Lower Town

There are two ways to get down to Lower Town, which is quite a bit down from Upper Town. From the first stripey gazebo on Dufferin Terrace, by the Samuel de Champlain statue in front of Chateau Frontenac, you walk down the Escalier Frontenac (stairs) to Prescott Gate. I suggest you take a little detour here and explore Rue des Remparts and Montmorency Park. Then to get to Lower Town, take the steep street, Côte de la Montagne, which has adorable shops the whole way down. Le Palier has Native Canadian crafts. I bought my daughter lovely gift here. La Cinquième Saison is another shop, with cute kitchen items and children's toys. You want to buy everything in it! Turn right to take Escalier Casse-Cou, a short staircase, to the spot where the Funiculaire station is. You are now in Lower Town! Just around the corner you will find another sweet shop called in ID Influence Design Boutique, with white shelves full of items with clean-lined designs.
Another way to get down to Lower Town is the funicular (funiculaire in French), which departs from between the first and second stripey gazebos (kiosques) on Dufferin Terrace. I suggest you walk Côte de la Montagne down to the Lower Town and then take the funicular back up, saving yourself from a strenuous walk back! The funicular costs $4 cash. The lower station is housed in Maison Louis-Jolliet, built in 1683, the house of an explorer who used the house as his base for his westward journeys.
It is blissful to just stroll along the cobblestone streets of the Lower Town, diving into galleries that pique one's interest. My favorite is Galerie d'art Beauchamp & Beauchamp, a good place to stop for a rest because it has modern couches where you can pause and take in the art. There are three floors of colorful art. Perfection! From the windows you can see the spooky head sculptures over the doorways of 60 Rue Saint-Pierre.
There are many galleries on Rue du Sault-au-Matelot, plus interesting art installations on the buildings, strung between buildings, and on windowsills. This street leads to a square with a slanted sculpture called La Vivriere. It's a cool area!
Rue du Petit Champlain, the oldest street in the city, is a very narrow street chock full of shops. It can get very crowded. There is a religious bookstore at the end called Librarie Père Frédéric. Sometimes a harpist plays outside it. It is charming here how the maple-tree covered cliff backs right up to the street. This is the cliff where the Upper Town and Dufferin Terrace sits atop. Next to the religious bookstore is a garden with a cross with the sacred heart of Mary. And the next building has a fascinating mural full of life, called Fresque du Petit-Champlain. Across the street is a leafy area of benches and colorful umbrellas where you can have a rest, called Terrasse du Petit Champlain. Grab an crepe at Crêperie et Cie 5.0 and enjoy it on the terrace. This area has red, orange, yellow and white lanterns suspended at night. A few blocks away, at 73 Rue du Petit Champlain, see the strange sculpture of a girl balancing between the walls of the narrow hidden staircase- it is quite shocking. Parc Félix-Leclerc is a magical square full of little lights, lanterns, swings, adirondack chairs, hanging baskets and decorations that backs up to the cliff. I wish I hadn't missed this street the first time I visited Quebec City but somehow I didn't see it was there!
Another fresco to see is Fresque des Québécois, Quebec City Mural in English, in an open area around the corner from Place Royale. It was created in 1999 and depicts the architecture and ramparts of Old Quebec, plus sixteen famous Québécois such as founder of the colony Samuel de Champlain, explorer Jacques Cartier (who named Canada), diplomat Lord Dufferin, politician Louis-Joseph Papineau, women's rights activist Thaïs Lacoste-Frémont, Ursuline nun Marie de l’Incarnation, and singer Félix Leclerc in each window.
Rue Sous-le-Fort is the cutest street ever! You see the water as you walk down it, taking in the hanging baskets (bursting with flowers in August) and pale stone buildings. Royal Battery is at the end, with a swing, cannons, maple trees, and plenty of long benches to sit and take in the water views.
Nearby, if you walk along Rue du Marche-Champlain, it will be impossible to miss Maison Jean-Baptiste-Chevalier, a stunning, huge stone house with bright red mansard roof, red window shutters, red door, and dormers, and a large grassy yard in front with a flagpole. People like to sit atop its low stone walls and take in the busy street corner. It was built in 1752 for shipbuilder Jean-Baptiste Chevalier.
Place Royale is a mesmerizing old square, the center of Lower Town, packed with people in late summer. The architecture is like none you've seen before! The houses that encircle the square were the homes of wealthy merchants. Their steep Normandy-style roofs, dormer windows, and chimneys will melt your heart. Have a dragon tea at Cafe La Maison Smith Notre-Dame and watch the people go by. Admire the little steeple and round windows of compact Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church, the oldest surviving church in Quebec City, built in 1688. Sometimes a man plays Classical piano music here on a keyboard. In summer the hanging baskets overflowing with flowers in Place Royale are gorgeous.
Place de Paris is a wide open area with a wavy-patterned pavement across from the waterfront and Quai Chouinard (depart point of sightseeing cruises), where you can get great views of Chateau Frontenac high above. In summer there are lime green chairs and white umbrellas where you can have a rest from all your walking! Place des Canotiers, next to Quai Chouinard, is another wide open modern space, with modern art sculptures and a splash fountain that is fun for kids, on the Saint Lawrence River. It also has great views of Chateau Frontenac and the Upper Town perched on the cliff. Come here on a moonlit night and watch the water glisten below you. The waterfront is a bit fumey and industrial in Lower Town, not a pristine countryside river.
One block south of Place de Paris, at 10 rue des Traversiers, you can take a ferry to Levis, the island across the river. On the ferry you will get fantastic views of Chateau Frontenac, Quebec Seminary, and the city skyline. At night it's lovely to watch the water shimmer and the buildings lit with golden light. Ferries leave every half hour to hour. There is a lovely walk you can do in Levis along the water. Turn right when you get off the ferry to walk along the water. There is a tourist office that can give you a map.
There are two museums to visit: Musée de la Civilisation, in an impressive limestone and glass building, with interesting exhibits on the Quebec nationalist movement and the overall history of Quebec, plus good temporary exhibits; and Musée Naval de Québec, all the way by the Old Port.
The Old Port, where the cruise ships arrive, has an amphitheater with many seats, where you can see free shows during the summer (arrive early!). At night, this area is beautiful with its proximity to the river and views of Chateau Frontenac lit up. You can also watch the summertime Thursday night (9pm) fireworks shows from here. Le Cafe du Monde has views of the Saint Lawrence River from its outdoor terrace- arrive early to get a spot. Indoors, it has a glass atrium on the side with views of l'Agora amphitheater and the attractive old stone Customs house. La Cour Arrière du Festibière is a great place on a hot day. It is a summertime pub-terrace offering tacos and beer from various microbreweries. Enjoy the party atmosphere, picnic tables, bright umbrellas, a shallow pool with adirondack chairs where you can dip your toes in the water, and views of an old sailing ship. Since this area is by the cruise ship terminal, it can get crowded.
Lower Town, especially Place Royale, is very crowded! I wouldn't want to stay there in a hotel. And it would be annoying to not be in Upper Town. But it is a great place to walk around for about two days of one's trip.

Folk art by Claudette Castonguay, in Le Palier shop.

Lower Town

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