musée de la Civilisation before riding the cash-only Funicular back up for poutine at Le Chic Shack.
• Afternoon: step outside St. Louis Gate to tour the 1886 Quebec Parliament Building and stroll the cliff-top Plains of Abraham (Joan of Arc Garden and Martello Towers).
• Sunset & Evening: ride the Québec-Lévis Ferry across the St. Lawrence River and back at golden hour for the skyline view of Old Quebec, followed by dinner in the Old Port or Saint-Roch.

Day 3 (and Day 4): 83-Metre Montmorency Falls, Île d'Orléans Farm Loop & Wendake / Jacques-Cartier

• Morning: head 15 minutes east (by car or RTC Bus 800) to Montmorency Falls; ride the cable car up, cross the suspension bridge over the 83-metre waterfall crest, and descend the 487-step cliff staircase.
• Afternoon: cross the bridge onto Île d'Orléans to drive or e-bike the 67-kilometre farm road, tasting blackcurrant liqueur at Cassis Monna, 1660s cheese, strawberries and ice cider. With a 4th day, visit Indigenous Wendake or hike the Les Loups canyon trail in Jacques-Cartier National Park.