Montmorency Falls is without a doubt one of the most striking natural wonders in the Québec City area. Stretching upwards a spectacular 83 meters—30 meters higher than Niagara Falls—it attracts thousands of visitors each year. We’ve compiled a list of seven reasons why you might want to take a closer look at this stunning attraction during your stay at Hôtel Château Laurier Québec!
1. Its ancient geological strucutre
Several hundred million years ago, during the Paleozoic era, the entire Québec City area was located on a continental margin. The waterfall is a remnant of this ancient period—a fault over which the Montmorency River rushes.
Although it would be nice to imagine a family of diplodocuses taking a dip at the foot of the waterfall, we know that the area was actually frequented by large fish and giant squid!
2. Ghosts of the past
The indigenous people who populated the area had long known about the waterfall, but it was Québec’s founder, Samuel de Champlain, who dubbed it Montmorency falls. He chose the name in honor of the Duke of Damville, Charles de Montmorency-Damville, Admiral of France and Brittany. But the Duke never saw the falls that still bear his name; he died in 1612 never having set foot in Canada.
Over 150 years later, under the leadership of General James Wolfe, the British built land fortifications near the falls in preparation for battle. The site was chosen because it gave the British a good view of the defenses installed by the Marquis de Montcalm and the French army from the other side of the river all the way to Québec City. Remnants of these military installations dating from 1759 have survived and are located in the eastern section of Montmorency Falls Park.
The war also spawned the legend of the White Lady. Two young lovers, Mathilde and Louis, were set to be married in July 1759. A few days before the wedding, the British launched an attack near the falls. As a member of the colonial militia, Louis joined the battle and was killed. Overcome with sadness, Mathilde returned home, put on her wedding gown, and threw herself over the falls. Even today, some say they can see a white figure throwing herself into the churning waters below.
“Lady in white”, “Haunted Canada” series, issued by Canada Post in 2016.
3. More than one waterfall
We usually think of it as a single waterfall, but Montmorency Falls is actually made up of three separate waterfalls. Montmorency Falls Park is built around the Grand Sault, the largest and most impressive of the three waterfalls. The two others are much smaller and rarely appear in pictures. One is natural and the other was formed by the old hydroelectric power station, the remains of which are still visible.
Montmorency Falls, view from the stairs
4. Thrills
If peaceful nature walks aren’t your cup of tea, Montmorency Falls is also a great spot for a healthy dose of adrenaline. From the terminal at the foot of the waterfall, you can hitch a ride to the top on a cable car. From there, you can walk the full width of the falls on a suspension bridge, with the water roaring just below your feet. If fear of heights isn’t a problem, you can take the 487-step panoramic staircase back down along the cliff.
True adrenaline junkies won’t want to miss the Via Ferrata. It’s a hybrid of hiking and rock climbing that involves traversing the rock wall using metal holds and a steel cable. There are three routes: Explorateur (beginner, ages 8 and up, 200 m, 2 hr.), Torrent de Montmorency (intermediate, ages 12 and up, 260 m, 2 hr. 30 min.), and Ascension Tyro 120 (intermediate, ages 14 and up, 120 m zip line and 130 m via ferrata, 2 hr. 15 min.). All routes are supervised by certified guides.
And if that’s not enough, you can zoom across the falls on a 300 m double zip line. Are you game?
5. Forbidden love
Located at the top of the cliff, Manoir Montmorency houses an interpretation center, a gift shop, and a restaurant. The current building is actually an exact replica of the original Manoir Montmorency, which went up in flames during renovations in 1993.
Way back in 1780, Governor Frederick Haldimand had the original Manoir built as country house. Later, the Manoir was the setting for a love affair between an extraordinary couple: the Duke of Kent (none other than Prince Edward, son of King George III and father of the future Queen Victoria) and Thérèse-Bernardine Montgenet, a married woman who called herself Julie de Saint-Laurent. Rumor has it that the illicit relationship lasted 27 years.
The Manoir is open seven days a week in high season (spring and summer) and over Christmas. Check to make sure it’s open before leaving, or ask us to inquire for you.
6. Step back for a better view
There are several ways to get to Montmorency Falls. The easiest is by car via Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency. If you prefer to relax in comfort, there is also a luxury guided bus tour, which leaves from Québec City and stops at Montmorency Falls.
But did you know that the best view of the falls is from Île d’Orléans? Follow the highway until you reach the waterfall, then take the bridge over to the island. It should take about twenty minutes from Québec City. While you’re there, why not drive around the whole island (66.5 km) and stop for an ice cream or some fresh cheese and have a look in the traditional craft shops?
7. Le «pain de sucre»
No, it’s not a candy or a baked good. The refreshing mist that emerges from the falls is very pleasant on hot summer days, but the spray freezes in winter, accumulating on the cliffs and at the foot of the falls, where it forms what is known as the “sugar loaf.” In some years the icy mass can reach epic proportions. It was a popular destination as far back as the 18th and 19th centuries! Here’s a charming painting from around 1870.
Montmorency Falls sugar loaf, watercolor, John B. Wilkinson, circa 1870.
If you want to admire this fleeting wonder in person and take a look at some fearless ice climbers, you’ll have to visit us again next winter.
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The staff at Hôtel Château Laurier Québec are here to help: whether you’re looking for the perfect restaurant, directions, travel advice, or an unforgettable gift, we take pride in helping you discover the best that Québec City has to offer.
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If I say that Québec is a beautiful city, you will surely agree with me. In fact, readers of Travel and Leisure magazine have once again named it the best city in Canada ahead of Vancouver and Toronto. But if I tell you that Québec is a smart city, you may wonder what I mean and what my claim is based on. Here are some explanations.
What is a smart city?
More and more people are talking about “smart cities” these days. The term refers to cities that aim to improve their attractiveness by reducing their ecological footprint and offering a better quality of life to their residents as well as other users of the city, including travelers. A smart city has a vision of its future and achieves it through better integration of city services and broader involvement by all to make it happen.
In a smart city, everything from land use planning and economic development to mobility management and quality of life enhancement is integrated with a view to achieving this vision of the future. What’s more, in a smart city, everyone—residents, businesses, and organizations alike—is invited to take part in the process.
Lastly, a smart city uses new technologies to collect, process, and interpret data on the city’s environmental, economic, and social health to better understand the behaviors, needs, and aspirations of its residents and achieve its goals.
Québec City, a smart tourist and business city
The City of Québec has identified two priorities for the future: improving residents’ daily lives and boosting its performance as an organization. It wants to achieve this by stimulating innovation and collaborative creation through the participation of city residents and economic stakeholders, all with the help of information technology.
In economic development, the city wishes to create a conducive environment for business initiatives and to support business start-ups, especially in growth sectors where it is already strong, such as technology, science, research, insurance, and financial products. Some projects are likely to enhance Québec City’s attractiveness as a tourist city, such as the development of innovative commercial thoroughfares. Development of these sectors is also likely to help attract events of all kinds (conventions, hackathons, conferences, competitions) involving developers and organizations from here and elsewhere.
Today, a world-class tourist and business destination must be able to count on a robust and efficient technological and physical infrastructure. Networks, bandwidth, fiber optics, optimal traffic management, ecological water and waste treatment—all of this operates quietly in the background without anyone noticing. However, these and many other topics raise challenges on a daily basis because the demand for services to deal with them tends to increase rapidly. What’s more, new infrastructure needs generate not only financial costs, but ecological costs as well, even as the city government tries to reduce its ecological footprint. That’s why authorities support smart, innovative urban development projects that can both effectively serve users and meet a high level of environmental requirements. The creation of eco-neighborhoods and plans for a backbone public transit network are examples of this. Both tourists and residents will benefit.
Another area that often goes unnoticed until disaster strikes is public safety. A smart city may not be able to anticipate how to deal with them. Extreme weather events, public health crises, or industrial accidents require quick and smart interventions to minimize their impacts and to learn to cope with them more effectively in the future. Various projects are under way in this area, including Project K, whose goal is to prepare the public (businesses included) to cope with various disasters.
Québec City among finalists in Canada’s Samrt Cities Challenge
Last June, Québec City proudly announced that Infrastructure Canada had selected it as one of the 20 finalists in the Smart Cities Challenge.
This challenge encourages municipalities to address an issue affecting residents through the development of new partnerships and the use of connected data and technologies.
The City of Québec’s proposal aims to better understand social inequalities in health so that the city can intervene differently. The final proposal is due next winter, and the winners are expected to be announced in Spring 2019. A healthier, more egalitarian city is certainly a good place to be.
MY FAVORITE!
A few months ago, I moved to the St-Roch district. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the new shops and businesses there and I’d love to share some of my favorites with you.
If you’re a sausage lover, you’ll want to visit William J. Walter Saucissier on Rue St-Joseph Est to discover all the creativity that goes into over 60 varieties of fresh and smoked sausages. From cheese sausage to wild boar, blueberry, and ice cider sausage and duck and herb sausage, you’re sure to find whatever tickles your fancy. A European sandwich and craft beer can also meet your need for a quick but tasty lunch.
If you’re looking for a truly British pub-style restaurant, I recommend the London Jack for its fish ’n’ chips of course, but also its royal decor! Martinis, keg beer, salads, fish, black pudding, Yorkshire pudding—the selection is wide and the menu original.
Last but not least is my personal favorite: Accro Cuisine et dépendances, still on Rue St-Joseph Est. In fact, I’ve become really dependent on it, as I go there several times a week. I love this shop for its local and imported gourmet products that come in jars and cans, dried, or frozen. If you’re looking for 45 % cream, pickled vegetables, Fauchon pies, specialty pizzas, flavored water, and many other products I could talk about for hours, you’ve come to the right place. There is also a lovely section of kitchen accessories featuring the Ricardo, Trudeau, Revolt, and Émile Henry brands, but also Japanese knives, Mauviel pots, Lagrange waffle makers, La Rochelle dinnerware, and even accessories for creating your own molecular cuisine. A true paradise for lovers of great and beautiful things!
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There’s nothing like a warm, friendly welcome when traveling abroad. Especially when you factor in the cultural gap, time difference, and fatigue from hours spent in the airport and on the plane.
With this in mind, we set out to get a clearer idea of the expectations of the various clienteles staying at our hotel. Regardless of where our guests are from, we want them to feel at home in a place far from home. That’s why we’re proud of the care and attention we offer. Here are a few examples of our services:
1. A personalized welcome
For us, a proper welcome is a crucial part of every guest’s stay. That’s why Roxanne, our Tour and Travel Coordinator, welcomes all groups that arrive at Hôtel Château Laurier Québec. When she isn’t there, the assistant manager on duty is happy to introduce new guests to the hotel and present the facilities and services available to them during their stay.
Our Asian visitors (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean) receive a welcome letter in their language. The reception process is efficient and friendly, so they can quickly take possession of their rooms. Once there, they will find small gifts personalized to their needs, such as green tea, ramen noodles, and a welcome card in Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean.
Our communications with our Chinese clienteles have come a long way. The translation of our Website into Mandarin and our presence on WeChat and Weibo―two of the most popular social media platforms in China―have helped us reach Chinese travelers more effectively. We also want to help them discover our city and the local sites likely to appeal to them most. To that end, our Chinese partner Shaoyu, who fell in love with Québec City when she moved here five years ago, will be writing a blog in Mandarin. Shaoyu will be very involved in content selection and will make her own recommendations to ensure the blog meets the expectations of our Chinese visitors.
2. Cuisine to suit a variety of tastes
We know that tasting local specialties is one of the joys of travel. And we’re proud to meet our guests’ needs, thanks to the George V Banquet and Catering Services team, which is well known for its quality cuisine, original presentations, and offerings tailored to clients’ needs. George V makes sure guests start the day off on a positive note with the opportunity to sample Québec specialties for breakfast. As for guests who like to keep some familiar habits when they travel, George V also offers meals adapted to their home country customs. Whether they prefer shiitake and green onion miso soup, rice porridge, toasted baguette with homemade jam, scrambled eggs with sausages and hash browns, or baked beans with Bergeron cheese―we have it all! All you need to do is ask.
For regular lunches and dinners, our Chef is attentive to the characteristics of our clients’ native cuisine and goes out of his way to add a personal touch that always elicits a smile from guests. It’s our way of showing cultural sensitivity while at the same time giving visitors the opportunity to taste local flavors.
3. Thematic evenings that are all the rage
Guests can take the gourmet experience up a notch with our thematic dinner events. Each of these thematic nights offers a menu and entertainment inspired by the chosen theme.
Whereas some offerings are tailored to the provenance of visitors, our theme nights allow them to learn a little more about Québec culture in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Spicy British humor nicely completes our cranberry-themed meal, a favorite with French visitors. For history buffs, who better than Samuel de Champlain (the founder of Québec City) to share stories about life in New France? And for those who want a bit more action, our Céline Dion impersonator shows guests a great time with performances of the singer’s biggest hits. This option is always a huge hit with Asian guests, who adore the international star from Québec.
As you can tell, everything from pre-trip communications and meal planning to the way we greet and guide our international guests from curbside to their rooms is carefully planned to add a personal touch to their visit. Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us and tell us what we can do for you to offer your clients a pleasant, memorable stay.
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE
My daughter is working at the Québec Public Market all summer! It gave me an excuse to go back there recently. I had somewhat forgotten its nice atmosphere and energy.
Located in the heart of the Old Port near the marina, the site is easily accessible on foot. It attracts both Québec City residents, who stop by for seasonal fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and visitors, who find a wide range of local and regional products to sample on site or take home with them. Whether you’re looking for cheeses, deli products, bread and pastries, jam, beverages, or other delicacies, the producers on site happily answer questions and provide tips on how to use their products.
The Québec Public Market is also a great place to relax and mix and mingle with people from all over the world and all walks of life―even well-known members of Québec’s artistic community who can be regularly spotted taking a stroll. It’s a must for anyone who wants to get a taste of the everyday lives of Québec City residents—and enjoy a special treat or two.
On behalf of the Hôtel Château Laurier Québec staff and myself, I wish you a great stay filled with great discoveries here in Québec City. And don’t forget to mention to the group leaders staying at our hotel that they should come and see me when they arrive: I have a gift for them!
