Hotels near Place-Royale and Quartier Petit-Champlain

Place-Royale is the square where Samuel de Champlain founded his habitation in 1608, and the stone houses around it are the oldest concentration of French colonial building in North America. Facing the square is Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, built in 1688 and the oldest stone church on the continent. Entry to the church is free, and the square, the cobbled lanes and rue du Petit-Champlain cost nothing at any hour.

The Musee de la civilisation runs a free 60-minute guided tour of Place-Royale, included with its own admission and needing no reservation, historically daily until early September then weekends into mid-October. Be honest with yourself about the crowds: when cruise ships dock this is the single most congested corner of the city, the cobbles are hard going with a stroller or limited mobility, they ice over in winter, and the retail is largely souvenir-driven. Come before 09:00 or after 18:00 and it is a different place entirely.

Pro Tip: Check the cruise schedule before you pick your morning, because two ships in port turns Petit-Champlain into a queue. Walk rue Sous-le-Fort for the framed view of the Chateau Frontenac rising above the rooftops, which is the shot everyone means when they say they photographed Old Quebec.