French Heritage

Place Royale

Place Royale is the place where Samuel de Champlain founded Québec in 1608.

DONT'S MISS:

• The Samuel de Champlain Heritage Site and the place where he built his second “habitation,” marked out with darker paving stones
• Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church and its Saint Geneviève chapel, whose tabernacle survived the siege of the city in 1759
• Musée de la Place-Royale, where you can relive 400 years of Québec’s history
• The architecture, with magnificent photo opportunities of buildings evocative of New France 

Notre-Dame-de-Québec Basilica-Cathedral

Notre-Dame-de-Québec was built in 1647, leading in 1664 to the establishment of the first Roman Catholic parish north of the Spanish colonies.

DON'T MISS:

• The spectacular baldachin over the altar and tabernacle like a miniature version of the one in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome
• The tomb of St. François de Laval, Québec’s first bishop, canonized in 2014
• The crypt and resting place of bishops, as well as 4 governors of New France

The fortifications of the Old City

The walls and gates surrounding most of the Old City were built for defence by the French in the 17th and 18th centuries. Québec is the continent’s only remaining fortified city north of Mexico, for which it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

DON'T MISS:

• The amazing views from the 4.6 km of walls that encircle the Old City
• The insights of Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site interpreters as they explain Québec’s defensive system

Trait-Carré of Charlesbourg

Trait-Carré of Charlesbourg is known for its star-shaped layout, designed to group the houses and residents together for better protection against attacks from the Iroquois.

DON'T MISS:

• The Jesuits’ mill, built between 1733 and 1744 for residents to mill their grain
• The self-guided walking tour to explore this unusual form of street layout

Île d’Orléans

The stopover point for about 300 French families, whose descendants today number over 100,000 throughout North America. Many of the island’s rural homes evoke the spirit of 18th century France.

DON'T MISS:

• Saint-Pierre Church, the oldest surviving church in Québec (1719)
• Maison Drouin dates to around 1730 and is the only typical Île d’Orléans habitant home that is open to the public  
• Maison de nos Aïeux has a genealogy centre on Québec’s founding families
• The drive around the island with 4 of the “most beautiful villages of Québec”

Chemin du Roy

The oldest driveable road in Canada, built in 1737 to link up Québec City, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal.

DON'T MISS:

• The wealth of the history and heritage of New France throughout the road’s 287 km length
• More of the province’s “most beautiful villages”, such as Neuville, Cap-Santé, and Deschambault-Grondines 

Cartier-Roberval Park

This site of extensive archaeological excavations bears witness to North America’s first French colony, established by Jacques Cartier and Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval in 1541. Impressive vegetation and wildlife make it a nature park along with the interpretive panels exploring and explaining the history of the site.
4075 chemin St-Louis

Louis Hébert Monument

Louis Hébert and his family were the first arrivals to farm the land in New France. The monument commemorates the first colonists to come to Québec in 1617. 
Montmorency Park

Parc du Cavalier-du-Moulin

This charming oasis in the heart of the Old City is all that remains of a former French defensive structure. In 1663 it was home to a windmill, which became part of Québec’s first fortifications. 
End of rue Mont-Carmel

The Montcalm Mausoleum

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm’s body was first kept in the Ursulines Chapel before being transferred to the cemetery of Hôpital général de Québec. Montcalm’s name is inscribed above the mausoleum entrance.
260, boulevard Langelier