Quebec City

The only North American walled town, smaller and more interesting than Montreal. Probably due to its attractive historical buildings which are centred within the city walls and the old town running adjacent to the St Lawrence river.

Historically it was the first North American city to be founded as a permanent French settlement, rather than a trading post. Over the next 150 years it went back and forth between French and British control until 1760 when the treaty of Paris gave Canada to Britain, though 12 years later American revolutionaries unsuccessfully tried to capture Quebec. Britain eventually gave Canada its independence in 1867 when Quebec City became the provincial capital. Perversely although part of the British Commonwealth the official language of Quebec is French.

Whilst here we have enjoyed the vibe of the old town, walking through Battlefields park and the Plains of Abraham where the final battle between Britain and the French took place in 1759, this verdant cliff top park was packed with Martello Towers, open green spaces overlooked by fine architecture and park benches that allowed you to sit and enjoy the park and the River below.

We were overawed by the splendour of Le Chateau Frontenac built by the Canadian Pacific railway and opened in 1893 as part of a chain of luxury hotels.

The highlight of our stay was the permanent collection of Inuit art in the Musee National des Beaux- Arts du Quebec, which also in other galleries had a collection of modern art pieces and a display of hyper realistic figures using techniques created from the late 60’s onwards as a form of pop art that have been perfected up to the modern day producing ever more realistic art.