Upper Old Town

So here are some images of the larger section of the Old Town, up on the plateau above the cliff.

Perhaps the best known landmark of the Upper Old Town is the Fairmont Chateau Fronenac hotel. Built in 1893 it stands on the site of the original administrative headquarters for New France. Famous names to have stayed at this hotel include Queen Elizabeth, Ronald Regan, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

The Frontenac, like most of the rest of Old Quebec, is beautifully illuminated by night.

Adrian in front of the Frontenac.

Looking up at the Frontenac from Rue St Louis.

This is the Basilique Notre Dame de Quebec which boasts the oldest parish in North America dating back to 1647.

Images inside the Basilique Notre Dame de Quebec



Just a couple blocks from the Notre Dame is the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, which still conducts daily services in English. It was built in 1804 and was one of the first Anglican Cathedrals to be built outside of the British Isles.

Inside the Anglican Cathedral

Some of the 3058 pipes for the organ

This one of the oldest houses in Quebec City. It has been modified and extended over the years.....the line above the ground floor windows shows where the roofline was before a 2nd floor was added in the mid 1600's.

Looking across Place d'Armes, a central square in the heart of the Upper Old Town adjacent to the Frontenac.

Artists alley. Each day local artists and vendors set up here selling their wares

Everywhere you look around the Old Town there are nice views, interesting rooflines and beautiful pieces of architecture




This is the Chappelle des Ursulines. This is the chapel to the adjacent girls private school established by French nun Marie l'Incarnation in 1639. The girls school is still in operation today.

Statue of Marie l'Incarnation

Inside the chapel



This short clip of movie shows the inside of the Chapel with the organ playing

Statue of Francois de Laval who became the first Bishop of New France in 1674.

The Price Brothers building and a great example of art-deco architecture

Beautiful cobbled streets

City Hall

These enormous planters outside City Hall are quite eye-catching during the day. However at night they are illuminated and glow orange/red.....I guess they had to keep up with the kitsch of Victorias year-round Christmas lights on their Parliament Building !

Upper Old Town was packed with historic buildings, historical sites and events markers however you felt the whole Old Town was somewhat sanitised for the benefit of the tourists visiting - you really didn't get much sense of people actually still living in this neighbourhood.
The one homeless person we did see in the Old Town had been scooped up and shuffled out of sight by the Police before we had even reached the end of the street.
It's a great place to visit and well worth it for the experience of a real European atmosphere and history, but I would imagine the average Quebecois resident feels somewhat disconnected to this idealistic few square miles.
We were pleased that the next leg of our journey was to take us out into more rural regions of the Province.