How many stops are on the Architecture walking tour in Quebec City?

The Architecture route in Quebec City includes 11 curated stops.

How long does the Architecture tour in Quebec City take?

The Architecture walking tour in Quebec City takes approximately 5.5 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Architecture walking tour in Quebec City free?

Yes, Promenario's Architecture tour in Quebec City is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇨🇦 Quebec City, Canada

Architecture in Quebec City

Iconic buildings, monuments, and landmark design. Explore 11 curated stops in Quebec City, including Petit Champlain, Place Royale, and Citadelle of Quebec. Highlights include Petit Champlain, rated 4.7/5 by 8,000 visitors.

11 stops ~5h 30m Available in app

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11 places in this collection

Architecture places

11 places in this collection

Image by Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez, CC BY-SA 4.0

Petit Champlain

Quartier du Petit Champlain is a small commercial zone in Quebec City. It is located in the neighbourhood of Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–colline Parlementaire in the borough of La Cité-Limoilou, near Place Royale and its Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church. Its main street is the Rue du Petit-Champlain at the foot of Cap Diamant. It is claimed that it's the oldest commercial district in North America. In French it is referred to as a quartier (neighbourhood) although it is not an official one recognized by the City. It is named after Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608. The mural painted on the side of the house located at 102 rue du Petit-Champlain (currently owned by Coopérative des artisans et commerçants du quartier Petit Champlain) is a trompe-l'œil measuring 100m2 (900 ft2). It represents the history of the district, the bombardments of 1759, the landslides, and the fires which have occurred in the district. The Breakneck Stairs or Breakneck Steps (French: Escalier casse-cou), Quebec City's oldest stairway, were built in 1635. Originally called escalier Champlain 'Champlain Stairs', escalier du Quêteux 'Beggars' Stairs', or escalier de la Basse-Ville 'Lower Town Stairs', they were given their current name in the mid-19th century, because of their steepness. The stairs have been restored several times, including an 1889 renovation by Charles Baillargé'

Image by Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez, CC0

Place Royale

The Place Royale is the historical heart of the city of Quebec. Located in the historic district of Old Quebec, which was classified World Heritage in 1985 by UNESCO, Place-Royale, whose SODEC owns 26 buildings, is bounded by the Saint-Pierre street, the coast of Mountain and Petit-Champlain Street. It includes several historical, tourist and cultural buildings. Nowadays, the square is bounded by the Rue des Pains Bénits, Notre-Dame Street and Rue de la Place. The Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the oldest still existing stone church in North America, closed the Place Royale in the south. In the center is the bust of Louis XIV, king during the rise of the colony of New France. Nicknamed 'the cradle of French civilization in America', Place Royale extends to the site where Samuel de Champlain started the construction of a fortified post in 1608, the first habitation of Quebec City thus creating the oldest French settlement permanent in America 1, 2. The buildings that are then built, like the stores of the Roy, serve in particular to the fur trade with the Amerindians, who occupied the places occasionally to fish and exchange their products.

Image by Thomas1313, CC BY-SA 4.0

Citadelle of Quebec

The Citadelle of Quebec (French: Citadelle de Québec), also known as La Citadelle, is an active military installation and the secondary official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It is located atop Cap Diamant, adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. The citadel contains the oldest military building in Canada, and forms part of the fortifications of Quebec City, which is one of only two cities in North America still surrounded by fortifications, the other being Campeche, Mexico. The Citadelle is a National Historic Site of Canada and forms part of the Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site of Canada. The fortress is located within the Historic District of Old Québec, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 1985. The site receives some 200,000 visitors annually. The Citadelle is a functioning military installation for the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as an official residence of both Canada's monarch and its governor general. The latter, by tradition, resides there for several weeks during the summer as well as other shorter periods throughout the year. As is done at the other federal royal residence, Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canadian award presentations and investitures and ceremonies for both incoming and outgoing ambassadors and high commissioners to Canada are held at the Citadelle. The residence is also open to the public, running a visitors' program and free tours of the state rooms throughout the year as well as educational tours for students. The Citadelle attracts approximately 200,000 visitors each year.

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Image by Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez, CC BY-SA 4.0

Notre-Dame de Québec

The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec ('Our Lady of Quebec City'), located at 16, rue de Buade, Quebec City, Quebec, is the primatial church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It is the oldest church in Canada and was the first church in Canada to be elevated to the rank of minor basilica, by Pope Pius IX in 1874. Four governors of New France and the bishops of Quebec are buried in the crypt, including François de Laval, Quebec's first bishop. The church is a National Historic Site of Canada, and located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic District of Old Québec. Located on this site since 1647, and was given the name Notre-Dame de la Paix. The cathedral has twice been destroyed by fire throughout the centuries. The building is located on the site of a chapel constructed by Samuel de Champlain in 1633. A previous iteration of the church was destroyed during the Siege of Quebec in 1759. It was rebuilt from plans by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry draughted in 1743. The belltower, however, was designed by Jean Baillairgé, who also oversaw construction. The interior was designed by Jean Baillairgé and his son François from 1786–1822. In 1843, François' son, Thomas, suggested a reconstruction of the façade to resemble the church of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, resulting in the finest Neo-classic façade in Québec. The cathedral was richly decorated with impressive works of art: baldaquin, canopy, episcopal throne dais, stained glass windows, paintings, and chancel lamp (a gift of Louis XIV). In 1922 the church was again gutted by fire, this time by the Canadian faction of the Ku Klux Klan, and restored by architects Maxime Roisin and Raoul Chenevert. Raoul Chenevert added a presbytery beside the Cathedral in 1931-32. In 2014 the cathedral celebrated its 350th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, a holy door was constructed—the second outside Europe and only the eighth in the world. The holy door was opened on December 8, 2013 and remained open until December 28, 2014. It again opened from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016 for the Year of Mercy after which it was sealed until 2025. The cathedral was designated as a national historic site of Canada in 1989 because '...of its long and close associations with the history of New France; its influence on subsequent ecclesiastical architecture and interior decoration in Québec.

Image by Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez, CC0

Ramparts of Quebec City

The Ramparts of Quebec City are the only remaining fortified city walls in North America north of Mexico. The British began refortifying the existing walls, after they took Quebec City from the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. The wall, which runs on the eastern extremity on the Promontory of Quebec, surrounds most of Old Quebec, which was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1985. The fortifications were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1948. The ramparts have four surviving gates: Porte St. Jean: dates back to at least 1694, was demolished in 1791 because of its poor condition and rebuilt. This gate lasted until 1865 when it was demolished and rebuilt again. The present gate was built in 1939. Porte St. Louis: dates back to at least 1694 was demolished in 1791 because of its poor condition and rebuilt. This gate lasted until 1823 when it was replaced. It was eventually removed altogether in 1871 before being replaced by the present gate in 1880 by Lord Dufferin. Porte Prescott: erected in 1797 by, and named after Robert Prescott. It was demolished in 1871. The current gate was built in 1983. Porte Kent: erected in 1879 was named after Queen Victoria's father The Duke of Kent.

Image by Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0

Old Quebec Funicular

The Old Quebec Funicular (French: Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec) is a funicular railway in the Old Quebec neighbourhood of Quebec City. It links the Haute-Ville (Upper Town) to the Basse-Ville (Lower Town), which includes such sites as the colonial-era Notre Dame des Victoires church, the historic Petit Champlain district, the port, and the Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization). Climbing at a 45-degree angle, the railway covers a total distance of 64 metres (210 ft). The funicular opened on November 17, 1879, and originally used the water ballast system of propulsion. The line was converted to electrical operation in 1907. On July 2, 1945, a major fire destroyed the structure, necessitating a rebuild that was completed in 1946. Since then, major renovations have taken place in 1978 and 1998. In 2004 it celebrated 125 years of operating. In October 1996, Briton Helen Tombs was killed when the cable snapped and the emergency brake failed to stop the cabin before it crashed into the lower station. As a result of this fatal crash, the funicular was closed and entirely revamped with modern technology. It reopened in 1998, technically as an inclined elevator, since both cabins are independent.

Image by Marc-Lautenbacher, CC BY-SA 4.0

Parliament Building

The Parliament Building (French: Hôtel du Parlement) is an eight-floor building in Quebec City and home to the Parliament of Quebec, composed of the Lieutenant-Governor and the National Assembly. The building was designed by architect Eugène-Étienne Taché and was built from 1877 to 1886. With the frontal tower, the building stands at 52 metres or 171 feet in height. The building is located in Place de l'Assemblée nationale, atop Parliament Hill in the district of Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–colline Parlementaire, just outside the walls of Old Quebec; this area is part of the borough of La Cité-Limoilou. The building features the Second Empire architectural style that was popular for prestigious buildings both in Europe (especially France, where the style originated) and the United States during the latter 19th century. Even though the building's symmetrical layout with a frontal clock tower in the middle is typical of legislative institutions of British heritage, the architectural style is believed to be unique among parliament buildings found in other Canadian provincial capitals. Its facade presents a pantheon representing significant events and people of the history of Quebec.

Image by XeresNelro, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lower Town

The Lower Town is a historic district located at the bottom of Cap Diamant. During 1608, Samuel de Champlain built a habitation where its remains can be found with Place Royale as its centre. It was restored with the goal of reconstructing the French flair from its origins. Construction of the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires started during 1687 at this location and was completed during 1723. The Musée de la civilisation, the Musée naval de Québec, the caserne Dalhousie and the Théâtre Petit Champlain are among some of the museums, performance halls, theatres and exhibition venues in Lower Town.

Image by Marc-Lautenbacher, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Saint-Jean Museum

Fort Saint-Jean Museum was founded in 1960 as a private collection of artifacts, military objects and historical documents. With the years, the museum expanded its collection and new offers several instructive exhibitions about the site’s rich military past and history. The Museum was first located in the Old Guardhouse built by the Royal Engineer between 1883 and 1889, but was relocated in 2005 to the CMR’s old Protestant Church to better accommodate its exhibition and customers. The Musée du Fort Saint Jean has collected some 2,588 pictures for an online photo album illustrative of the history of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean from 1952 to 1984.

Image by Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Édifice Marie-Guyart

The Édifice Marie-Guyart, previously and still commonly known as Complexe G, is a 31-storey, 132 m (433 ft) office skyscraper completed in 1972 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The brutalist style tower is the tallest building in the city, as well as the tallest building in Canada east of Montreal. Situated in the Parliament Hill borough, the building houses most notably the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, as well the Observatoire de la Capitale observation deck. On the highest floor of the building, the Observatoire de la Capitale provides a 360 degree view of the city from a height of 221 meters. Visitors can see the Citadelle de Québec, the Château Frontenac and the countryside surrounding Quebec City.

Image by I, Adqproductions, CC BY-SA 3.0

Grande Allée

It is located on Quebec City Hill, parallel to the St. Lawrence River, in the La Cité-Limoilou and Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge boroughs. It is famous for its restaurants and fine buildings which recall today the status prestigious residences that were there at the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries 2. The St. Louis Street, Grande Allée and Saint-Louis were the only road that connected at the xvii th century, the Old Quebec present in Cap-Rouge west of Quebec 7. It was the road that people from outside borrowed to sell their furs in the city. After the departure of the British imperial garrison in 1871 from Citadelle 8 and its surroundings, Grande Allée underwent several redevelopments, including the destruction of military architecture ( Portes Hope, Prescott and Palais 9, for example). If it was not for the intervention ofLord Dufferin 10, the walls of the city could also have been razed. The Parliament is later built in 1877 and in fact, many citizens to establish residence there 11. Towards the end of the xix th century, this route is expanded and arranged so as to create a pleasant and healthy living environment and the bourgeoisie could take up residence. In 1911, protests burst forth to challenge the construction of the building height Apartments Grande Allée, at the corner of rue Chevrotière, especially given its lack of arrangement to other buildings 12. Several lavish mansions now house cafes, clubs and restaurants 13.

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