• This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Three (very) Different Quebec City Hotels to Stay In

Quebec City is one of the oldest and most beautiful settlements in North America.  That’s the definition of North America that also includes Canada, of course. But you got that.

The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with narrow cobblestone streets, 17th and 18th-century houses and charming sidewalk cafes. The Old Town area is also a walled city with historic gates that you walk through, and as I wandered around I had moments where I could have sworn I was in Europe. And not just because so many people were speaking French.

It’s a beautiful city to explore by foot (one of my favourite things!) and I loved hearing the clip clop of hooves from horse drawn carriages as I wandered the cobblestone streets, popping into cute shops and checking out the open air art galleries and street performers.

Not surprisingly, there are lots of great Quebec City hotels to choose from, including three that I have a soft spot for after my stay.

The Spiritual Hotel – Le Monastere des Augustines

Le Monastere des Augustines is a hotel like no other I’ve stayed in.

Built within the site of the continent’s first hospital north of Mexico the hotel is focused on healing and holistic health and is both physically beautiful and has a special energy to it.

The architects managed to retain some of the original features, while adding in sleek design elements that work beautifully together, and it’s the third hotel in Quebec City to receive five green keys for its environmental and social efforts.

Hallway at Le Monastere des Augustines showing brickwork and religious icons on display

The Monastère has been completely restored and renovated, and you can sleep in one of the old rooms the sisters lived in or in a more modern section of the hotel.

At first I wanted to sleep in one of the more monastic style rooms with their hand embroidered quilts and antique wooden desks, but I’ll admit I didn’t really think through the shared bathroom situation.

Read: Winnipeg, Manitoba – the Canadian city you shouldn’t miss

I’m one of those people who gets up in the night and as I prefer not to have to deal with putting on robes and slippers when I go to the bathroom, I ended up opting for the more modern section of the hotel.

But the older part was my favourite to walk through, and I loved the look of the old doorframes, not to mention all of the beautiful artwork throughout the hotel.

There are all sorts of precious art works and artefacts that the nuns collected over hundreds of years and as well as being on display throughout the hotel, there is a museum section that is well worth a visit, whether you are staying in the hotel or not.

The museum shares the history of the sisters, and of part of Quebec City itself through some of the 40,000 artefacts they have collected over the years.

Booking.com

The present day sisters still live on the premises in their own Saint-Augustin wing, and there is also a church on site, where I joined the sisters and some fellow guests one afternoon for a service.

Read: Saskatooning. What to do in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

There are wellness courses and meditation courses on offer, and breakfasts must be eaten in silence out of respect for the sisters’ heritage.

At home I love to start the day with silence, so I for one was thankful for this rule and the way I could enjoy a healthy organic breakfast in lovely peace and quiet.

For me, Le Monastere des Augustines was a beautiful place to stay on my first visit to Quebec City and I’d love to go back and do some of the wellness courses. But on this trip Charlevoix was calling, and so after a couple of nights I bought myself lots of gorgeous herbal teas from the gift shop and tore myself away.

Some of the history of Quebec City hotel Le Monastere des Augustines is shared around the hotel
Delicious souvenir tea at Le Monastere des Augustines

The Francoresponsible family run hotel – Hôtel Château Laurier Québec

When I returned from Charlevoix I had the chance to stay at a different kind of Quebec City hotel. This one was more of a modern full service hotel but also had some lovely charms.

As some readers know, Quebec has some of the strictest language laws in the world, and French has to be the predominant language on signs, and people in shops and restaurants have to greet customers in French.

The Hôtel Château Laurier Québec is the first “francoresponsible” hotel in America, which means they’re committed to respecting the French language and culture.

The Hôtel Château Laurier Québec has a great Quebec City hotel location on Parliament Hill

I personally like the way they’re very protective of their heritage, and I also liked knowing that while it’s a large hotel it’s very much a family operation and is now in its third generation after being run by the same family since 1975.

There are 282 rooms, an indoor saltwater pool, sauna, two spas a 24 hour fitness centre and an inner four season garden.

Read: Canada’s great train journey from Vancouver to Toronto

The hotel is in a great location on Parliament Hill, right beside the historic urban park, the Plains of Abraham, and the vibrant Grande Allee street, and just a few minutes’ walk from the old city walls.

My room was very comfortable with one of those beds it would be easy to spend all day in, if there wasn’t so much to see of Quebec City outside.

The members of staff were lovely and friendly and helpful, and they had an unusual twist on a mini bar that I hadn’t seen before.

While the rooms had tea and coffee making facilities, there was no mini bar in the room. Instead there was a machine near the elevators that dispensed wine.

Yes, you get a little card loaded up with how much you want to spend, and then you use the card to activate the pouring of glasses of wine.

I’ve yet to see another wine vending machine in a hotel, and may have enjoyed trialling that one with some room service one night.

The World’s Most Photographed hotel – Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

As I came into Quebec City for the first time, my taxi driver told me the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is the most photographed hotel in the world.

While that may be hard to verify, it’s definitely easy to believe.

The hotel is one of the city’s best-known landmarks, and just like the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa looks like something out of a Disney film or storybook.

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is the most famous Quebec City hotel

While I didn’t stay at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac I did what so many other visitors to Quebec City do and went to admire the building, and treat myself to a drink in the bar.

A tourist attraction in its own right, anyone can visit the hotel, wander through that rather impressive lobby and walk the halls to the bars and restaurants. It’s even a stop on some guided tours of the city.

So even if you’re not staying in the hotel itself you shouldn’t let a visit to go by without at least a quick visit to both the hotel and the polar bear guarding one of the restaurants.

The polar bear in the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the most famous Quebec City hotel

That’s the thing about Quebec City hotels. You never know quite what surprises they have in store.

Amanda Woods travelled as a guest of Quebec City Tourism when she stayed at the Le Monastere des Augustines and Hôtel Château Laurier Québec but as usual all opinions remain her own.

Travelling to Canada? You may like to check out what it’s like to visit Canada’s charming Charlevoix and find out some of the best things to do in Ottawa, Canada’s cool capital.

This post contains some affiliate links, so if you click on a link and book something I will get a little something to help pay those blogging bills, but don’t worry, it’s no extra cost to you. You can find out how and why I use travel affiliate programs here.

Exploring Old Quebec City where horse drawn carriages mix with tourist buses

Leave a Comment

Verified by ExactMetrics