Sainte-Foy

Buy

thumb|240px|Shopping in Basse-Ville

Quebec City's Old Town, especially Basse-Ville, is riddled with shops for tourists. When taking a closer look at souvenirs and crafts for sale in such shops, the fine print all too often reads "Made in China", even if they are marketed as "typically Quebecois". Watch for leather goods and various handmade crafts made by Canada's First Nations peoples.

Quebec is also known for local food products such as cheese, microbrewery beer, cider and maple products including syrup. Maple syrup is available in smaller glass bottles in tourist shops at a premium price, and in bigger plastic bottles in supermarkets — the stuff is as delicious but at a lower price.

Eat

thumb|Tourtière All restaurants in the Old City post menus out front in French and English. Look for the table d'hote specials for a full-course fixed price meal. On the cheaper (but very satisfying) side, have a traditional tourtière québecoise (meat pie), or a poutine (fries, gravy, and cheese curds).

The café culture is very much a part of Quebec City as in most of Europe. It should be very easy to find a quaint cafe around Marché Champlain, and around the Chateau Frontenac. Food is fairly expensive in Quebec, and even a simpler café or bar may be costly.

Most Quebec City delicatessens and markets offer a large variety of Quebec cheese from farms in the surrounding countryside. Specialties of the region include brie or camembert style cheeses made with raw milk (lait cru), which endows the cheese with superior flavours and textures not usually found in North American cheeses of the same type.

Drink

thumb|Along Grande Allée There is a place for nearly every visitor, from the wild nightlife to the cozy corner. Drinking age is 18 though enforcement is hazy.

Quality wine and liquor can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open Su-W until 18:00, and F Sa 08:00-21:00 on weekends; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, but the selection is restricted to the SAQ's most popular items. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores (not what you would usually bring to a dinner party but sometimes drinkable-—it has been imported in bulk and bottled and sometimes blended in Quebec and known as "piquette" by the locals). All retail alcohol sales stop at 23:00 and bars and clubs stop serving at 03:00.

There is only one SAQ within the walls of the old city, a SAQ "Sélection" inside the Château Frontenac. It has high-end wines and liquors, a small selection of other liquors and no beer. A SAQ "Classique" with better (though still small) selection is just outside of the walls on Rue St-Jean on the south side of the street.

During the frigid Carnaval, a local specialty known as caribou is available to warm you up (did you know that those canes they sell are hollow?). Though the mixture varies with what is available, it tends to be port or red wine with a hodge-podge of liquors, normally vodka, brandy and perhaps even some sherry.

The Grande Allée has most of the city's club…

Stay safe

As with the rest of Canada, the emergency number in Quebec City is 9-1-1.

Although crime in Quebec City is rare, it is always best to take the usual precautions, including safeguarding your possessions. Traveling in the city during the day is safe, but be more cautious at night, as there may be drunk bar patrons and those who prey on people unfamiliar with where they are.

Connect

The organization ZAP Québec provides free wireless Internet in cafes and other locations throughout the city, but the service can fail to connect with some smartphones from time to time. As with any place, don't rely on their services for crucial tasks.

Go next

Trans-Canada Highway – To the east, Atlantic Canada, to the west, most of the rest of populated Canada. Windsor-Quebec corridor – Along the river and seafronts between Quebec City and Windsor you can find many big cities and other interesting destinations.