Noël au Vieux-Québec City

Bon Annee!!!  Look no further then Quebec City to fulfill your dream of a storybook Christmas come to life.  Festive holiday trappings are everywhere. Trees, wreaths, garlands and lights festoon the entire historic district.  The smell of chestnuts roasting at the Christmas markets.  Carollers singing popular holiday classics throughout the city.   A magical experience.

We were fortunate enough to spend 6 glorious nights celebrating Christmas 2017.  We stayed at the historic Fairmont Chateau Frontenac.  Our room was tucked away under the eaves and offered traditional decor with one bedroom and a sitting area.  From this 7th floor vantage point we had views of the St. Lawrence river from every window..  

Fairmont Chateau Frontenac

The hotel is on the site of the Chateau Haldimand, built between 1784-86 as the residence of the colonial government of the province of Quebec.  Later, Laval university occupied part of the property until 1892, when demolition began to make way for Chateau Frontenac.

Front entrance lobby(photo courtesy of Fairmont)

Front entrance lobby facing guestroom elevators on the left and front desk further down on left.(photo courtesy of Fairmont)

Lobby corridor leading to hotel shops and restaurants

7th floor suite

Like I did for our room in Montreal, I arranged for a pre-lit tree for our room to surprise Papa Dan and Daniel.  But, the gig was up...they were betting each other ahead  of time that a tree was waiting for us in Quebec City too.

Suite sitting room

I really loved that we managed get a traditional style room instead of one of the recently renovated rooms. The hotel is going toward muted grays and modern minimalist decor.   The fact that our room was in the  roof line really added to the ambiance with its dormer windows and angled ceilings.

Suite Bedroom

Christmas Eve treats

Opening Stocking on Christmas Eve

Waking up Christmas Morning

Room Service for Christmas Day Breakfast

A visit from one of Santa's Elves bearing the last special gift drop off

Opening gifts Christmas Day

Toasting another memorable Christmas celebration!

Day stroll through the Rue du Petit-Champlain District

Quebec City's current population is approximately 531,900.  It is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec.  It was founded by Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer and diplomat in 1608.

 It is one of the oldest European settlements in North America.  The fortified walls surrounding Old Quebec are the only of its kind that remains in the Americas north of Mexico which is why in 1985 UNESCO certified the city a " World Heritage Site" as the Historic District of Old Quebec.

Rue de Petit Champlain District at night

Place Royale

Christmas Market Old Quebec(Photo from Noelallemandquebec.com)

Christmas Market Old Quebec(Photo from Noelallemandquebec.com)

Streets of Old Quebec

Hotel-de-Ville(City Hall)

Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame Quebec

Chateau Frontenac

Au 1884 Toboggan Slide

Place D'Youville Skating Rink

Siberia Station Spa

Aux Anciens Canadiens

Champlain Restaurant

A great Christmas holiday in Quebec City!  Next, we take the train back to Montreal to bring in the New Year!

Holiday vacation in the province of Quebec

Happy New Year!!!  Our family spent the holidays in the winter wonderland of French Canadian Quebec.  This was our first visit to Canada and won't be our last.  Quebec has always been on my bucket list since discovering it on the UNESCO website listed as a world heritage location.

  Before travelling to Quebec City,  we stayed 3 nights in Montreal at the beautiful Ritz Carlton.  Opened in 1912, this is the first Ritz Carlton in North America.

Checking in at Front desk

Front desk staff giving us a private escort to our room

Since this was our family's first time actually spending Christmas away from home, I surprised Papa Dan and Daniel with a Christmas tree in the room.  I also ordered one for our room in Quebec city which is where we will be on Christmas day. 
 

I called ahead to the concierge to order a 6 foot pre-lit tree.  Since I do all the packing for our travels,  I was able to sneak in a spool of gold ribbon and a few boxes of light unbreakable gold and red ornaments in one of our check in luggage.



The contemporary one bedroom suite was very comfortable with it's clean lines and minimal color palette.

Little Daniel was mostly impressed with the high tech features throughout the suite that included a seat warmer in the lavatory which he has already added to this year's christmas wish list. 

Strolling the streets of Old Montreal

The chilly weather in Quebec set a record low.  In fact, we learned that it was the coldest season they had experienced in over 146 years.

If you're not familiar with Quebec, the primary language is French.  However, many speak English making it easier for English speaking tourists.  Our son has been taking French lessons since he was 6 (now 10) so this was a great language immersion trip for him.

The city of Montreal is old and amazingly beautiful. It is a great destination for those that appreciate historic architecture.  Although the Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832, it's history spans over several thousand years.

Overlooking the city from Parc du Mont-Royal

It was originally inhabited by Canadian Aborigines referred to as the St. Lawrence Iroquoians.  Jacques Cartier was the first known European to reach Montreal in 1535 during his passage to Asia.

Skiing at Parc du Mont-Royal

We had a late afternoon lunch at the nearby brasserie, Le Pois Penche.  Casual French cuisine.

Ready to get warm with a dip in the indoor heated pool with a panoramic view of the city.

Latte and hot chocolate in the hotel lobby before a night stroll

Notre Dame Basilica de Montreal

Notre Dame Basilica de Montreal.  The Gothic Revival style Basilica was built in 1672.  The architect was Francois Baillairge.

After a long day and night of strolling the city,skiing and swimming we returned to our room to find a wonderful surprise.



The concierge left us a bottle of red wine and delicious tray of charcuterie and a wonderful welcome note.

Finally, we indulged in a few martinis whike watching the classic Sound of Music before ordering room service and calling it a night!!!  Stay tuned for our visit to Quebec City for a snow globe Christmas holiday adventure.