Things to do with little kids in Quebec City

June 13, 2023 8:53 AM

We just booked a trip to Quebec City for a long weekend in late July. We = Mr. Millipede, me, and our four year old boy/girl twins. What must we not miss?

We are interested in pretty much anything and are not picky eaters (i started this sentence with we = kids, but all of these things really apply to all of us). Kids are used to cities and walking a lot and eating at restaurants (we live in NYC). We chose a city because we've been on so many beach vacations and our kids hate the beach so we thought city kids might enjoy another city. We chose Quebec City specifically because we heard it is lovely and have never been. We are staying in Old Quebec.

posted by millipede to Travel & Transportation around Quebec, QC (9 answers total)

We took our four kids (14, 18, 20, and 23) last August. No museums for this crew! We hiked in one of the national parks for a day. We rented kayaks one day. We hiked around the giant waterfall and then had a picnic.

We drove out to the cute island and they were INSTANTLY bored, even with free samples at the chocolate factory.

We walked around the old city a fair bit.

Since Verizon has a deal up there, I could use the geocaching app to find one -- which was cool.

They loved going to the grocery store and looking at weird All Dressed chips and local candy.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:06 AM on June 13, 2023

It's a short trip, but it's hard to go wrong with a funicular.
posted by baseballpajamas at 9:09 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

We went recently (it was really nice!). We realized after we left that we should have allotted more time to the lower part of the old city (elevation-wise, below the fort). They have a lot of historic, food, and shopping locations there. One of our kids' favorites was a woodcarving shop. We didn't buy anything (flying) but the shop had some very cool stuff. I'm not sure what the area is called as a whole but the woodcarving shop was in Quartier Petit Champlain.

Have fun!
posted by gofordays at 9:21 AM on June 13, 2023

The "cute island" (the Île d'Orléans) is beautiful but I can see why kids wouldn't find much in it. Opposite the island, on shore, there's a waterfall called the Chutes de Montmorency. You can walk around it from various angles and there's a cable car. Food at the top. Your hotel should be able to advise you on means of getting there and back (it's not very far from town).
posted by zadcat at 9:42 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Aquarium du Québec ?

I visited the Ste-Anne Canyon last week, and I remember thinking that it woud be a great place to bring kids. It'a really a family friendly place. Bring a picnic!
posted by bluefrog at 11:10 AM on June 13, 2023

And about the Ile d'Orléans, you might want to look at whether season is still on for some strawberry self-picking (the word you are looking for in french is "autocueillette de fraises").
posted by bluefrog at 11:17 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Musée de la Civilisation! We used to take our girl and boy every year at the end of the summer. It’s a terrific museum that includes kid oriented special exhibitions. Memorable tactile experiences (feeling a beaver’s pelt). Le Cafe du Monde nearby was good for family dining—though this was not recently.
posted by xaryts at 11:57 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

There's the ferry (traversiere) from Quebec City to Levis, if you want a cheap boat ride that is also great for getting shots of the city. There's usually stuff going on around the Plains of Abraham, you definitely want to buy them a Beavertail pastry when you're in the Vieux.

I used to love the aquarium as a kid, curious if it still holds up. There's a zoo a bit outside of Quebec, instead of going to Ste-Anne Canyon you could to the chutes Montmorency or chutes de la Chaudiere on the south shore, both are closer. There's a rollercoaster and amusement rides at Galleries de la Capitale if you're up for a mall visit.
posted by furtive at 1:00 PM on June 13, 2023

You'll probably find it anyway because it's right in the old city, but when I think of Quebec City, along with the history, I think of Au Petit Coin Breton for Brétonnique crèpes. It was relatively cheap and definitely good and we went every day.
posted by morspin at 11:39 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]