Longer Trips From Quebec City
Longer trips from Quebec City fall into three shapes: a short stay in town with day trips, a winter break built around the ice hotel and Carnaval, and an overnight loop east along the St. Lawrence. All prices below are in Canadian dollars (CAD), and some exclude the 14.975% sales tax.
Option 1: Three days based in town
Spend one day on the Upper Town, the walls, the Citadelle and Dufferin Terrace, and one on the Lower Town, where the funicular (7 one way for adults, cash only) or the Escalier Casse-Cou leads to Petit-Champlain, Place Royale and the Old Port. Use the third day for Montmorency Falls and Île d’Orléans. If you prefer more depth, swap in the Plains of Abraham, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Saint-Roch district. The itinerary pages give a more detailed day-by-day scheme.
Option 2: A winter break
Winter is a destination of its own here. Plan around three dates: Carnaval de Québec from 5 to 14 February 2027, the Hôtel de Glace at Valcartier with day visits listed from 26 December 2026 to 21 March 2027, and overnight stays from 4 January to 13 March 2027. Overnight suites start around 485 before tax, and day tickets are priced by height. Add the Au 1884 ice slides on Dufferin Terrace and a land rink for skating. The river itself is not safe for skating or walking. Rooms fill fast around Carnaval, so book well ahead.
Option 3: The Charlevoix and Tadoussac loop
Leave Quebec City by Route 138 and take the coast road, Route 362, through Baie-Saint-Paul, known for galleries, and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive. From there a free ferry runs to Île-aux-Coudres in about 15 to 20 minutes, and it is the only link to the island. Continue to La Malbaie, then to the free 10-minute ferry at Baie-Sainte-Catherine and on to Tadoussac, roughly 210 to 215 km from the city and about three hours by road. A night in Tadoussac makes the whale-watching morning easy.
In 2026, Croisières AML sailed from 2 May to 1 November, with Zodiac trips of about 2.5 hours from 134.99 for adults before tax. Children under 6 may not ride in the Zodiac, and a three-hour boat tour from 134.99 is also listed. Most tours offer a free return trip if no whales are seen. Species listed include minke, fin and humpback whales, porpoises, harbour seals and belugas.
A summer add-on
Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier, 40 to 50 km north of the city, suits a night of camping or a full day of hiking and paddling, and rafting runs on the Jacques-Cartier River from mid-May to mid-October.
Getting between stops
The city has no metro, and RTC buses cost 4.00 in cash with exact change or 3.85 with a ticket. Montreal is a separate journey of about 250 km, with VIA Rail trains from the Gare du Palais, so keep it out of a short plan. Winter storms can close roads from November to April.
Seasonal timetables are on the AML Tadoussac page , and fares are on the RTC page . Hotels can be compared on Booking.com .
Read more: day trips from Quebec City and the 6-day itinerary .