A Festive Guide to Quebec + Their Christmas Markets

A photo diary, complete itinerary with recommendations

My mémère grew up near Montreal and spent a lot of time in Old Québec. She was a singer/songwriter/guitarist and used to play for night clubs. She met her husband while waitressing - he was currently on leave from the Air Force and they fell in love. This is when she left her entire family (16 brothers and sisters) and left for the United States. My mother spent summers in Canada and has such fond memories of her visits there. I have always felt a deep pull to Canada and can’t believe it took me this long to get there.

My travel buddies, Karla and Ailsa, were chatting over the summer and we were trying to figure out where to go. Visiting the European Christmas markets has always been a dream of mine and I heard that Old Québec was quite similar so we decided on Québec.

Karla and Ailsa flew into Hartford and I scooped them up in the airport and started our road trip. It was significantly cheaper to fly into Hartford and drive than to fly directly into Québec, plus we got to travel together. The drive wasn’t bad at all (about 7.5 hours) and we plan to do it again next year.

Pro Tip: If you drive, don’t forget a little pit stop to grab some gas, grub and use the bathroom at Centre du Quebec Dinosaur Park! They have a playground for kids, life size dinosaurs and everything you need for a little stretching break.

Behind the paywall:

• Québec photo diary

• where to stay in Québec

• best time of year to go to Québec

• what to do while you are in Québec

• where to eat while in Québec

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