Experience Québec
Discoveries
Start walking!
"These boots were made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do..." Nancy Sinatra sang those words in the 60s... but she was talking about relationships, not about walking tours. And here’s your chance to put those boots (or shoes) to good use by signing up for one of the many walking tours available in Québec City and Montréal.
All of the world’s great cities offer guided walking tours with commentary. You can opt for the standard tour of the main attractions and a taste of history or something a little more unusual. Here are a few thematic tours of Québec City.
Chills and thrills
Ghost stories, famous crimes, the executioner’s life, legends and witchcraft haunt the dimly lit streets of the historic quarters of Montréal and Québec City on summer evenings. As you turn each corner, a chilling surprise awaits. Your guide is there to protect you, however, and to tell you all the creepy tales about New France in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Sordid secrets
Eat, drink and be merry. This might have been the motto of the members of La compagnie des Six-Associés who were responsible for organizing the colonization of New France. And drink is how this experience ends with a modern-day Québec City tour company that borrowed the name as its august predecessors.
How can there be any doubt as to the theme of this walking tour, which is called Luxure et Ivrognerie (Lust and Drunkenness) Mister Fraser, a character from the 19th century, is your guide. He will lead you to the forgotten sites of houses of ill repute and taverns in the old town. He will also tell you about the morals of forestry workers, military personnel, and sailors in transit at the port as well as titillating stories about certain "prudish and Catholic" members of the upper class!You’ll love the details, each juicier than the next, of the hidden mores and habits of our ancestors. The tour ends with a glass of microbrew beer in a vault in Old Québec City. Our "six associates" are specialists in the history of the city’s neighbourhoods, and all visits are based on actual facts that are documented at the national library.
Multi-cultural journeys
What gives Montreal its colour and warmth? The people. Montreal is a multicultural oasis in the heart of the last francophone bastion in North America. The late politician and poet Gérald Godin (minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration from 1976 to 1985) once wrote, "We are all sons of immigrants."
The vicinity of the Mont-Royal metro station still resonates with the words of the poet and humanist who adopted Montreal as his home. The station is located in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal district. Kaléidoscope, a company that specializes in social-cultural walking tours, offers to show you around the most happening neighbourhood on the continent. Discover its commercial life and vernacular architecture that gave Montréal its famous winding staircases. Other than this well-known, traditionally francophone area, Kaléidoscope offers tours that combine gastronomy and cultural sensations. Montreal has innumerable ethnic pockets - Portuguese, Greek, Eastern European... Each tour includes either drinks or a fine meal.Amarrages sans frontières offers ethno-cultural tours, as well, and they fully immerse participants in the experience. Explore the lifestyles of the Jewish, Portuguese, Chinese and Italian communities. Each walking tour includes an introductory conference and refreshments typical of each community. Both of these companies take you into places that would not normally not be accessible, such as a Buddhist temple, a mosque, a synagogue or even the big institutions of the various communities.
Heritage stories
Now that you’ve been introduced to Montréal’s people, their neighbourhoods, legends and historical anecdotes, it’s time to familiarize yourself with their urban and social heritage. As its name implies, Héritage Montréal specializes in Montréal life and organizes 14 weekend walking tours with commentary by experts in architecture, urban planning, and landscaping. The two-hour tours give you a chance to get to know the Golden Square Mile and the beautiful Victorian buildings that were the homes of the 19th-century upper crust. Discover the charm of Carré Saint-Louis, the last remaining square in Montreal that is still lined with private homes; or look at Montreal through the prism of Native Indian history.End of story?
We’re not done yet! We’ve only just scratched the surface of what each of these companies offer. These tours will leave you with pleasant memories and give you a chance to see Montrealers and Quebecers in a new light; their history is still recent but it’s rich in flavours and colours. Enjoy!
André Quenneville
2008-04-10
