Quebec City is one of my favorite places in the world during winter. It’s a magical place that looks like a postcard filled with unique experiences for the entire family, especially during Quebec Winter Carnival. I’ve always been so obsessed with visiting during winter that I didn’t make the trip during summer. Wanting to escape the insane heat of Texas, I thought it was the perfect time to explore Quebec City in summer. We spent a week roaming the cobblestone streets, learning about the history and culture, and discovering new experiences in Quebec City to bring you our Quebec City summer bucket list. Check out our must-do experiences in Quebec City in summer.
Quebec City Summer Bucket List
Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations
If you’re interested in learning about the First Nations of Canada, Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations is a great place to start. This 4-star boutique hotel offers a great view of the Akiawenrahk River from every room in the hotel and it’s only 14 minutes from downtown Québec City.
You can experience warm First Nations hospitality and cuisine while you admire the architecture and enjoy a meal at La Traite restaurant made with ingredients from the boreal forest.
Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations is also home to the only Huron-Wendat museum in North America and the traditional longhouse.
Onhwa Lumina
Via Moment Factory
Onhwa’ Lumina is an outdoor experience that transports you along a 1.2-kilometre pathway infused with the magic of light, sound, and video projections. It illuminates the culture and heritage of the Huron-Wendat Nation.
Visitors are swept away into an immersive story-world featuring an authentic narrative, traditional practices, and the ancestral ways of life. The essence of music, dance, and storytelling is present across the pathway.
Note* – Even though it’s a forest pathway, a sturdy stroller can make the journey.
Site Traditionnel Huron Onhoüa Chetek8e
At Site Traditionnel Huron Onhoüa Chetek8e, you can immerse yourself in Huron-Wendat culture. While exploring a reconstituted village, you can learn about an age-old lifestyle.
Visit a giant teepee, a longhouse, and smoking and drying huts. Listen to a storyteller recount fascinating tales and legends. Expert craftspeople will show you how snowshoes and canoes are made. You can also participate in different workshops and experience traditional Wendat cuisine at the on-site restaurant.
Village Vacances Valcartier
Only twenty minutes from Québec City, Valcartier Vacation Village is open year-round and offers seasonally appropriate activities. It’s on both our Quebec City winter bucket list and our Quebec City summer bucket list.
In the summer, there are 35 water slides, a huge wave pool, 100 water games, and two thematic rivers.
You can make a splash 365 days a year at Bora Parc, an indoor water park with a tropical theme. Adults and children alike will enjoy the 14 water slides, wave pool, double surf wave, exciting river adventure and more.
Additionally, on-site, there are family-friendly accommodations, excellent restaurants, and a soothing spa.
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
Château Frontenac is one of the most photographed hotels in the world, and our favorite place to stay in Quebec City regardless of the season.
Located in the heart of Old Québec, this breathtaking resort provides views of the St. Lawrence River and the architecture of the old fortified city.
With its 610 beautifully furnished rooms and suites, three restaurants, a world-class spa, a gym, and a pool, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has something for everyone.
Le SAM
Le Sam is located at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, but the food is so delicious that it deserves it’s own place on our Quebec City summer bucket list.
The restaurant showcases some of Québec’s hottest culinary trends and ingredients. The culinary team focuses on local products to create the menus, and everything from start to finish is artfully prepared.
Cicérone Tours
As proud ambassadors of the Greater Québec City Area, the licensed guides with Cicérone Tours share their passion for the city with you. You can experience the castle life with a visit to Château Frontenac and discover the famous people and historical events that have shaped its identity over the years. You can also take a walking tour of Old Québec with a historical figure from New France and relive 400 years of history. Customized tours are available so regardless if you’re more interested in architecture, culture, or historical figures, you can enjoy it all with Cicérone Tours.
Our guide, Mr. Sylvain Girard, was knowledge and accommodating. He crafted the tour to fit my needs traveling with a toddler and he combined just the right amount of history and culture.
La Bûche
La Buche is my favorite, must-experience restaurant in Québec City to enjoy a traditional Québec cuisine with a current touch.
The festive atmosphere is always lively and welcoming and the poutine is my favorite anywhere in the world.
And maple taffy on snow available all year long.
Le Clan
The Le Clan restaurant offers an unparalleled gastronomic experience. Inspired by hunting and fishing, Le Clan puts local Québec products at the forefront.
The chef works intrinsically with several local producers to offer unique products to which he wants to pay tribute through his cuisine.
Parc de la Chute-Montmorency
Open year-round, Montmorency Falls Park is a splendid landscape. The waterfall is 272 feet tall and you can take a cable car up the cliff to the top of it. Following the footpath along the top of the cliff, you can walk to the suspended bridge, giving you panoramic vistas of the area. Additionally, you can walk to the base of the falls and stand before it’s towering beauty.
Additionally, there are ferrata routes up the cliff and a double zipline 300 m (984′) in the air. You can also learn about the site’s fascinating history at the interpretation centre. In the summer, you can have a picnic at the historical orchard and test your endurance by climbing the 487 steps of the panoramic staircase.
Île d’Orléans
Just minutes from downtown Québec City, Île d’Orléans is the perfect place to unwind, take in the beautiful scenery, and sample the local delicacies.
Don’t miss La Goéliche Food truck while you’re on the island. Admire the scenery during a meal taken in from the patio with spectacular, waterfront views.
Mega Parc
Mega Parc is a major tourist draw in the Québec City area. There are 18 rides, including 14 new ones, such as bumper cars, ice rink, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and arcades.
It’s the perfect rainy day location and ideal for all ages.
Aquarium du Québec
Aquarium du Québec has more than 10,000 animals from about 300 species.
You can watch marine mammals, such as polar bears, walruses, and several seal species, frolic in the outdoor park. Many animals from the Pacific Ocean swim in the huge 350,000-litre tank, and Pavillon des profondeurs showcases jellyfish, rays and sea horses. During the summer, there are water games and a ropes course.
Mosaïcultures Québec
Mosaïcultures Quebec exhibition is a celebration of the beauty of life on our planet. The tour allows visitors to discover works grouped together into 20 sections totaling over 6 million plants.
