Quebec City 2-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Old Quebec on foot
Start in Upper Town at the Chateau Frontenac, the 1893 hotel that’s still a working Fairmont property rather than a museum, then walk Dufferin Terrace out toward the Citadelle. Cross into Lower Town via the 1879 Funiculaire (a few dollars one way, verify current fare) or the steep Breakneck Stairs, and spend the afternoon in Quartier Petit-Champlain, the oldest commercial district in North America, and Place Royale, the exact spot where Champlain founded the city in 1608.
For lunch, budget CAD $20-30 per person for a casual sit-down meal once the roughly 14.975% tax and a 15-20% tip on the pre-tax total are added. In the evening, walk a stretch of the city ramparts, part of the only fortified city walls still standing north of Mexico, and pick a dinner spot on Rue Saint-Jean or in Petit-Champlain; a full dinner with wine typically runs CAD $50-70 per person after tax and tip (verify current menu prices).
Stay in Upper Town if budget allows for the walk-everywhere convenience, or in Lower Town near Petit-Champlain for a quieter, boutique-hotel feel.
Tip: wear shoes built for cobblestones and real hills, the Upper Town to Lower Town elevation change catches a lot of first-time visitors off guard.
Day 2: History, museums, and Montmorency Falls
Spend the morning at the Citadelle, home to the Royal 22e Regiment and its daily summer changing-of-the-guard ceremony, then walk over to the Plains of Abraham, site of the 1759 battle that ended New France, and the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec if you want an hour with the world’s largest collection of Quebecois art (adult admission roughly CAD $15-25, verify).
In the afternoon, take a taxi or drive the 15 minutes out to Montmorency Falls, 83 meters and taller than Niagara, and ride the cable car to the top or cross the suspension footbridge near the crest (combo cable car ticket roughly CAD $18-25 per adult, verify). Head back into the city for dinner, budgeting the same CAD $50-70 range as Day 1 once tax and tip are in.
Tip: book the Montmorency Falls cable car online ahead of time in summer, the ticket line at the base can run long on clear afternoons.
Read more: see the Quebec City travel guide for background on everything above, or step up to the 3-day Quebec City itinerary if you can add a day.