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Travel guide
Montreal and Quebec City
2 stops
Best time to go: June to October
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Welcome
Montreal and Quebec City, in a few days
Lively Montreal and the walled old town of Quebec City, joined by the St Lawrence, with Charlevoix and the whales of Tadoussac beyond: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 Montreal Days 1-3
- 2 Quebec City and Charlevoix Days 4-5
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Route map (numbers = order of the stops).
1
Montreal
Days 1-3
A bilingual city on an island in the St Lawrence: the cobbled streets of Old Montreal, the colourful Plateau, and a festival in every season.
🎟️ Worth booking
- Old Montreal guided walk2h · from €25Notre-Dame Basilica, the Old Port and the historic lanes, with the stories behind them.
✦ Free to visit
- Mount Royal Park
- The Plateau Mont-Royal
- Jean-Talon Market
🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: M Montréal Hostel ↗ (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Le Petit Hôtel ↗ (€145 a night) · Luxury: Ritz-Carlton Montréal ↗ (€450 a night) · All places to stay by budget →
📲 Book things to do in Montreal on GetYourGuide
2
Quebec City and Charlevoix
Days 4-5 · 🚗 Car 3h
Founded in 1608, the only city in North America north of Mexico to keep its walls, and UNESCO-listed. Beyond it, the river road climbs into the hills of Charlevoix.
🎟️ Worth booking
- Whale watching from TadoussacFull day · from €70Belugas live here all year, and minke, fin and humpback whales come to feed where the Saguenay fjord meets the St Lawrence.
✦ Free to visit
- Old Quebec and the Château Frontenac
- Montmorency Falls
- Île d'Orléans
🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Auberge Internationale de Québec ↗ (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hôtel Manoir Victoria ↗ (€145 a night) · Luxury: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac ↗ (€360 a night) · All places to stay by budget →
📲 Book things to do in Quebec City and Charlevoix on GetYourGuide
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
Hire a car · Montreal to Quebec City is about three hours by road, and Charlevoix and Tadoussac are only practical with a car. Inside the two cities, walk.
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Poutine: chips with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy, born in rural Quebec in the 1950s.
- Maple syrup: on pancakes and bacon, or poured hot onto snow and rolled into taffy.
- Tourtière: a spiced meat pie, eaten above all at Christmas.
- Montreal bagels: smaller, denser and sweeter than New York's, boiled in honeyed water and baked in a wood oven.
- Smoked meat: spiced, cured brisket piled high on rye bread, the Montreal deli classic.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Prices are shown before tax: federal and Quebec sales taxes add about 15% at the till.
- Tip 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars, worked out on the total before tax.
- French is the official language: greet people in French before switching to English, and expect road signs in French only.
- Distances are long: Quebec City to Tadoussac alone is about three hours' drive.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
🗣️ English and French are both official: French dominates in Quebec, English almost everywhere else.
✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyCanadian dollar (CAD)
Best seasonJune to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, on the total before tax
Emergency911
EntryUS citizens need only a passport. EU, UK and Australian passports are visa-free for up to six months, but anyone flying in must first get an eTA online (not needed by road or sea; Romanian citizens need an electronic passport). No formalities for Canadians.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep routine vaccines, tetanus included, up to date. Ticks carrying Lyme disease are present in southern Quebec: check yourself after walks in the woods.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/montreal-quebec
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.