Quebec in Wintertime

Louis Bignami

MONTREAL

A good place to begin your visit to Quebec is its island city on the St. Lawrence: Montreal,the province’s largest city. Montreal’s boasts 2.5 million denizens, and the city’s size poses a bit of a dilemma, for no visitor can do more than sample a bit of the world’s second largest French-speaking city. Montreal features a mix of such historic sections as the Vieux (Old) Port, modern buildings in the cultural complex at Place des Arts, fine shopping above and below ground, great universities and diversions such as the Terre des Homes. Add the best city gardens in Canada, neat ethnic neighborhoods, a planetarium, an aquarium, a mass of museums and a feast of restau-rants-and toss in a cheap, safe subway to whiz you around-and the result is a destination where you could easily spend a week.

Start your visit in the 95 acres of Vieux (Old) Montreal, located at the junction of three rivers from which French explorers paddled away to open up North America. Most buildings here are from 120 to 150 years old, with several dating back to the 1700’s. You can explore Vieux Montreal on foot on your own in winter, with few other visitors; or enjoy free Wednesday summer tours that leave at 11:00am from the fountain in Place Vauquelin, just a short walk form the Champ-de-Mars Metro station near City Hall. Stroll along the river or in the Jardine Doanique de Montreal; the latter has Japanese and Chinese gardens and, even in winter, the Main Exhibition Greenhouse offers lush displays.

If the weather is too cold for comfort, dive into Montreal’s underground. I.M. Pei, the world-famous architect, has had a number of excellent ideas. Place Ville Marie, the heart of today’s underground Montreal (opened in 1960), remains one of the architect’s best concepts. Designed to hide unsightly pit-yards of the Canadian National Railways in downtown, this expanded series of galleries and tunnels now shelters more than 300 underground shops, 14 banks, 50 restaurants and the Canadian Pacific train for Quebec. Locals can ride in on the Underground Metro, then work, lunch, shop and enjoy all the usual urban pleasures-without ever surfacing! Passages extend to Place Bonaventure, Place du Canada with a delight of connecting passageways, and subways linking the nearby Plaza Alexis Nihon and Westmont Square.

After an afternoon of exploration, the traveler works up a mighty appetite; fortunately, Montreal has at least 20 gastronomic associations and more than 2,000 restaurants. While French food is standard, just about any ethnic food in the world is available. Prices range from extremely moderate in cafes, where you find superb stews and other hearty fare, to higher-end, chic restaurants. Restaurants post menus and prices outside, so you can decide in advance where on the pay scale you want to be each day. As elsewhere in this formal city, many restaurants have dress codes; however, you can dine informally in many spots in Underground Montreal or in cafes.

Nightlife includes all big-city cultural activities, such as a symphony, ballet, live theater in French and English, and more in the Place des Arts performing arts center. Crescent, Drummond and Mountain streets, between Saint-Catherine and Boulevard de Maisonneuve and Saint-Denis offer a nice mix of pubs, cafes and other attractions.

There’s always something cultural going on up at McGill University, too. Shoppers will find major discount outlets with a mix of great Canadian woolens, French fashions and the usual assortment of urban shops such as Chanel.

QUEBEC CITY

“Europe across the St. Lawrence River” best describes Canada’s scenic, walled city. Think Paris buildings and narrow lanes with San Francisco topography. Even better, Quebecois mean it when they say, “Quebec vous accueille (Quebec welcomes you).” These are the people who help you with reading your map on corners and suggest favorite restaurants.

The joys inside the walls of Quebec are pedestrian-only in locomotion. Stroll along winding streets; when you get tired, rest and refreshments are as near as a cafe. Since the city is so small, it is possible to cover everything inside the walls in a couple of days of wandering on foot-the most interesting way to savor the city. Don’t even think about car rentals, as the limited parking inside the city walls is often by permit only, and parking garages outside the walls fill fast. Those who do not want to walk do well with bus and antique auto or horse-drawn carriage tours, which start in front of the landmark, green-roofed Hotel Frontenac.

Wise visitors stay and start at the top of town and work down, then ride back on a bus or tram from Old Quebec and the river. Start with a leisurely breakfast on Grande Allee or try a croissant and coffee break. Caution: Quebec coffee is rather strong, and usually steaming hot, the latter often a blessing in winter.

Make your way to the huge Citadel that sprawls over Cap Diamant, Quebec’s highest point. The changing of the 22nd Regiment guard in their red-dress uniforms and bearskin hats adds to the ambience. Afterward, take the downhill walk through Porte Saint-Louis-a gate rebuilt several times since is was constructed in 1693-part of the original fortifications. Stop at the information center operated by the Quebec Tourism Department, for skilled employees can personalize tours to your specific needs.

On professionally led tours that leave from the Frontenac Kiosk on Terrasse Dufferin or on a self-guided walking tour, you can visit the Ursuline Museum Museum de Cire, Museum de Fort and a number of grand churches, which eventually reach the Place Royal, one of the greatest concentrations of 17th- and 18th-century buildings in North America. The Parliament Building just outside Port Saint-Louis deserves a visit. The lighted statues of the Parliament Building provide a wondrous sight on romantic evening carriage rides. Most walks end down by the river, where the new Musee de la Civilizations runs ten theme exhibits at a time.

The three buildings (one a jail that is now an art gallery) of the Quebec Museum await just outside the walls on the Plains of Abraham within walking distance of downtown The Plains of Abraham is where several battles determined that the British, rather than the French or Americans, held Canada. Nearby, round Martello Towers near Avenue Tache were built by the British as protection against a U.S. invasion, and the peaceful park now features toboggan runs and cross-country skiing.

THE BEST OF THE REST

The best way to move between Montreal and Quebec is the Canadian Pacific Train you catch in the station under Le Reine Elizabeth, a Montreal hotel. This train pulls into the Quebec City station a few-hundred yards from the best part of the town. You enjoy a quiet ride, decent food and solid views of the country.

Good Quebec day trips include a look at Montmorency Falls and a power raft or other craft on the St. Lawrence. Other nearby attractions include the hundreds of miles of cross-country ski trails on Mont St. Anne or the trails along the river and old rail routes. There’s something in all directions.

Cote-de-Beaupre, along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, is beautiful. Long, skinny farms in traditional French-style flow away from quaint homes before you reach the overwhelming Sanctuaire de Sainte-Annee-de-Beaupre Church, with its 240 stained-glass windows. It is the largest of over 50 historic churches in the region.

Nearby Ile d’Orleans offers an island time-machine fifteen minutes from Quebec City, with more historic buildings than most can visit. Saint-Pierre, built in 1717, is the oldest church on the island, but don’t overlook a stop at a charming rural cafe.

Jacques-Cartier Park, a valley teeming with wildlife, is just 30 minutes away. You can even call the wolves on a moonlit night. Some of the best downhill and cross-country skiing resorts in North America are nearby, as are the rather grand Canyon Sainte-Annee and Les Cept Chutes, with more waterfalls and trails.

The province of Quebec makes for a great vacation any time of the year. Stroll, hang out in cafes; sample onion soup here, a croissant there and French pastry someplace as you go.

Louis Bignami visits Quebec at least every two years. He lives in Moscow, Idaho.