Quebec City 4-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Old Quebec’s Upper Town
Start at Place Royale, the site of Champlain’s 1608 settlement, then walk the ramparts, the only fortified city walls still standing north of Mexico, before reaching the Chateau Frontenac and Dufferin Terrace. Round out the afternoon at the Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral, free to enter.
Lunch on Rue Saint-Jean runs roughly CAD $20-30 per person after tax and tip; dinner at a sit-down restaurant in Upper Town runs CAD $50-70. Stay in Upper Town for the first two nights to keep everything walkable.
Tip: buy a reusable water bottle early, Old Quebec’s hills make you thirstier than you’d expect, and refill stations are easy to find around the main squares.
Day 2: The Citadelle and Lower Town
Spend the morning at the Citadelle, home to the Royal 22e Regiment, and the Plains of Abraham, site of the 1759 battle that ended New France. In the afternoon, take the Funiculaire down to Petit-Champlain and Place Royale, and stop at the Musee de la civilisation for its exhibits on Quebec’s history and Indigenous nations (adult admission roughly CAD $18-24, verify).
Dinner in Lower Town runs a similar CAD $50-70 per person; Chez Ashton, the local poutine institution founded in 1969, is a solid cheaper option if you’d rather eat light before an early Day 3 start.
Tip: the Funiculaire gets a line in peak season, budget 15-20 extra minutes or just take the free Breakneck Stairs down instead.
Day 3: Montmorency Falls and Ile d’Orleans
Drive or book a tour to Montmorency Falls, 15 minutes out and 83 meters tall, taller than Niagara, and ride the cable car or cross the suspension footbridge (combo ticket roughly CAD $18-25 per adult, verify). Continue on to Ile d’Orleans for the afternoon, stopping at an orchard or cidery depending on the season, roughly CAD $10-20 per person for a tasting.
Return to the city for dinner, budgeting CAD $50-70 per person, or eat on the island if a restaurant recommendation from your accommodation checks out.
Tip: this day works fine self-driven if you’re comfortable with Quebec highway signage in French, but a guided half-day tour (roughly CAD $80-120 per person, verify) removes the parking guesswork at both stops.
Day 4: Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre and Canyon Sainte-Anne
Continue further along Route 138 to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, one of the busiest active pilgrimage sites in North America, then to the Canyon Sainte-Anne gorge, with its 74-meter waterfall and three suspension footbridges including the 60-meter-high McNicoll Bridge (canyon admission roughly CAD $15-20 per adult, verify).
Head back to Quebec City for a final dinner, budgeting the usual CAD $50-70 per person, and use the evening for any last souvenir shopping around Petit-Champlain before departure.
Tip: the canyon site is seasonal, roughly May through October, so confirm it’s open before building your whole day around it if you’re traveling in shoulder season.
Read more: see the Quebec City travel guide for background, or check the 5-day Quebec City itinerary if you have an extra day to add.