Quebec
Québec City
Built on a strategic cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River, Québec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. Jacques Cartier first explored the area in 1535, visiting the Indigenous village of Stadacona. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded a permanent fur-trading post at the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River, naming it Québec (derived from an Algonquian word meaning “where the river narrows”). Constructed atop the cliff was Saint-Louis Fort and Châteaux which was the official residences and seat of power for early French authorities in Québec. Destroyed by fire, the site was covered over by the construction of the Dufferin Terrace. Today, the archeological site below the terrace is operated by Parks Canada and open to visitors to explore the stone ruins.
The earliest defensive walls of Old Québec appeared immediately after the city’s founding in 1608. In 1663, King Louis XIV declared Québec the capital of the royal province of New France and that set forth greater construction of defensive walls and fortifications. On the evening of September 13, 1759, over 4,000 British troops scaled the steep cliffs above the St. Lawrence River at Anse au Foulon under the cover of darkness. They quickly engaged and overwhelmed the surprised French troops on the plateau known as the Plains of Abraham just outside the walls of Québec City. In less than 30 minutes, the French lines broke and the troops retreated to inside the walled city. Québec City surrendered days later, leading to the permanent loss of Canada for France in the subsequent Treaty of Paris in 1763. Under the British, the walled fortifications were strengthened. Fearing attacks from the Americans during the Revolutionary War and then later the War of 1812, the British constructed the fortress Citadelle of Québec which remains an active Canadian military post to this day. In 1985, Old Québec was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognizing it as the only remaining fortified colonial city north of Mexico.
Although Québec City was ceded to the British in 1763, the local French-speaking and Catholic population retained their language, religious freedom, and civil law while the British influenced the official government procedures and traditions. Constructed between 1877 and 1886, the beautiful Parliament Building is still the home to the National Assembly of Québec which is the provincial government body. French remains the official language in the Province of Québec and you will find few signs, except official Canadian government signage, in English. Fortunately, I found most of the local population to be bi-lingual. During the 19th century, Québec City evolved into a major timber export and shipbuilding hub. Today, the city is a major insurance and financial hub while grain from Western Canada is received at the Port of Québec then shipped to the world via the St. Lawrence River.
Dominating the skyline of Québec City is the Château Frontenac. Built in the Châteauesque style and drawing inspiration from the medieval castles of France’s Loire Valley, the Château Frontenac opened in 1893 as a luxury hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway to encourage upscale tourism. The hotel honors Louis de Buade, Count de Frontenac, who served as the governor of New France in the 17th century. During its long history, the Château Frontenac has hosted the British monarchy as well as Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt who met in Québec City during World War II to plan the D-Day Invasion of Europe.
At the base of the Château Frontenac is the Dufferin Terrace which is a sprawling boardwalk which offers stunning views of the St. Lawrence River from its elevated position on top of the cliffs. The Dufferin Terrace is linked to the lower town below by the historic Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec which is a 45-degree angle inclined railroad. Located below the cliffs and the Château Frontenac is Petit-Champlain which is the oldest shopping district in North America. This bustling commercial district is highlighted by its numerous boutiques and restaurants which line its narrow cobble-stoned streets which resemble France more than North America.
Only 20 minutes from Old Québec are the spectacular Montmorency Falls (Chute-Montmorency in French). At 272 feet in height, the Montmorency Falls are 98 feet taller than the more famous Niagara Falls. The first European to record the falls was French explorer Jean Fonteneau dit Alfonse who recorded the falls in his ship log in 1542. When Samuel de Champlain visited the falls in 1613, he named the falls le grand saut de Montmorency after Henri II de Montmorency, Duke of Montmorency and Viceroy of New France. Just weeks before the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the falls were the site of a battle in which French forces repelled British troops. Over the years, the power of the Montmorency River has been harnessed to power saw and textile mills as well as a hydroelectric generating plant which allowed Québec City to be one of the first cities in North American with electric street lights. Today, Montmorency Falls is a major tourist destination with the site offering a gondola to the top, a pedestrian suspension bridge spanning the falls, and 427-step staircase that gives guests a bird’s eye view of these majestic falls.
About 20 miles east of Québec City set along the St. Lawrence River is the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was founded in 1658 by sailors saved from a shipwreck and is named after Saint Anne, the patron saint of sailors. The original church was nothing more than a small chapel, but numerous expansions, including a major one in 1933, has resulted in the spectacular Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré we see today. The first miracle credited to the sanctuary occurred during early construction when a worker with severe back pain named Louis Guimond placed three stones and was instantly cured. The shrine has been credited with numerous miracles of curing the sick and disabled. Roughly a half-million pilgrims visit Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré annually with the peak period of pilgrimage being around July 26, the feast of Saint Anne.
Montréal
When French explorer Jacques Cartier first saw the island of Montréal in 1535 it was called Hochelaga by the Huron people. He named the mountain in the center of the island Mont Réal. In 1642, Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve, and nurse Jeanne Mance established Ville-Marie as a religious mission on the island. Documents show that the name Ville-Marie was used up until 1705, after which the name Montréal became the preference. The early years for Montréal were harsh with wars and illness, yet the outpost grew into a vital hub for the lucrative fur trade by 1710.
With Québec City to the north already having fallen, Montréal surrendered to British forces in 1760 during the Seven Year War. Under the British, Montréal served as the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849, before riots led to the burning of the Parliament building. The opening of the Lachine Canal and expansion of railways transformed the city into Canada’s economic and manufacturing core by the mid-19th century. Today, Montréal is a major global metropolis with 4.3 million residents and is the cultural heart of French-speaking North America.
Considered a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture, the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal opened in 1829 following a five-year construction. The original French settlers founded Ville-Marie (now Montréal) and built a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Pointe-à-Callière. Sulpician priests arriving in 1657 took over the parish and then built the original stone Notre-Dame Church on Notre-Dame Street which opened in 1683. By 1824, Montréal’s population grew too large for the old building, prompting plans for a grand new sanctuary.
An Irish-American Protestant architect living in New York by the name of James O’Donnell was hired to design the new church. He chose the striking Gothic Revival style. An interesting fact about O’Donnell is that he converted to Catholicism before his death and is the only person buried in the basilica’s crypt. While the main 8,000-person church opened in 1829, the two iconic front bell towers were not completed until 1843. The west tower, La Persévérance, holds a massive bell named Le Gros Bourdon, while the east tower, La Tempérance, holds a ten-bell carillon. In 1859, architect Victor Bourgeau designed the brilliant blue-and-gold vaulted ceiling and rich polychrome interior woodwork. The ornate Chapel of the Sacred Heart (Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur) was added at the rear in 1888. Finally, a 7,000-pipe grand organ built by Casavant Frères was installed in 1891. Today, the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal is in the midst of a massive multi-million-dollar, twenty-year restoration project to preserve the stonework, art, and architectural details of this historic church.
Place Jacques-Cartier is located on land which was originally the gardens of the Château Vaudreuil (circa 1723). After a fire destroyed the mansion in 1803, the cleared land became a public space known as the New Market Place. The British erected Nelson’s Column in 1809 and it stands today as the oldest public monument in Montréal. In 1847, the square was officially renamed to honor Jacques Cartier who was the first European to step foot in Montréal. Up until the late 1950s, the square functioned as a bustling public market where regional farmers and vendors sold fresh goods. Today, Place Jacques-Cartier has transitioned into a vibrant tourism and arts district, famous for its summer pedestrianization, outdoor terrasses, portrait artists, and street performers.
Named after city founder Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Rue Saint-Paul is Montréal’s oldest street. Paved in traditional cobblestones in 1672 along a path that bordered the early Fort Ville-Marie, it became a major commercial thoroughfare for canoes unloading valuable furs for shipment to France. The corridor became the cradle of Montreal’s press, hosting many of the first English and French printing presses in North America. Rue Saint-Paul was the first street in the city lit by oil lamps. After businesses relocated in the mid-20th century, preservationists fought off demolition plans. Today, Rue Saint-Paul retains much of its cobblestone charm and functions as a vibrant pedestrian-friendly destination filled with boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants as well as the historic Bonsecours Market.
The Old Port of Montréal is a 2-kilometer-long historic waterfront area along the Saint Lawrence River that served as the economic cradle of Montréal for over four hundred years. In 1611, Samuel de Champlain established a trading post called Place Royale along the shore of the river, using it to trade for furs with the Indigenous peoples. The formal colony of Fort Ville-Marie (now Old Montréal) was established adjacent to the port area. The opening of the Lachine Canal in 1825 allowed ships to bypass local rapids on the St. Lawrence River, turning Montréal into a major North American commercial hub. With the completion of the Victoria Bridge in 1859, trains could now directly connect with ships making Montréal a transportation giant. Massive upgrades to the port and construction of towering grain silos in the early 1900s turned Montréal into one of the most important grain ports in the entire world. The iconic Clock Tower was built in 1922 to honor those lost in WWI and marks the entrance to the port. In the late 1970s, commercial port operations shifted east away from Montréal. For the city’s 350th anniversary, the Old Port district was redeveloped into a public recreation space that welcomes over six million visitors annually. One of the top attractions is La Grande Roue de Montréal which at 200 feet in height is the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada and gives spectacular views of the city.
My trip to Montréal was planned around the September 2, 2026 performance of Rush at the Bell Centre. After not touring since 2015, Rush announced a return to the stage with their North American Fifty Something Tour in the fall of 2025. Since I was going to be returning from the Maritimes provinces about the same time, I planned to pass through Quebec and intercept the tour in Montréal. As it turned out, I ended up seeing Rush on both nights there were in Montréal and they were magnifique. I will be posting a full description of the show as a separate entry.
