Lower Town (Basse-Ville), Quebec City

Lower Town (Basse-Ville), Quebec City (must see)

The Lower Town is a historic area situated at the foot of Cap Diamant. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain established a settlement here, which you can still see remnants of today, centered around Place Royale. It has been carefully restored to capture its original French charm. The construction of the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires began in 1687 and was completed in 1723 at this very location.

Lower Town is home to several museums, performance venues, theaters, and exhibition spaces, including the Musée de la Civilisation, the Musée Naval de Québec, the caserne Dalhousie, and the Théâtre Petit Champlain. Additionally, Lower Town offers picturesque sights such as the Louise Basin, Brown Basin, La Pointe-à-Carcy, the Gare du Palais, and the Marche du Vieux-Port, all of which are visible from the Port of Québec.

If you're interested in shopping, Lower Town features charming narrow cobblestone streets lined with unique boutiques and galleries. To make it easier to ascend Cap Diamant, there's a funicular car that conveniently connects Lower Town to Upper Town via the petite Petit-Champlain road at the base of the Cape. This ride offers a magnificent panoramic view of the city from the top.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Quebec City. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Lower Town (Basse-Ville) on Map

Sight Name: Lower Town (Basse-Ville)
Sight Location: Quebec City, Canada (See walking tours in Quebec City)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Quebec City, Quebec

Create Your Own Walk in Quebec City

Create Your Own Walk in Quebec City

Creating your own self-guided walk in Quebec City is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Historical Houses Walking Tour

Historical Houses Walking Tour

Quebec City, particularly evocative of Europe in its atmosphere, is often referred to as the cradle of New France. The city boasts one of the richest architectural heritages in North America, though most of its buildings had to be adapted to harsh winters and the lack of specialized workers and materials in the colony. As such, the majority of local houses were designed as simple and efficient...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Quebec City Introduction Walking Tour

Quebec City Introduction Walking Tour

Cresting a cliff above the St. Lawrence River, Québec City (French: Ville de Québec) is the soul of the province of Québec – a place all its own; a country within a country with its own traditions, architecture, and French-speaking population.

The Algonquian people had originally named the area Kébec, which means "where the river narrows", because the Saint Lawrence River...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Old Quebec Walk

Old Quebec Walk

The historic part of Quebec City known as Old Quebec (French: Vieux-Québec), sometimes also referred to as the Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin), is the neighborhood centered around Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant), located on the eastern edge of Quebec hill promontory. The area comprises Upper Town (Haute-Ville) and Lower Town (Basse-Ville) and is currently listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Qucbec City's Historical Churches Walking Tour

Qucbec City's Historical Churches Walking Tour

The first religious buildings in Canada were established by the Récollets and Jesuits, in 1615 and 1625, respectively, when they first arrived in New France. Later on, the French colonists brought along their culture and architectural traditions, and the establishment of British and evangelical society triggered further major developments in Quebec City.

Over the course of the 17th and 18th...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles