Québec City with Kids: Castles, Crêpes, and Carnival Snow

Le Buffet de l'Antiquaire

A classic Québécois diner in the Lower Town that has been feeding locals since 1980, serving tourtière, pea soup, and hearty breakfast plates all day. It is cash-friendly, unpretentious, and the porti

Les Glaceurs

A colorful dessert shop on Rue Saint-Jean famous for creative soft-serve combinations and extravagant sundaes that kids will talk about for days. Grab cones and walk the lively Grande Allée strip as a

Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site

Walk the 4.6-kilometre circuit of the only remaining fortified city walls in North America north of Mexico, which Parks Canada maintains with interpretive panels kids can actually read. The cannons, p

Château Frontenac

Start your trip at the most photographed hotel in Canada, which doubles as a living history lesson about the city. You can walk the terrace freely, snap the iconic views over the St. Lawrence River, a

Musée de la Civilisation

One of Canada's best family museums, with hands-on permanent exhibitions covering Québec's First Nations history, French colonial life, and interactive galleries where kids can handle artifacts and tr

Chez Muffy at Auberge Saint-Antoine

A polished but welcoming restaurant built around archaeological artifacts unearthed during the hotel's construction, displayed right in the dining room walls and floors. The lunch menu is approachable

Rue du Petit-Champlain

Wander North America's oldest commercial street, a narrow lane lined with artisan boutiques, maple candy shops, and street musicians in every season. Let kids pick out a small souvenir from one of the

Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec

Ride the historic funicular railway that has connected Upper and Lower Town since 1879, offering a dramatic glass-enclosed view of the St. Lawrence as you descend. Kids love the novelty of the incline

Marché du Vieux-Port de Québec

A covered public market at the edge of the Old Port where local vendors sell fresh maple products, artisan cheeses, smoked meats, seasonal produce, and prepared foods perfect for assembling a picnic l

Musée des Plaines d'Abraham

The park's interpretive museum brings the Seven Years War to life with immersive dioramas, period weapons displays, and a short film that older kids especially find gripping. The indoor stop is also a

Plains of Abraham (Battlefields Park)

The Plains of Abraham is a massive urban park where the famous 1759 battle shaped Canadian history, and today it is one of the best free outdoor spaces in the city for families to run, bike, and explo

Erico Choco-Musée

A working chocolate museum and shop on Rue Saint-Jean where a chocolatier named Eric Normand has been making bean-to-bar chocolate since 1987, with a small free museum explaining the full cocoa proces

Parc de la Chute-Montmorency

Montmorency Falls drops 83 metres, making it taller than Niagara Falls, and the provincial park around it offers suspension bridges, via ferrata routes for older kids, and a cable car ride for younger

Île d'Orléans Bridge and Roadside Farm Stands

Cross the bridge to Île d'Orléans, a rural island in the middle of the St. Lawrence that supplies much of Québec City's produce, and stop at farm stands selling fresh strawberries, cider, and artisan

Chocolaterie de l'Île d'Orléans

A beloved island institution where you can watch chocolates being made through a viewing window before loading up on house-made truffles, fudge, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. The combination of t

Restaurant Île Bacchus

A relaxed, farm-to-table restaurant on the island that sources almost everything from the surrounding farms and orchards, with a menu that changes by season and a patio overlooking vineyards. It is a

Café Krieghoff

A neighborhood institution near the Grande Allée that has been a gathering spot for artists and families since the 1980s, serving generous brunches of eggs Benedict, French toast, and fresh-squeezed j

Marché du Quartier Saint-Roch

Québec City's hippest neighborhood hosts a lively local market focused on independent makers, street food vendors, and local artisans selling everything from handmade leather goods to Quebec-brewed ho

Méga Parc des Galeries de la Capitale

An indoor amusement park inside a shopping mall on the outskirts of the city, featuring a full-sized Ferris wheel, roller coaster, mini-golf, and bumper cars that make for a genuinely thrilling final

Fresque des Québécois

A massive trompe-l'oeil mural in Old Québec depicting 400 years of the city's history through lifelike painted figures that seem to lean out of real windows and balconies. It is a fun game for kids to