Quebec City tours and excursions

Quebec City tours

Romantic tours

The most romantic way to tour the city is in a horse-drawn calèche. These can be hired just inside the city walls near Porte St-Louis from Calèches du Vieux-Québec or other companies. Héli Express Tours offers helicopter flights over the city. Departures are from Jean Lesage International Airport. Taxi Coop offers private half-day tours that include Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canyon-Sainte-Anne and the Montmorency Falls.

Telephone: +1 418 683 9222; +1 418 877 5890; +1 418 525 5191.
Walking tours

One of the classic routes to explore Quebec City on foot is to walk along the top of the fortification walls, with the option of continuing to the Citadel and along the Plains of Abraham; a partial tour is available from the Centre d'Interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec. A number of thematic walking tours are also available: the Corporation du patrimoine et du tourisme religieux de Québec covers the city's religious heritage, whereas Ghost Tours of Québec delves into the supernatural.

Telephone: +1 418 648 7016; +1 418 694 0665; +1 418 692 9770.

Excursions from Quebec City

Charlevoix

Around 60km (37 miles) east of Quebec City, the terrain changes dramatically as the Laurentian mountain chain meets the St Lawrence River. Amidst the forest-covered mountains are a couple of scenic provincial parks: caribou can be spotted in the Parc des Grands-Jardins, while the Parc des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie has mighty ravines. Artists have found the scenery stimulating and their output is visible at the many galleries in the coastal town of Baie Saint-Paul, home to numerous restaurants and country inns.

Telephone: +1 418 665 4454.
Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine Park

The Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine Park begins at the eastern end of Charlevoix and is an excellent place for spotting whales. From Quebec City, Croisières AML (tel: +1 866 856 6668; www.croisieresaml.com) offers a coach-and-cruise trip. By car, it is a three-hour drive (plus ferry ride) each way to the pretty town of Tadoussac, where numerous companies offer whale-watching trips.

Telephone: +1 418 235 4703.
Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.