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Québec seen from on high

Think you really know Québec from every angle? Get a fresh perspective on its astounding scenery as you enjoy unprecedented views of Québec’s great river, urban centres and great outdoors. Climb higher, reach for the top and see it all from afar. The idea isn’t necessarily to go further afield—just higher up!

Yearning to dominate the waves? To gaze upon the magnificent immensity of the St. Lawrence, just take the funicular [003203] up to Dufferin Terrace, at the foot of Québec City’s Citadelle. Across the water on the south shore, Terrasse de Lévis park adds to the fortified city’s unforgettable panorama. In Montréal, scramble up to the Kondiaronk lookout (230 m/755 ft.), located right in front of Parc du Mont-Royal’s famous chalet, and admire the city’s striking downtown core against the backdrop of the sparkling river.

In the Québec City region, the summits of Mont Sainte-Anne and the Massif de la Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, both of which top out around 800 m (2,625 ft.), offer skiers the best seats in the house for river-gazing. Over at Parc national du Bic in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, the Pic Champlain (345 m/1,132 ft.) and Raoul-Roy lookout (125 m/410 ft.), both of which can be accessed by car or shuttle, are two more choice spots from which to contemplate the mighty river and admire the park’s singular topography.

Urban vertigo

Both Montréal and Québec City gain by being viewed from above. Leaning over the Olympic Stadium, the Tour de Montréal (175 m/574 ft.) shows off the city from an unexpected angle—and also reveals the charms of the nearby Botanical Garden! Across from the Old Port, La Ronde has two attractions that spin and ascend without making you lose your head: the Ferris wheel (45 m/150 ft.) and La Spirale (72 m/236 ft.).

Québec City’s Observatoire de la capitale whisks you up to the 31st floor of the city’s highest building to reveal an incomparable panorama, not just of Old Québec, but also the beautiful surrounding mountains. What’s more, certain Québec City and Montréal hotels serve up the unbeatable combo of great dining and great views in their rotating top-floor restaurants.

Green, green, as far as the eye can see!

In the summer and fall, many ski hills open their lifts to walkers and hikers in search of silence and new perspectives. Monts Tremblant and Sainte-Anne will take you up their slopes in a gondola. In summer, the astronomical observatory at Parc national du Mont-Mégantic (1,100 m/3,610 ft.) can be accessed by car. Take advantage of a warm summer’s night to admire the starry skies of the world’s first International Dark Sky Reserve!

To get your head even further into the clouds, sign up for a ride in a hot air balloon at one of the summer’s two big festivals, held in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Montérégie) and Gatineau (Outaouais). More timid souls will delight in a seaplane or helicopter tour of the vast Laurentian forest.

Sky-high outdoor fun

If you like to feel as though you’re walking on air, you’ll appreciate the many treetop adventure parks scattered across Québec, which are suitable for every level, from tremulous beginner to certified acrobat! On certain zip lines, you’ll climb as high as 30 m (100 ft.) in the forest canopy before leaping into space and whizzing back down.

Québec is a vast playground for trekkers and hikers, whether they opt for the Chic-Chocs in the Gaspé region, dominated by Mont Jacques-Cartier (1,265 m/4,150 ft.); Mont Groulx (1,100 m/3,610 ft.) in the North Shore backcountry; or the impressive Torngat Mountains in Nunavik—a massif bordering Labrador that’s home to Québec’s highest summit, Mont d’Iberville (1,620 m/5,315 ft.).

Are you a gliding enthusiast? Québec has no shortage of places to hang-glide or paraglide, and certainly no shortage of wind! And if you’re irresistibly drawn to the Far North, a number of adventure tour operators offer up breathtaking “aerial safaris” above the tundra and taiga in some of North America’s most remote regions.

Québec seen from below

Underground Québec holds a certain attraction for the many who like exploring its caves and caverns. A number of mines are also open to the public, particularly in North Hatley (Eastern Townships), Val d’Or (Abitibi-Témiscamingue), Chibougamau (Baie-James) and Thetford Mines (Chaudière-Appalaches). Near Radisson (Baie-James), the largest underground hydroelectric power station in the world sits 140 m (460 ft.) beneath the earth’s surface. A record that’s hard to top!
Québec’s archaeological sites plunge you into history as they divulge secrets previously hidden beneath the soil—like the crypt at Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History, which brings to light the city’s very beginnings. The foundations of many historical buildings go far back in time as well. This is certainly the case with the vaulted basements of Place-Royale, which are among Québec City’s oldest (dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries) and most beautiful. For a more modern-day underground experience, the “indoor city” located beneath the downtown core of Montréal will delight those with a passion for shopping!

Denys Lessard
2009-05-18


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