Viewpoints, Squares and Landmarks of Quebec City

November 5, 2026

The best sightseeing in Quebec City is a matter of angles: the view from the Upper Town cliff, the view back up from the Lower Town, and the view across the Plains. This page follows the viewpoints, then the buildings and squares around them. Fees are in Canadian dollars (CAD).

Viewpoints

Dufferin Terrace, the clifftop boardwalk in front of the Château Frontenac, looks over the St. Lawrence toward Lévis. Winter brings the Au 1884 ice slides here.
Governors’ Promenade, the wooden staircase that climbs from the end of the terrace beside the Citadelle to the Plains of Abraham.
The city walls, free to walk, with views of both towns and the river. The wall is about 4.6 km around the Upper Town.
The Québec-Lévis ferry, about 12 minutes each way with no reservation, which turns the skyline into a postcard. The adult fare was 4.25 on the operator’s page, and winter timetables now run all year.

Squares and streets

Place d’Armes sits beside the Château Frontenac, a hotel that opened in 1893 and hosted the Quebec Conferences of 1943 and 1944. Place Royale in the Lower Town is where Champlain built his Habitation in 1608. On it stands the Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, begun around 1688, which holds a model ship hanging from its ceiling. Close by, the Fresque des Québécois is a 420 square metre mural at 29 rue Notre-Dame. Rue du Petit-Champlain is a pedestrian lane of boutiques, reached by the Escalier Casse-Cou’s 59 steps or by the funicular at 7 per adult one way, cash only.

Landmarks with a visit attached

La Citadelle, a star-shaped fort still used by the Royal 22e Régiment. Admission, by guided tour only, is 22 for adults, 20 for seniors and students, and 8 for ages 11 to 17. Children 10 and under are free.
Hôtel du Parlement, built from 1877 to 1886 and decorated with bronze statues on its facade. Visits are free, and photo ID is asked for from age 16.
Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec, at 16 rue De Buade, an active church whose Holy Door is described as the only one outside Europe. Keep quiet and check opening hours.
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, at 179 Grande Allée Ouest, with adult admission of 25 for ages 31 to 64. The Espace Riopelle opens on 22 October 2026.

Battlefields Park

The Plains of Abraham cover 103 hectares and mark the 1759 battle between British and French forces, so the park is a site of memory as well as a green space. Its museum, at 835 avenue Wilfrid-Laurier, includes Martello Tower 1.

A short plan

Spend the morning in the Upper Town, take the funicular down after lunch, and finish at the Old Port. Swap in the Plains and the museum on a second day. Boots with a grip matter in winter, because steps and slopes ice over. Petty theft is the main caution anywhere busy.

Hours change by season, so check the Citadelle admission page and the Battlefields Park site . City sightseeing tours can be found on Viator .