Where to Stay in Quebec City: Upper Town vs Lower Town (Old Port), Parliament Hill & Saint-Roch

Choosing where to stay in Quebec City comes down to a simple trade-off between historic fairy-tale atmosphere, hill climbing, and parking or budget. All four of the best neighbourhoods sit within a 5-to-15-minute walk of one another.

1. Old Quebec, Upper Town / Haute-Ville (Inside the Walls: Best for First-Timers & Castle Atmosphere)

If you want to step out of your hotel door early in the morning or late in the evening onto 17th-century cobblestones beside Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace and Rue Saint-Louis before the day-trippers arrive, book inside the walls of Upper Town:

• What to Expect: apart from the grand 600-room Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and art-deco Hôtel Clarendon (founded 1870), most Upper Town accommodations are charming 15-to-40-room boutique hotels and stone inns (like Hôtel Manoir Victoria on Côte du Palais, Monsieur Jean or the historic 1639 convent retreat of Le Monastère des Augustines).

2. Old Quebec, Lower Town / Old Port & Petit-Champlain (Best for Luxury Boutiques, Flat Streets & Romance)

Prefer flat riverfront streets without climbing steep hills, and love exposed stone walls, wood-burning fireplaces and contemporary design? Stay in Lower Town / Vieux-Port (around Rue Saint-Pierre, Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Dalhousie). Here, 18th- and 19th-century stone banks and shipping warehouses house the city's finest 4- and 5-star boutique hotels, led by Relais & Châteaux icon Auberge Saint-Antoine (where archaeological artefacts unearthed during construction are displayed inside every room and hallway), Hôtel Le Germain Québec, Hôtel 71 and Hôtel Port-Royal.

3. Parliament Hill / Grande Allée & Saint-Roch (Best for Value, Easy Car Access & Local Dining)

• Parliament Hill & Grande Allée (2 to 5 Mins Outside St. Louis / St. John's Gates): if you are driving a car or want spacious modern full-service hotels (like Hilton Québec, with its heated year-round rooftop pool overlooking the Old Quebec ramparts, Delta Hotels or Hôtel Le Concorde with its revolving rooftop restaurant) at 20% to 35% lower rates than inside the walls, stay here and walk through the stone gates in 4 minutes.
• Saint-Roch (Lower Town West): best for stylish boutique stays (like Hôtel Pur or Le Monarque) surrounded by craft breweries and bistros.