11 Dec Winter is coming…to Québec City
The cold season in Québec City brings tons of joy and excitement. Sports fans will be able to put on their skis, snow shoes and skates. Kids will pace counting the days until Santa delivers their presents. Houses will smell of gingerbread cookies and Christmas food. Winter may be cold, but it is not frozen in time! We still enjoy tons of activities, let me give you some insights on our very French Canadian season!
First off, we like our shopping, especially if it encourages small local businesses and artisans. You will find fairs year round travelling through the province. In Québec City, the Christmas German Fair is a must. From November 23rd to December 23rd, discover the know-how of Québec’s artisans. Warm wine, european hotdogs (with cheese fondu…my favourite! yummy!) sauerkraut and tomato wine are only a few of the many snacks you can find. You can shop for ornaments, wool socks, handmade glassware and so much more. All of which, in a joyous mood and a very tangible excitement for the upcoming holidays. Walking through the tiny houses, it almost feels like Europe for a little while!
Talking about treats and shopping, the Petit Champlain is yet another endless resource of discoveries! With ornaments pending from windows and doors, lights everywhere, it is yet another great area to get in the mood for Christmas. Activities are also organized by the neighbourhood comity and will help creating a magic ambiance all throughout the holidays. If you are careful, you may even meet Santa Claus himself! Or help faith and check his schedule here! We recommend popping by Le Lapin Sauté for a well deserved heart (and body) warming meal.
There are also outdoor activities that we don’t do on a daily basis, but are part of our heritage like dog sledding. It dates back centuries when we met the natives and they showed us how easily they were covering big distances in little time in the winter with their dogs. Dog sledding is an invigorating activity where the great outdoors is your playground. Expédition Mi-Loup on the Orleans Island will guide you in this one of a kind activity. You can also couple it with a snowmobile or showshoeing package. Pack your bag with warm clothes, you are going to need them. Bonus: you sometimes get to cuddle the puppies! Yeah!
We were lucky enough to welcome the FIS Cross-country Worl Cup Finals this spring after Russia’s retreat from the event. The Plaines of Abraham will provide you with a variety of tracks from several difficulty levels. The Îles d’Orléans and Mont-Ste-Anne also have trails that will make every skier happy! And if sledding, gliding is your thing, the toboggan slides at Le Château Frontenac are just the thing for you. You are in for a lot of fun, and for a meager CAD$3.00 a ride, you can enjoy it more than once! then, you can treat yourself to a well deserved hot chocolate! Add some music and a live camera feed and you are back to Place d’Youville on a gorgeous ice skating rink! Fear not, you do not have to carry your skates through customs. Rental skates go for CAD$8.00 a pair. So, once your bought those wool socks at the German fair, put them on and enjoy a little skating time!
♫ Oh, but Baby it’s cold outside ♫ Then, why not stay warm and learn about myriad of topics? The Museum of Civilisation presents various exhibits covering a wide variety of fields. Learn about Québec then and now, the Native Americans of the Province of Québec or even Hergé (the designer of Tintin). With an in-house restaurant and snack, you won’t have to step foot outside.
♫It’s the most wonderful time of the year♫ and you should be a part of it! I wish you all a great coming Holidays season and the very best for beginning of the year! I will be back very soon with some insights on what to see, where to eat, what to do for Christmas and New Year’s!
À bientôt!
