Quebec is the largest province in Canada in terms of area and the second largest province in terms of population. It used to be called Lower Canada. It is the largest province in Canada in terms of area and also the one with the largest proportion of French-speaking population. Of the 7.5 million inhabitants, who are called Quebeckers (French: Québéquois), the majority are French-speaking native speakers. It is the only province in North America where this is the case.
North
Baie-James · Duplessis · Manicouagan · Nunavik ·
Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
Southwest
Regions that lie west of the St.
Lawrence River.
Abitibi-Témiscamingue · Charlevoix · Lanaudière ·
Laurentides · Laval · Mauricie ·
Montreal · Gatineau ·
Quebec
Southeast
Regions that lie east of the St. Lawrence River.
Bas-Saint-Laurent · Cantons-de-l'Est · Centre-du-Quebec ·
Chaudière-Appalaches · Gaspésie · Îles-de-la-Madeleine · Longueuil ·
Montérégie
Montréal
Ville de Quebec - capital of the province
Gatineau -
sister city of Ottawa on the river of the same name, parts of the
federal government are located here.
Trois-Rivières - halfway between
Montreal and the city of Quebec
Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup - on the
eastern bank of the lower reaches of the Saint Lawrence River
Saguenay - the city lies on the Saguenay River on its way into the Saint
Lawrence River.
Mont-Tremblant - the most important ski resort in the Laurentian Mountains
The national language in the province of Quebec is French. French and English are spoken in all institutions under the control of the federal government (Canada). A large part of the population in Montreal speaks English. Both languages are used in the tourism industry. So you can 'survive' very well with English, especially as a tourist. If you use a few phrases in French (greeting, thanking, etc.) you will be able to enjoy the hospitality of the Quebecers. Canada is supposed to be officially bilingual, but it is only bilingual in some areas of the country and in Quebec.
By plane
Montreal-Trudeau Airport is Canada's second busiest, with
direct flights from many European cities. Most visitors to Quebec will
land here.
Other airports are in Quebec and Mont-Tremblant, with
only regional connections. The far west of the province may be best
reached via Ottawa.
You can only really get around with a car. There are also
long-distance buses between the larger cities. The rail network is
limited to the Quebec-Montreal-Ottawa/Toronto route.
If you want
to cross the St. Lawrence River by car, there are bridges to the city of
Quebec. After that, there are only ferries to the Atlantic:
Traverse Rivière-du-Loup – Saint-Siméon. The ferry holds 100 cars and
crosses the river in 65 minutes. Departures four times a day in
midsummer. The departure point in Rivière-du-Loup is Rue Hayward, in
Saint-Siméon the ferry lands near Rue du Quai. Price: $45 per car plus
$19 per person (children 7-12 years $12.70, seniors $17.20; as of summer
2015).
Another ferry, with similar fares, runs further east,
between Trois-Pistoles and Les Escoumins.
1 Gatineau Park . Natural park with countless activities.
2 Parc
national de Miguasha (Miguasha National Park) . The smallest of the
natural parks in this province. Since 1999 it has been a UNESCO World
Heritage Site because of its fossil finds.
Camping in the various national parks
Whale watching in the St.
Lawrence River and in the Gaspésie
Watching moose and wolves with a
nature guide in Jacques Cartier Park
Skiing (downhill and
cross-country) in the various parks, ski resorts
Dog sledding
Winter carnival in Quebec City
Maple syrup season in spring
Watching wild geese in spring and autumn on the banks of the St.
Lawrence River in the Quebec area
Music festival in early July in
Quebec City
Jazz festival in Montreal
'l'été indien' Indian summer
- late September early October, a unique natural spectacle
If you want to buy French books, you can look out for branches of the Renaud Bray chain in Quebec, which are always very well stocked. An alternative is the Archambault chain, which offers not only books but also recorded music and other media. When it comes to videos and DVDs, however, you have to keep in mind that they usually cannot be played on European devices due to the region code and the color format.
Quebec's cuisine derives its variety of flavours from a mixture of
influences. It has a solid French base and is enriched by the
contributions of the indigenous peoples and other cultural communities
that have made their home in the province. This mixture of culinary
cultures makes Quebec cuisine what it is today.
It is worth
looking out for restaurants in Quebec that serve Canadian or French
cuisine and offer multi-course meals at a fixed price ("table d'hôte").
Travellers who are used to eating just a little at lunch and a more
substantial meal in the evening can save a lot of money if they change
their diet for the duration of their trip and move the main meal to
midday. The good and elegant restaurants usually have lunch options that
are significantly cheaper than the evening menu. Be careful, diner does
not mean dinner in Canadian French, but lunch; you often see the term
midi on menus. Dinner is called souper. Table d'hote are special meals
at a fixed price. Food is quite expensive in Quebec, even simpler cafes
or bars are expensive. The cafe culture in Quebec is like most European
countries, so it should be very easy to find a quaint cafe around the
Marche Champlain or around the castle.
Many delicatessens and
markets offer a wide selection of cheeses from local farms. Specialties
of the region are brie or camembert-like cheeses made with raw milk
(lait cru). These cheeses have flavors and textures not normally found
in North American cheeses of the same type.
Maple syrup is the
thickened sap of the sugar maple tree. The sap (30-50 liters of sap are
needed for one liter of syrup) is collected, then boiled down to maple
syrup and traditionally used to sweeten many foods. It is also eaten
with ham, sausages, and savory items. One of Quebec's culinary
traditions is the sugar shack (French: cabane à sucre), where maple
products are eaten as part of Quebec folklore. In early spring, in March
and April, people go in groups, similar to the kale trips in northern
Germany. A variety of dishes with maple syrup are offered, from bacon to
pies to desserts, everything is sweetened. Sweet maple wine or maple
beer is drunk with it. Most sugar shacks sell their maple products on
site (maple butter, taffies and syrup) at reasonable prices. If you want
to participate, it is a good idea to reserve in advance. Some sugar
shacks are open all year round.
Sucrerie de la Montagne, 300 Chemin
Saint-Georges, Rigaud, QC J0P 1P0 (about 1 hour's drive from Montreal).
Tel.: +1 450-451-0831. Maple syrup farm with shop, restaurant with syrup
menus, accommodation options. You can find out about the production and
culinary possibilities of the syrup. The main season is February to
April, when there are many events. Open: daily 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Poutine is French fries with cheese curds and gravy. If you want to
try this calorie bomb, you should go ahead and do so, even if the
European prejudice that this dish is actually inedible may be confirmed.
Tourtière québecoise is a type of meat pie, typical of the
Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region. It consists of various types of meat
(mostly beef and pork, often game, cut into small cubes) and diced
potatoes, which are baked together in a casserole dish.
In
spring, the very fine-tasting tips of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia
struthiopteris) are eaten as wild vegetables for a few weeks. In English
they are called fiddleheads, the twisted fern tips look like the heads
of violins. You can find them on French menus under Tête de violon. You
can buy them frozen all year round. They must be boiled for 15 minutes
before consumption; they should not be eaten raw.
The legal minimum age for drinking alcohol in public in Quebec is 18.
It is more respectful to address the French-speaking citizens of
Quebec as Quebecers (m. Québécois, f. Québécoise) rather than
French-Canadians. Most francophone citizens of Quebec feel more like
Québécois than Canadians. Québec is not France, many prefer to be called
"francophone" (which refers only to the French language) rather than
"French" (which is ambiguous since one could derive a national
citizenship from French). Anglophones are not offended by being called
Canadians, they consider themselves both.
Postal codes for Québec
begin with G (Québec City and eastern Québec), H (Montréal and Laval)
and J (western Québec). H0H 0H0 are reserved seasonally.
Quebec is generally a safe area, with the possible exception of a few
unsafe areas of Montreal and Quebec City. Visitors should use common
sense when traveling, as they would any other area, lock cars and keep
an eye on valuables.
In winter and spring, make sure rental cars
are equipped with snow tires.
There are four distinct seasons in Quebec, offering magnificent views
of nature and a variety of possible activities.
Winter (November
to late March): Quebec's extremely low temperatures and an abundance of
snowfall make skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling and dog
sledding possible. In December, Quebec turns into a snow-covered, white
dreamland. In March and April, the maple syrup festivities take place in
the sugar shacks (see Cuisine).
Spring (April and May): April can
still be relatively cold and snowfall can occur. April feels like winter
should finally be over. In May, nature awakens, the trees bloom and
things start to bloom.
Summer (June to September): Summers in Quebec
are hot, the season offers many festivals and outdoor activities.
Fall (September to late October): The leaves change color, creating
stunning colorful landscapes.