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Family Friendly in Quebec City

🇨🇦 Quebec City, Canada

Family Friendly in Quebec City

Easy-access places suitable for mixed-age groups. Explore 6 curated stops in Quebec City, including Petit Champlain, Place Royale, and Notre-Dame de Québec. Highlights include Petit Champlain, rated 4.7/5 by 8,000 visitors.

6 stops ~3h Available in app

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6 places in this collection

Family Friendly places

6 places in this collection

Petit Champlain 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'

Place Royale 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.

Notre-Dame de Québec 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.

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Old Quebec Funicular 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.

Lower Town 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.

Musée de l'Amérique francophone Image by Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0

Musée de l'Amérique francophone

The Musée de l'Amérique francophone (formerly the Musée de l'Amérique française) is situated in Old Quebec. Its mission is for the development and promotion of French culture in North America, and houses a number exhibits that showcases the history of French America. The museum collection has been managed by the Musée de la civilisation since 1995. Founded by Monseigneur François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, the Séminaire de Québec now houses the musée de l'Amérique française, which gives it the distinction of being the oldest museum in Canada. In 1993, the Musée du Séminaire became officially the Musée de l'Amérique française. In 2013 it was renamed the Musée de l'Amérique francophone.

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