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5 great girlfriend getaways
Grab a suitcase and your best friend and take a road trip to one of these
amazing getaways.
By Marybeth Bond
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Quebec City
Neighborhood for a stroll
In many ways historic Old Quebec reminds me of Venice: You can wander its narrow labyrinthine streets, come across squares with statues and old churches, and never really get lost.
Contained within the walls of the city, it's so cute and unspoiled that you may think you're on a movie set. Two popular thoroughfares, rue Saint-Louis and rue Saint-Jean, bisect the neighborhood with boutiques, cafes, and B&Bs. The rest of the tiny streets, some barely wide enough for a truck to get through, meander up and down the hills, bedecked with immaculate stone buildings, cottage-like houses, and cafes ticked into alleys. The painted shutters, tasteful flower boxes, and new-looking bright red roofs are evidence that Quebecers clearly take pride in the city.
Best shopping
Inside the city's walls, rue Saint-Jean is lined with popular French and Canadian clothing stores – there's no Gap here. Just off this avenue you'll find a true gem, Les Dames de Soie, a porcelain doll museum, workshop, and store in one. The street then continues on the other side of the wall – this is where the locals do much of their shopping. There are specialty food shops like Jean-Alfred Moisan, which occupies an 1871 building and is brimming with chocolate, teas, prepared food, spices, oils, and preserves, mostly from Europe and Quebec. Up the street, the Musée Choco pays homage to the art of chocolate with handmade truffles and gelato that will make you swoon. At the bottom of the funicular, you can witness the traditional art of glassblowing and purchase unique glasswork at Verrerie la Mailloche on Place-Royale, the oldest retail row in North America.
Thrift and vintage clothing
See what a French “friperie” (second-hand clothes shop) has to sell, in a borough called Sillery/Sainte-Foy, near the major shopping malls. It is 20 minutes by city bus from the Old City. Friperie et solderie dégriffé, 1065, route de l'Eglise (418-654-1054).
Best café
LEP PETIT COCHON DINGUE in Lower Town may be crowded, but there's a good reason. The sugar cake, doughnuts, and café au lait are exquisite. Chefs prepare the pastries right in front of you and there are sidewalk tables for people watching. 6, rue Cul-de-Sac (418-694-0303).
Where to stay
High above the Saint Lawrence River, Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac dominates the skyline of Quebec City with its regal architecture. It's been the hotel of choice for presidents and royalty since it opened in 1893. (This is where Roosevelt and Churchill planned D-Day.) Now part of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, it remains the city's premier accommodation. You could stay here 618 times and never have the same room; each comes furnished with heavenly bedding and offers views of either the river or the Old City (starting at $199 Canadian). Located at 1, rue de Carriers, Quebec City (800-441-1414, www.fairmont.com/frontenac.
For something on a smaller scale, down the street from the Chateau you'll find Le Clos Saint-Louis, a B&B in a Victorian-era home with 18 lavish guest rooms starting at $165 Canadian from November 2-April 30; $205 from May 1-November 1. Located at 66, rue Saint-Louis, Quebec (800-461-1311). The moderately priced and charming La Place d'Armes Inn sits in the center of Old Quebec and looks onto the Chateau Frontenac (starting at $85 Canadian; $115 during the busy season). 24, rue Sainte-Anne, Vieux-Quebec (866-333-9485).
On a budget
Auberge Internationale de Québec is a superlative hostel in the Old City that includes breakfast in its room rates that can run as low as $26 Canadian for bed in a dorm-style room (private rooms are available as well). Located at 19, rue Sainte-Ursule (418-694-0755, www.cisq.org.
One click and you're off
Quebec City Tourism (418-641-6654, www.quebecregion.com.
Reprinted with permission of the National Geographic Society from the book
50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America by Marybeth Bond. Copyright ©2007 Marybeth Bond. All rights reserved.
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