QUéBEC CITY
DAY TWO
MORNING Get your dose of culture at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. The city’ s main art museum is located on the Plains of Abraham— the history-making fields where the British triumphed over the French during its eponymous battle in 1759, thus gaining control of New France. Within its sprawling complex— partly encompassing a 19th-century provincial jail— the museum’ s collection puts the focus on Québecois art from the 17th century to today, with a collection of over 42,500 objets d’ art, sculptures, paintings and more. There’ s a new pavilion dedicated entirely to Jean Paul Riopelle, the Montrealborn painter and sculptor whose abstract canvases bridged American Abstract Expressionism and European Lyricism. The museum also occasionally plays host to yoga classes and art-based wellness activities such as mindful drawing workshops.
AFTERNOON For lunch, head to Le Billig, a cozy, Breton-owned crêperiebistro with an open fireplace and exposed brick walls. The buckwheat crêpes— served with sweet or savoury toppings— are beloved across the city. Enjoy it with a Québec-made cider. Now that the hard work is done, it’ s time to decompress at Strøm Spa Nordique. Take the 30-minute ramble through the old town and down to Boulevard Champlain, following the river until you reach this serene waterfront spa. The concept revolves around a Nordic-style thermal circuit that alternates between hot and cold therapies, with tranquil spaces to rest in between. Across its minimalist, glass-walled building and riverfacing outdoor pavilion, you’ ll find Finnish saunas, thermal waterfalls, eucalyptus steam baths, infinity pools and one of Canada’ s largest Epsom salt flotation baths. Wile away the rest of the afternoon and watch the day fade from a bubbling hot tub.
EVENING Book a table at Le Clan by chef Stéphane Modat, whose passion for local produce and Québecois cuisine informs his hyper-seasonal tasting menus. Set in a historic house in the old town, customers can watch Modat at work in the glass-fronted kitchen and admire his hunting and fishing trophies, which decorate the walls. Choose between a four- or six-course tasting menu featuring the bounty of Québec’ s wilderness— Arctic char, salmon, seal and plenty of game, each identified by the latitude and longitude of their provenance on the menu. Master Sommelier Pier-Alexis Soulière is on hand to pour pairings of Canadian and international wines. For a nightcap, drift over to Le Bedeau, a cosy restaurant and wine bar with walls decorated in local, hand-carved Québecois wood. This is the spot to get an education in local varietals— sommelier Kim Colonna thoughtfully curates bottles from up and down the province.
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