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Getting There By Air:

Aéroport International Jean-Lesage (YQB)
Tel: (418) 640 2600.
Website: www.aeroportdequebec.com

Quebec City’s airport lies 20km (12 miles) west of Old Quebec and handles primarily domestic flights, although there are a few flights from destinations in the USA as well as charters to Paris, London and the Caribbean. Most international flights arrive at Montreal, a short flight away. Quebec City’s airport also serves as the main departure point for the remote towns in the north and east of the province.

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, ATMs, restaurants, bars, newsagents, duty-free and other shops. Car hire is provided by Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and National/Alamo; Budget and Thrifty are located near the airport.

Transport to the city: There are no public transportation options available from the airport. Taxis to the city center are charged at a fixed rate. Limousines are also available at the airport.

Approximate flight times to Quebec City: From London is 8 hours; from New York is 1 hour 45 minutes; from Los Angeles is 5 hours 45 minutes; from Toronto is 1 hour 30 minutes and from Sydney is 19 hours.

Getting There By Road:

Quebec City is well served by a network of autoroutes (motorways), which normally have two-digit numbers identified by red and blue signs, as well as main (100-199) and secondary (200-399) highways, which have green signs.

Traffic drives on the right. Road signs are international but usually in French. Maximum speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on rural highways and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Except on the island of Montreal, it is legal for drivers to turn right at a red light in the province of Quebec unless posted otherwise.

The minimum driving age is 16 years. An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required. Visitors to Quebec may drive on their national driving licenses for up to six months. Proof of insurance must be carried. Non-residents may be covered for compensation under the province’s no-fault insurance if driving a vehicle registered in Quebec or a province or US state with a reciprocal arrangement. The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) (tel: (418) 643 7620; website: www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca) can provide further information.

There are often road checks for intoxicated drivers; the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. Seatbelts are compulsory for all passengers. Radar detection devices are strictly prohibited and may not be carried in automobiles. Snow tires are a necessity in winter.

Information on road conditions is available from the Ministère des Transports (tel: 1 888 355 0511; website: www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca). CAA-Québec (part of the Canadian Automobile Association) offers travel planning, insurance and other services to motorists (tel: (418) 624 8222 or 1 800 686 9243; website: www.caaquebec.com).

Emergency breakdown services:
CAA/AAA 1 800 222 4357 or *222 from most mobile phones.

Routes to the city: The main routes from the west (including Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto) are Highway 40, on the St Lawrence River’s north shore, and Highway 20, which bypasses the city on the south shore. Access to the city from Highway 20 is via Highway 73, arriving from the south and the US border. Highway 73’s northern half overlaps with Highway 175 from Chicoutimi. From the east, Highway 138 from Charlevoix becomes Highway 440, leading directly into the center of the city. Many of these routes jump around - it is often necessary for drivers to exit the highway, follow another one for a couple of kilometers, then rejoin the original one.

Coach services: Orléans Express (tel: (418) 525 3000 or 1 888 999 3977; website: www.orleansexpress.com) is the main coach company within the province of Quebec, serving areas to the west and all along the south shore of the St Lawrence. Intercar (tel: (418) 627 9108 or 1 888 861 4592; website: www.intercar.qc.ca) serves the Lac St-Jean, Charlevoix and Côte Nord regions to the north and east of the city. Other companies serve smaller destinations.

All buses depart from the main bus terminal, Gare D’Autobus de La Vielle Capitale, 320 rue Abraham-Martin (tel: (418) 525 3000), which is directly adjacent to the railway station. Facilities include ATMs, bars and restaurants, left-luggage and coach passes. Most buses arriving from the west also stop at the bus terminal in Ste-Foy, 3001 chemin des Quatre-Bourgeois (tel: (418) 650 0087).

Getting There By Rail:

VIA Rail (tel: 1 888 842 7245/VIARAIL; website: www.viarail.ca) is Canada’s national rail service provider. Quebec City’s main rail station, Gare du Palais, is located a short walk northwest of Old Quebec, at 450 rue de la Gare-du-Palais, next to the main coach station. The château-like railway station contains restaurants, cafés and left-luggage facilities. Trains arriving from the west also stop at Ste-Foy Station, 3255 chemin de la Gare, to the southwest.

Rail services: Quebec City lies at the eastern end of the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, which accounts for 85% of Canada’s passenger rail traffic. Both economy and first class (VIA 1) cars are available on corridor trains, which link Quebec City with Montreal to the west. The carriages are clean and quiet, with large windows that confer a sense of the country’s vastness, as the train passes acres of farmland and mixed conifer and deciduous forests. VIA 1 fares include a surprisingly good meal and complimentary Canadian wines. From Montreal, Via has connections to Ottawa and Toronto; and Amtrak trains (tel: 1 800 872 7245/USARAIL; website: www.amtrak.com) travel to New York City.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Public buses in the Quebec City region are run by the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) (tel: (418) 627 2511; website: www.stcuq.qc.ca). The regular bus service is supplemented by a limited system of night buses (Friday and Saturday until the small hours). Express Métrobus services run more frequently and link the university area of Ste-Foy with northern suburbs, stopping near Place D’Youville en route. Each stop has an Info-Bus number; telephoning 621 followed by this four-digit number gives schedule information for that particular bus stop.

One-way fares for RTC services are available for purchase upon boarding the bus (exact change is required); tickets purchased in advance from newsagents and other outlets are available singly and are cheaper. It is possible for commuters to transfer from one bus to another at no extra cost, provided a transfer slip is obtained upon boarding the first bus. One-day passes are available; these are valid for two people at the weekend.

The upper part of Old Quebec is linked to Basse-Ville by a privately-run funicular (website: www.funiculaire-quebec.com). It operates from 0730 to 2300 in winter, and until 2400 in summer.

During ski season, the HiverExpress winter shuttle (tel: (418) 525 5191) links the city with Stoneham and Mont Ste-Anne. Departures are from central hotels (which also handle bookings).

Taxis
Metered taxis are available from taxi ranks at major hotels and at the airport, or they can be hailed on the street in Old Quebec and in areas where bars and restaurants are clustered. Taxis can also be ordered by telephone; Taxi Québec (tel: (418) 525 8123 or 522 2001) and Taxi Coop Québec (tel: (418) 525 5191; website: www.taxicoop-quebec.com) are the main firms in the city. A tip of 15% is customary.

Driving in the City
Walking is the way most visitors prefer to see the sights in Quebec City - most likely because it creates the right romantic ambience, although the difficulties of driving and parking in Old Quebec no doubt have their effect. Motorists not only have to contend with narrow, twisting streets filled with pedestrians but also have to wait while horse-drawn calèches amble along. To try and preserve the quiet atmosphere, motorcycles are not permitted in Old Quebec. Although the Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency (Highway 440) passes within a couple of blocks of the city walls and so provides a direct link to the attractions east of the city, the other highways crossing the city to the north and west can be confusing, as not enough information about exits and routes is given.

There are parking lots scattered around the periphery of the Old Town, the most convenient being the ones near the tourist office on avenue Wilfrid-Laurier, near the Grande Allée and Porte St-Louis. Within the Old Town itself, there is parking below the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) at the end of rue St-Jean. Longer term, unattended parking is available across from the coach station off rue Abraham-Martin. There are a number of lots in the Old Port area, along Quai St-André and rue Dalhousie - a convenient option in that they are a walk downhill after seeing the sights.

Car Hire
In general, drivers must be over 21 years and possess a national driving license and credit card. An International Driving Permit is not legally required but is recommended. Third party liability insurance is required.

The major car hire firms in Quebec City include Avis, in the Hilton hotel, 1100 boulevard René-Lévesque East (tel: (418) 523 1075; website: www.avis.com), Budget, 29 Côte du Palais (tel: (418) 692 3660; website: www.budget.com), Discount, 12 rue Ste-Anne (tel: (418) 655 2206; website: www.discountcar.com), and Via Route, at the Gare du Palais train station (tel: (418) 694 1727; website: www.viaroute.com).

Bicycle Hire
As part of the province-wide Route Verte (Green Route) of cycling paths (website: www.routeverte.com), there are two long-distance cycling paths passing through Quebec City, in addition to shorter paths and bike lanes for regular commuters. The long distance-paths are useful for visitors, since one links the Old Port with the Montmorency Falls, while the other branches off to the west, eventually linking up with a longer trail to one of the provincial parks. Vélo Québec (tel: 1 800 567 8356; website: www.velo.qc.ca) has a wealth of information on cycling in the province. Cyclists are required to follow all the laws of the highway code, as well as bike-specific signs.

Cyclo Services, located in the Old Port at the Marché du Vieux-Port, 160 rue du Quai St-André (tel: (418) 692 4052; website: www.cycloservices.net), hires bikes (including tandems, mountain and electric bikes) and sells maps of the local cycle paths.

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