Quebec City Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Quebec City

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 narrows proximate to the promontory of Quebec and its Cape Diamant. French explorer and diplomat Samuel de Champlain, also known as "The Father of New France", founded a settlement here in 1608, and served as its administrator for the rest of his life.

The name "Canada" refers to this settlement. Up until the late 18th century Québec was the most populous city in present-day Canada. In 1867, it was confirmed as the capital of the newly created province of Quebec, three years after the Quebec Conference on Canadian Confederation took place in the city.

Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The self-proclaimed "Capitale Nationale", it has a fortified colonial core, with stone buildings and narrow streets. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) are the only fortified city walls still existing in the Americas north of Mexico. This area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Québec".

The city's key landmarks include the imposing Citadelle of Quebec, a Canadian Forces installation and the federal vice-regal secondary residence, and the nearby massive Château Frontenac hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant, dominating the skyline. During World War II, two conferences were held at these buildings, attended by Churchill and Roosevelt, during which a large part of the D-Day landing was planned.

Near the Château Frontenac is Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. Alongside the Château is the Terrasse Dufferin, a walkway along the edge of the cliff offering views of the Saint Lawrence River. The terrace leads toward the nearby Plains of Abraham, site of the battle in which the British took Quebec from France. The Parliament Building, seat of the province's parliament, is also near the Citadelle.

The Upper and Lower Town are linked by numerous stairs such as the Escalier “casse-cou” ("breakneck stairway") or the Old Quebec Funicular on the historic Rue du Petit-Champlain, where many small boutiques are found. There are in total 37 National Historic Sites of Canada located in Quebec City and its enclaves. To see the most notable of them and other prominent landmarks, take this self-guided introductory walk.