36 Hours in Quebec City: Things to Do and See

A hearty breakfast at La Buche, in Old Quebec, will give you the boost to take on Quebec City’s hilly pedestrian streets and the outdoor stairways that connect them. Deer heads are mounted on the walls, mini-toboggans are nailed to the ceiling, and lumberjack-plaid drapery evokes cabanes à sucre, or sugar shacks, traditional shanties set up in forests where the sap to be turned into maple syrup is harvested. Classic dishes like tourtière (29 dollars) are served alongside smoked trout crepes (24 dollars) and French toast with maple caramelized apples (20 dollars). Hang onto your receipt and get a 15 percent discount at the restaurant’s boutique shop next door, which sells clothes and touristy gifts such as maple syrup lollipops and spruce-scented candles.

Porcelain figurines, vintage Christmas decorations and old records occupy neighboring storefronts along Rue St. Paul, in the antiques district. While some shops close or operate on reduced hours in January, Les Antiquités Bolduc is a reliable bet. It’s run by a brother and sister, who inherited it from their parents, and neatly displays film cameras, glass paperweights and fine china. Newcomers to the street include Rosie Papeterie, a locally owned stationery shop with a minimalist aesthetic, and a sleek coffee shop, Café Apotek. Try its sweet brioche buns, stuffed with lime-and-blueberry mascarpone cream (8.50 dollars). For vintage shopping, the year-old Oh La La! Boutique Éco Chic offers luxury finds; it’s about a 20-minute walk west.

Gleeful shrieks become louder as you summit Quebec’s oldest stairway — affectionately known by locals as the “breakneck stairs” — and head toward the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. The sounds are coming from the toboggan slide Au 1884, named for the year it was built on the nearby Dufferin Terrace. One ride is 4.75 dollars per person, or 15 dollars for four tickets. You might work up a sweat dragging the wooden toboggan (which can fit four people) up the steep ramp, but you’ll easily dry off after racing down at speeds of nearly 45 miles per hour, while taking in a view of the Château Frontenac and St. Lawrence River. After a couple of rides, wander through the festively adorned cobblestone streets of the Petit Champlain district, believed to be one of North America’s oldest commercial streets, and now a bustling area of boutiques, heritage buildings and eateries.

Take a break from the cold in Quebec City’s English-language library, the Morrin Center, originally built by the French in the 19th century as a prison, transformed by a Scottish doctor into a college, and later managed by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec as a heritage site. The library houses an impressive collection over two stories of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. But the library has some ghost stories of its own: In its crypt, learn about the haunting history of the prison, complete with graffiti and etchings from former inmates. Tours are 18.50 dollars and have set times in French and English, including at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in English.

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Hôtel de Glace, a one-story hotel built every December out of carved ice. On the grounds of the Valcartier Vacation Village, an outdoor recreational complex about 35 minutes northwest of Quebec City, the ice hotel has 30 rooms, a wedding chapel, two bars, ice sculptures depicting the Indigenous heritage of the local Huron-Wendat people and a new restaurant (open Friday and Saturday nights). Tour the hotel until 8 p.m., before overnight guests take their rooms (40 dollar day pass). Marvel at the intricate sculptures in themed rooms, with polar bears, dragons, flowers, canoes and psychedelic patterns carved so smoothly you would think the snow walls were made of stone.

In the trendy Saint-Roch neighborhood, west of Old Quebec, are two adjoining sibling Japanese restaurants — Hono Izakaya, minimally designed in light maple, and the adjoining Hono Ramen, in contrasting dark mahogany tones. Try Izakaya for a selection of yakitori, small skewered bites from the grill (including a duck heart confit, 10 dollars), or larger plates like an elegantly presented Japanese curry (from 19 dollars). If walking into Hono Izakaya is a no-go — reservations are recommended — Hono Ramen offers several creative bowls, with flavors punched up with such additions as roasted leek oil and roasted garlic, and fun textures like puffed rice.