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Quebec City is our home base: we come back between trips, and we’ve walked Old Quebec in every season. This page gathers what we’d recommend to friends coming to discover the capital and Lévis — sorted, rated, and with the caveats written out in plain sight when there are any.
❄️ Winter, the big season
From December to March, that’s when the city plays its best hand: snow, ice, festivals — and activities you can only do here, at this time of year.
Winter · The classic
Old Quebec City Winter Walking Tour
⭐ 4.8/5 (20 reviews) · ⏱️ 1.5 hours · 💲 from $32 per person · Cicerone Tours
The winter version of the great classic: the snow-covered streets of Old Quebec, in a small group, with the stories that warm you up. It’s the perfect first-morning activity — after that, the city reads itself.
See it on Viator →
Winter · Outdoors
Snowshoeing Tour — Jacques-Cartier National Park
⭐ 4.9/5 (57 reviews) · 💲 from $169 per person · Quatre Natures
The most spectacular glacial valley near Quebec City, on snowshoes, with transport from the Centre Infotouriste (12 Sainte-Anne Street). The reviews are unanimous: this is THE great winter nature outing around Quebec — no driving on snow required.
See it on Viator →
Winter · The unusual one
Snowshoeing with Mountain Goats (private activity)
⭐ 4.9/5 (109 reviews) · 💲 from $115 per person
Yes, goats. On snowshoes. It’s the activity everyone comes back from saying “I did not expect that” — private, so at your own pace, and the best-rated product on this whole page. If you only pick one…
See it on Viator →
Winter · On your own
The Ice Hotel, in Valcartier
📍 Village Vacances Valcartier, ~35 minutes from Quebec City · season: roughly January to March
Full honesty: there is no Viator product departing from Quebec City for the Ice Hotel — the one you’ll find leaves from Montreal. The simplest option is to go on your own and buy your tickets from the official site. The hotel is rebuilt every winter; go late in the day, when the lit-up ice is at its best.
Village Vacances Valcartier official site →
⭐ The sure bets, all year round
The destination’s established activities, the ones our Quebec City guide already recommends — ratings and reviews observed in fall 2026.
Year-round · The best established
Old Quebec Walking Tour — Tours Voir Québec
⭐ 4.8/5 (5,302 reviews) · ⏱️ about 2 hours · 💲 from $42 per person
The destination’s best-established product: in two hours, a local guide hands you the keys to the rest of your stay. If you only take one guided tour in Quebec City, make it this one.
See it on Viator →
Year-round · Foodie
Island of Orleans Food and Drink Tour
⭐ 4.5/5 (1,145 reviews) · ⏱️ half-day · 💲 from $88 per person · Tours Voir Québec
Île d’Orléans without driving: gourmet stops one after another — farms, vineyards, chocolate — while someone else handles the road. The most pleasant half-day in the area, especially in the fall.
See it on Viator →
Year-round · With one caveat
Montmorency Falls and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (excursion)
⭐ 4.2/5 (3,136 reviews) · ⏱️ half-day · 💲 from $100 per person
Handy without a car: the falls (taller than Niagara!) AND the basilica in the same outing. The caveat, in plain sight: the pace is fast, and on your own — bus plus Sépaq access at $13.90 — the falls alone cost much less. Your choice what you’re buying: convenience, or time.
See it on Viator →
Year-round · On the river
Guided Cruise on the St. Lawrence — Croisières AML
⭐ 4.3/5 (1,141 reviews) · ⏱️ about 1.5 hours · 💲 from $65 per person
Quebec City from the river: Cap Diamant, the Château, Île d’Orléans in the distance. Our tip: take the late-day cruise, for the light on the old town.
See it on Viator →
🎭 What about events?
The German Christmas Market (late November–December), the Carnival (late January–mid-February), the summer festivals: for dates, programs and everything coming up in the area, our What’s On in Quebec tool lists Quebec City and Lévis events month by month. The list there is complete and free — it will never be monetized; this page is only for booking the activities around them.
See upcoming events →
How we choose: ratings and review counts observed on Viator on October 30, 2026; prices are “from”, per person, in Canadian dollars, and vary with the date you pick. The selection is based on traveller reviews; when a product has a real caveat (a lower rating, a fast pace), we write it instead of hiding it. Links are checked every month; a product that closes or declines leaves the page.
📷 Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Château Frontenac after freezing rain, Wilfredor (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Petit-Champlain at night, Wilfredor (CC0) · Jacques-Cartier valley, Cephas (CC BY-SA 3.0) · snowshoeing in the forest, Christoph Strässler (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Ice Hotel, Marc-Lautenbacher (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Petit-Champlain Street, The Cosmonaut (CC BY-SA 2.5 ca) · Île d’Orléans, Wilfredor (CC0) · Montmorency Falls in winter, Martin Shiels (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Quebec City at night from Lévis, Wilfredor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
