Just a 65 minute flight from Newark to Quebec City and then a 15 minute taxi ride into town. In just one hour you can be in a totally different country with all the signs in French and lots of French music on the radio. I enjoyed some songs enough to hum them for an airport worker who then told me what they were called so that I could try to visit the French Amazon.com site and buy the songs. I stayed at the Hilton just outside the old city walls with a 23rd floor view of the old city and paid about US $125. A midnight walk into town in search of Le Midnight Snack to start ended up with a waffle a la mode. Friday morning a 2 hour walk around the old city and the riverside; there is the Quebec Experience movie that gives you the local history. The Chateau Frontenac Hotel is the centerpiece of the old city and a good place to stay if you are staying in the city. I have been to Quebec City about 12 years ago and still found it to be very charming even after having been other places over the past decade.
After lunch an AVIS rental car (2 days small car $55 total with taxes and insurance; I saved $65 by taking the car at the Hilton rather than at the airport) and a 2 hour drive to La Malbaie / Pointe Au Pic in the Charlevoix region where La Manoir Richelieu is located. This area has mountains and a big river and is popular for winter and summer fun alike. Like the Chateau Frontenac, this hotel is part of the Fairmont chain. I stayed on the concierge floor with a river view room for about $275 per night. At this hotel there is a casino and some nice walking trails. The atmosphere is very informal; many Canadians and a few Americans. I expected people to be more dressed up for this high-class resort; a jacket and tie is overdoing it here. There is also a nearby coastal area with nightly free concerts on a pier which makes for cheap and easy evening activity. It is not so much an exciting resort as much as a good base to see the surrounding area; the main activities involve boats and driving. You can take a boat to go whale watching and a boat that goes down a gorge with big cliffs to the sides. I didn’t have a chance to do either because I was there over Saturday when I couldn’t move around. So if I return I would do so on a weekday, not a weekend. Nevertheless, the drive to and from Quebec City was so pretty that the excursion was worthwhile and the food at the hotel was quite good, so all in all it was a restful weekend. If you have an extra half hour, exit off Road 138 onto Road 362 at Baie Saint Paul and use that road to get to Pointe Au Pic; it is a beautiful scenic route along the coast.
Quebec airport is a very easy place to fly in and out of; very small and efficient.
I know there is a lot of debate in Canada about the Quebecois and the French language, but I personally enjoy experiencing things that are different and not familiar, so I hope they keep Quebec culture alive and keep doing what they’re doing.
