Mathieu Bergeron moved to Quebec City from Montreal 15 years ago to open a cafe in Lower Town. He'd visited as a tourist and fell for the city's scale — small enough to walk everywhere, old enough to feel meaningful, and French enough to feel like home.
We spoke at his cafe on a Tuesday morning, over espresso and a pain au chocolat that was still warm.
"The Chateau, obviously. Everyone comes because they saw a photo of the Chateau Frontenac in winter — snow on the turrets, the whole fairy-tale thing. And they should come for that. The Chateau is extraordinary and the Dufferin Terrace below it has one of the best views in Canada.
But then what happens is they walk through Petit-Champlain, they eat poutine, they hear French everywhere, and they realize this isn't a 'historic district' inside a modern city. The whole thing is old. The walls are real. The streets are 400 years old. It stops being a tourist attraction and becomes a real place."
"Two things. First: not speaking any French. Look, most of us in Old Quebec speak English — we have to, we're in tourism. But starting with 'Bonjour' instead of 'Hello' changes the whole interaction. It's not about fluency. It's about respect. We are 95% francophone. Acknowledge it.
Second: only going to Upper Town. Lower Town — Place Royale, Petit-Champlain, the Old Port — is where the oldest buildings are. That's where the city started. Upper Town has the Chateau and the fortifications, but Lower Town has the soul. Most tourists take the funicular down, walk Petit-Champlain, and go back up. Stay down there. Wander the streets. Find the Fresque des Quebecois mural — a giant trompe-l'oeil painting of 400 years of Quebec history on the side of a building."
"Not at the restaurants on the Dufferin Terrace. They know they have a captive audience and the prices reflect it.
For poutine — Chez Ashton. It's a local chain. No tourist has ever heard of it. The poutine is $8 CAD and the cheese curds squeak, which is the only standard that matters. Le Chic Shack does fancier versions ($12-16) but Ashton is the real thing.
For a proper meal, Le Lapin Saute in Lower Town. Rabbit specialties — the name means 'the sauteed rabbit.' It sounds niche but it's outstanding. Duck confit, rabbit pot pie, excellent wine list. $25-40 CAD for mains.
Aux Anciens Canadiens gets dismissed as touristy, and it IS touristy. But the food is genuinely good. The building is from 1675. The caribou stew is traditional. The foie gras poutine ($24 CAD) is indulgent and worth it. I take my out-of-town friends there without embarrassment.
For breakfast, go to Paillard on Rue Saint-Jean. Their croissants are... [pauses] ...I will say this carefully. They are as good as what I had in Lyon. And I don't say that about many things."
"Tourists think winter is the 'off-season.' It's the opposite. Winter is WHEN to come. Quebec City was built for cold. The stone walls, the steep roofs designed to shed snow, the fireplaces in every restaurant, the heavy food — poutine, tourtiere, pea soup. This is a winter city.
Carnaval is the centerpiece — late January to mid-February. The ice sculptures on Place de l'Assemblee-Nationale are genuine art. International teams spend days carving massive blocks with chainsaws and chisels. At night, they're lit from inside and they glow.
The toboggan on Dufferin Terrace is the oldest ride in Quebec City — $4 CAD, you sit on a wooden sled and fly down a track at 70 km/h with the Chateau above you. It's been running for 250 years. Nowhere else has this.
But yes — you need proper winter clothes. -20 to -30°C is normal in January. Mittens, not gloves. Insulated boots, not fashion boots. Thermal layers under everything. If you dress correctly, the cold is manageable. If you don't, you'll spend the trip in your hotel."
"[sighs] Everyone makes this comparison. 'Quebec City is like Paris!' It's not like Paris. Paris is a city of 12 million people with a metro system and the Louvre. Quebec City has 550,000 people and you can walk across Old Town in 15 minutes.
What we share with France is language and food tradition. But Quebec French isn't Parisian French — our expressions are different, our accent is different, our swear words are all Catholic (tabernac, calice, crisse). Parisians sometimes can't understand us.
Quebec City is its own thing. It's a North American city with French roots that grew into something unique over 400 years. Stop comparing it. Just come and experience it on its own terms."
"Ile d'Orleans. Fifteen minutes by car. An agricultural island that's essentially the French countryside transplanted to Canada. Farms, orchards, chocolate shops, cideries. In spring, the sugar shacks do all-you-can-eat maple meals — pea soup, baked beans, oreilles de crisse, pancakes, and tire sur la neige (maple taffy on snow). $25-45 CAD. It's one of the most genuinely Quebec experiences you can have.
The Promenade Samuel-De Champlain along the river. It's a 2.5 km waterfront park south of Old Quebec that tourists never visit. Beautiful in any season. Free.
And the Plains of Abraham at dawn. The park where the British defeated the French in 1759 and changed Canada's history. At dawn, especially in fall when the leaves turn, it's empty and hauntingly beautiful."
"Come for at least three nights. I know some people try to do Quebec City as a day trip from Montreal. That's offensive. [laughs] You can't understand this city in six hours. You need a morning in Lower Town. An afternoon on the walls. An evening at a restaurant where the waiter judges your French (gently). A winter night walking the streets under snow.
Three nights. Minimum. And you'll understand why I left Montreal and never went back."
