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Lower Town (Basse-Ville)

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (Downtown Quebec City)
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Ranked #2 of 101 attractions in Quebec City
Type: Neighborhoods, Scenic/ Historic Walking Areas
Activities: City walk sightseeing
Fee: Yes
Recommended length of visit: More than 3 hours
Description: The location of the city's original settlement, historic Lower Town is situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence.
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335 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    247
    74
    11
    3
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Date Rating
Toronto
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 17, 2013 NEW

We couldn't get enough of these beautiful avenues! Just a note that many of the stores close early in the evening so to get most of it you should visit during the day, maybe before 6p. We were in the area on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was significantly more vibrant than Monday but they were both great.

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See 3 more reviews by Golbaghali for Quebec City
Victoria, BC
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 16, 2013 NEW

Lots of history, beautiful buildings, and French ambience. A friend and I had a glass of wine on an outside deck on a warm sunny afternoon and listened to two different street performers playing a harp and a guitar at the little park next door.

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See 3 more reviews by NEPVictoria_BC for Quebec City
Calgary, Canada
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 16, 2013 NEW

Charming old world piece of real estate. You can feel transported to old Europe without leaving North America. Delightful assortment of art galleries, artisans, restaurants, coffee shops and boutique hotels. Walk down cobblestone streets. Dine on the sidewalk under arching trees. My only quibble was how many shops were closed on an earlier and glorious Saturday in June.

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See 3 more reviews by Douglas M for Quebec City
Massachusetts
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
23 attraction reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 16, 2013 NEW

There are a lot of shops and places to get food and sweets. The streets feel very European and historical. I think it is a little less touristy than upper town. Definitely spend some time in lower town if you are in Quebec.

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See 10 more reviews by jasonjr23 for Quebec City
Toronto, Canada
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 15, 2013 NEW

beautiful, even though touristy. Lovely stone buildings with lots of unique shops and restaurants. You need strong legs to manage the walk back up to the Upper Town but it helps burn off the calories from all the decadent yummies you may have eaten!

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See 2 more reviews by luv_to_travel416 for Quebec City
Calgary, Canada
Top Contributor
73 reviews 73 reviews
46 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
57 helpful votes 57 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 13, 2013 NEW

To me the Lower Town was full of interesting shops in a quaint setting, and history was secondary, if that. I would have liked to have seen more historical details prominently displayed, not in tiny words inscribed on bronze plaques that are really hard to read. There are no restored museums here, just shopping. An interesting thing is one of... More

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See 13 more reviews by ConnoisseurGal for Quebec City
Spruce Head, Maine
Top Contributor
54 reviews 54 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 13, 2013 NEW

Very historical, great shopping and wonderful restaurants! We took the ferry to Levi's for better views of Quebec.

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See 2 more reviews by JanSpruceHeadMaine for Quebec City
Albuquerque
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 6, 2013

It had a much older feel and look to it, things were not as chain oriented as the rest of the city, great shops, galleries, restaurants

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See 5 more reviews by scotshap for Quebec City
San Francisco, California
Top Contributor
58 reviews 58 reviews
24 attraction reviews
Reviews in 25 cities Reviews in 25 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 4, 2013

The Fish Market and Farmers Market was a fun place to visit with the locals. A walk in the Marina was relaxing. Found a nice Baguette shop on St. Paul

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See 5 more reviews by Guydon88 for Quebec City
brighton.on.canada
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 31, 2013

It is a walkers paradise. There is something interesting around every comer. The Art Galleries are housed in magnificent old buildings .It is well oirth the trip to view both the art and the restorations of the buildings. It is very well done. There are restaurants galore as well as interesting boutique stores. The musical interludes throughout the area were... More

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See 3 more reviews by lizjoan for Quebec City

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