Bargains in Old Quebec

Quebec City is one of the less-known gems of tourism in North America. Its old city, perched atop the Plains of Abraham and along the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only walled city north of Mexico, and is easily walkable.

Quebec's relatively remote location means that it is usually not overwhelmed with visitors except when cruise ships stop there. It offers a variety of lodging choices, including in summer student rooms at Laval University and the University of Quebec. The reference for Laval is http://www.residences.ulaval.ca/en/short_term_accommodation/. Unfortunately the site does not list actual costs for rooms, but they are sure to be reasonable especially if you choose a room with shared bath.

In addition to strolling around the old city, you may enjoy taking a whale watching cruise in the Charlevoix region which can be done as a day trip. Croisieres Aml http://www.croisieresaml.com offers trips from your hotel or downtown Quebec City to the area where the Saguenay River flows into the St. Lawrence and whales of many different species congregate. If you haven't been on a whale watching excursion, it is definitely worthwhile, even perhaps at a cost of $120 Canadian per adult.

A less costly entertainment while you are in the Quebec capital could be a minor league baseball game in the home stadium of the Quebec Capitales. Tickets start at just $11 Canadian for adults, a far cry from the prices for Major League games or NHL games.

For general information on Quebec City, the link is http://www.quebecregion.com/en/. When I'm in Quebec City, I just like to walk around and consider that had the British not won the battle here on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, most of North America now would probably be speaking French instead of English.

This should be another good year for Canadian travel in general, since the loonie is trading at around 77 cents U.S.