Northern area of Lower Town, Québec

The northern part of Lower Town is home to a number of attractions. Among the highlights are the Aquarium, Palais de Justice, Charlesbourg, and more.

Related Attractions

Centre Commercial

The vast Center Commercial on the northern side of Parliament Hill is Québec's answer to the Underground City in Montréal. The completely roofed over and centrally heated complex with its many arcades is an ideal place for shopping or just walking around, even in the harshest winter weather.

Palais de Justice

On the lower groundin Quebec, bordering the Rivière St-Charles, is the eye-catching, shimmering green outline of the ultra-modern Palais de Justice.

Gare du Palais

Québec's main railway station near the Palais de Justice was rebuilt a number of years ago. The former station building next to it has been converted into an old people's home.

Sillery

South-west of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec lies Sillery, a suburb with attractive villas. Pleasant views can be had from a number of vantage points on the elevated ground sloping down to the St Lawrence.

Aquarium

Québec's well-stocked aquarium is situated overlooking the Boulevard Champlain at the northern end of the Pont de Québec, the older of the two bridges over the St Lawrence.
The Québec Aquarium feature a wide variety of fresh and saltwater fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and marine mammals typical of the St. Lawrence River and other Canadian bodies of water.

Pont de Québec

Spanning the St Lawrence River at a slight narrows the massive iron frame of the Pont de Québec, built between 1899 and 1917, became familiar to the world even before its completion. During construction two serious accidents occurred in which more than 80 workmen lost their lives.

Pont Pierre-Laporte

The Pierre Laporte Bridge, named for one of Quebec's former Vice-Premier's, Pierre Laporte, who was killed during the famous October Crisis. At the time it was built, in 1970, it was the longest suspension bridge in Canada with a span of 1040 m /3400 ft.

Chutes de la Chaudière

Not far from the southern end of the two bridges in the Lower Town of Quebec, a pleasant picnic area has been created at the Chutes de la Chaudière where the Rivière Chaudière plunges over an escarpment into the St Lawrence.

Sainte-Foy

West of Sillery is the modern residential and commercial suburb of Sainte-Foy.
Sainte-Foy merged with the city of Quebec in the early 2000s. Located within Sainte-Foy is the Unversite Laval.

Université Laval

Having outgrown Québec's Old City the tradition-rich Université Laval now occupies a large modern campus in Ste-Foy. About 25,000 students attend what is the oldest French speaking university in America.

Charlesbourg

Situated on Québec's northern side, across the Rivière St-Charles, Charlesbourg is an industrial suburb and the site of a large timber processing factory.

Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site

The open-air Cartier-Brébeuf Museum stands on the banks of the St-Charles River in the city's Limoilou district, an evocative monument to events in the very early history of colonial New France. It was here, on his second voyage to Canada, that Jacques Cartier and his men passed the winter of 1535/36 aboard their ship "La Grande Hermine". There is a reconstruction of the vessel which can be visited. Another pioneer to spend a winter here was the missionary Jean de Brébeuf, later destined to enter ecclesiastical history as Canada's first martyr (he was killed by the Iroquois at Ste Marie among the Hurons). A palisaded long-house provides some insight into the life of the indigenous peoples at that time. The influential role of the Jesuits during the early days of French colonization is one of the themes explored in the museum's information center.

Parc de l'Exposition (Hippodrome)

Not far from one another in the Quebec suburb of Vannier are a sizeable Center Commercial and the Parc de l'Exposition, an exhibition site which is also the location of the city's racecourse (known as the Hippodrome).
The Hippodrome is a horse racing track and amusement centre.

Village Huron, Canada

Also on Québec's north-western periphery is an Indian settlement called Village Huron where traditional art and craftwork is found on sale.
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