Quebec City: 5-Day Itinerary
Quebec City in 5 Days
Five days gives Old Quebec its full due across two days, both major day trips, and a fifth day in the modern city that most shorter itineraries skip entirely.
Day 1: Upper Town and the Citadelle
Walk Place d’Armes, the Chateau Frontenac, and the Dufferin Terrace boardwalk, then tour the Citadelle for the Royal 22e Regiment’s daily summer changing of the guard. Walk the Plains of Abraham, the 1759 battlefield, in the afternoon. Dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens, in a house dating to 1675, runs roughly CAD $40-60 per person plus the 14.975% tax. Tip: book that dinner ahead, it’s the one reservation on this trip worth locking down early.
Day 2: Lower Town and the museums
Take the funicular or Breakneck Stairs to Petit-Champlain and Place Royale, where Champlain founded the city in 1608. Spend the afternoon at the Musee de la civilisation (around CAD $22, verify) and browse the Marche du Vieux-Port for maple products. Tip: arrive at Petit-Champlain before 9am for photos without cruise crowds.
Day 3: Montmorency Falls
Drive 15 minutes to Montmorency Falls, 83 meters and taller than Niagara. The free boardwalk and 487-step staircase cover the main view; the cable car adds around CAD $15, and a summer zipline over the gorge runs about CAD $30. Tip: go early, the parking lot fills by mid-morning in summer.
Day 4: Ile d’Orleans and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Cross to Ile d’Orleans in the morning for the 67-kilometer loop road’s orchards and cider houses, then continue to the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Basilica, a pilgrimage site dating to 1658. Tip: see Quebec City’s Best Day Trips for how these two stops connect by road.
Day 5: Saint-Roch and departure
Spend the morning in Saint-Roch, the city’s newer dining and arts district, then shop for maple products and souvenirs in Old Quebec before heading to Jean Lesage International Airport. Tip: Michelin-recognized tables in Saint-Roch run CAD $25-35 per main, a genuinely different price point from an Old Quebec dinner.