Montmorency Falls (30m Higher Than Niagara) and Driving the Île d'Orléans Farm Loop

Just 12 kilometres north-east of Old Quebec (15 minutes by car or RTC Metrobus 800 from St. John's Gate), two contrasting worlds sit separated by a bridge: the thundering 83-metre precipice of Montmorency Falls on the mainland, and the pastoral, 17th-century agricultural island of Île d'Orléans directly opposite.

1. Parc de la Chute-Montmorency (83 Metres High, 30m Taller Than Niagara Falls)

Where the Montmorency River drops sheer off the Canadian Shield cliff into the St. Lawrence River, it creates a 46-metre-wide, 83-metre-high waterfall that is 30 metres higher than Niagara Falls. You can experience the falls in a circular loop:

1. The Cable Car, Manoir Montmorency & The Crest Suspension Bridge: start at the lower visitor centre (where RTC Bus 800 stops) to stand on the misty boardwalk by the plunge pool, then ride the aerial Cable Car or climb up to 1780 Manoir Montmorency and walk across the pedestrian suspension bridge bolted directly over the roaring lip of the waterfall, looking straight down 83 metres as golden-brown water plunges beneath your shoes.
2. The 487-Step Panoramic Cliff Staircase & Via Ferrata: on the eastern side of the bridge, descend the 487 wooden steps of the Panoramic Staircase bolted into the rock face with three mist-soaked viewing balconies. In winter, freezing spray forms a mountain of solid ice at the base called the Pain de Sucre ('Sugarloaf') where ice-climbers scale the frozen cascade.

2. Driving the 67-Kilometre Farm Loop of Île d'Orléans ('The Garden of Quebec')

Immediately across the bridge from Montmorency Falls lies Île d'Orléans, called 'Bacchus Island' by Jacques Cartier in 1535 for its wild riverbank grapes. Protected as a historic district since 1970, its 67-kilometre perimeter road (Chemin Royal, Route 368) links six 17th-century villages without a single traffic light. Stop at:

• Sainte-Pétronille: taste handmade chocolates at Chocolaterie de l'Île d'Orléans overlooking the Old Quebec skyline, berry wines at Vignoble Isle de Bacchus, and blackcurrant (cassis) sorbet and kir at Cassis Monna & Filles.
• Saint-Laurent, Saint-Jean & Sainte-Famille: sample sweet Quebec Ice Cider (Cidre de Glace, pressed from apples frozen naturally on the tree in winter) at Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau, 1660s pan-fried cheese (Le Paillasson de l'Île d'Orléans) at Les Fromages de l'isle d'Orléans, and summer strawberries.