National Geographic Traveller UK - 01 e 02.2022

CANADA

Quebec

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QUEBEC OLD QUEBEC

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Fairmont Le Château Frontenac Funicular

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Dinner at 1608 Bar, which serves
the likes of oysters and boards of
local charcuterie

Getting there & around

Air Transat is set to launch a direct

summer service between Gatwick and

Quebec City in May 2022. Air Canada

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Gatwick to Quebec City via Toronto.

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Montreal or Toronto; you can then take

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such as Porter Airlines, WestJet or Air

Canada. Alternatively, from Montreal,

take a four-hour connecting train

journey with Via Rail from nearby Dorval

station. airtransat.com aircanada.com

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viarail.ca

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occasional hill or stairway. If you wish to

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>«ˆÌ>i­,/

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>Àiˆ˜iÝ«i˜ÃˆÛi>˜`Ài>`ˆÞ>Û>ˆ>LiÆ

any restaurant or hotel can call one to

arrive within 10 minutes. rtcquebec.ca

When to go

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times to visit, with clear skies and mild

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season, so the old town can be

crowded. Winter sees heavy snow,

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below freezing.

More info

    œ˜œÕÀ+ÕjLiV° bonjourquebec.com

Fodor’s Montreal & Quebec City.

RRP: £14.99

How to do it

COX & KINGS offers a three-night stay in

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Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

coxandkings.co.uk

ESSENTIALS

AFTER HOURS

1608 BAR: Set inside a tower in the

luxurious Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

(the city’s grand dame hotel), this bar was

made for sundowner hour. Join the city’s

well-heeled crowd around the circular bar,

surrounded by bookcases and windows, and

order a maple-infused smoked old fashioned

made with the hotel’s own bourbon.

fairmont.com

MACFLY BAR ARCADE: Trendy nightlife

district Saint-Roch is home to this arcade

and bar, straight out of Back to the Future’s

1955 setting, with retro neon signs and shiny

banquettes. Buy a pint — it’s cash only

— and you can play as much free pinball or

Pac-Man as you’d like until closing time.

macflybararcade.com

NOCTEM ARTISANS BRASSEURS: The city has

a brewing history dating back to the 16th

century. For a contemporary take on tradition,

try this craft beer bar in Saint-Roch, where

everything from the raspberry sour to the

milk stout is brewed on site or nearby. Order a

tasting flight and settle onto the sunny terrace

with some nachos. noctem.ca

EAT
DON VÉGANE: In the land of cheese
curds and duck fat, you might not expect
great vegan food. But this plant-based
restaurant in the Lower Town nails it.
The mushroom fettuccine is so creamy,
you won’t miss the dairy. donresto.com
LE RENARD ET LA CHOUETTE: In quaint-
but-trendy Saint-Sauveur, west of the old
town, this little wine bar serves characterful
glasses alongside epic charcuterie plates.
Order a glass of whichever red is scrawled
across the specials board to wash down
rib-sticking choucroute (sauerkraut) and
tartiflette (potatoes, cheese, lardons and
onions). lerenardetlachouette.com
LE SAINT-AMOUR: A city staple since
the 1970s, with its crisp tablecloths, snappy
service and tome-like wine list (a roll call of
Bordeaux and Burgundy), Le Saint-Amour
proves that old-school French dining is
alive and well in Quebec. Crafted plates are
doused in truffle and caviar extravagances,
while greenhouse-like windows and
hanging plants lend an indoor-outdoor vibe.
saint-amour.com

QUEBEC CITY

164 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel