July 23, 2025

Tour of Old Quebec

By students Matthew and Michael Kenney

The old city of Quebec was amazing. It looked and felt a lot like the small cities in Europe I have seen. Just like in Europe, the city has one dominant culture, and that is French. Almost everyone was speaking French; our group was the only people speaking English. I think most people there can speak English in stores and restaurants for tourists. The people we saw were accepting of us and seemed to get along well with each other.

The city still has small stone roads, meeting areas by the church, and it is surrounded by a wall. The wall was put up to protect the city from people attacking it. The military was important to the history of the city. The first picture below is of a Catholic church; religion seems to be important in this area. These religious symbols indicate that the community is diverse. The second picture below is of Jesus that we saw in a church inside the walls. This was one of several churches that we saw.

a church and other buildings with a cobblestone street in the foreground — A church in Old Town Quebec (photo courtesy of Matthew Kenney)

A golden sculpture attached to a wall — A sculpture inside the church (Photo courtesy of Michael Kenney)

Walking the streets felt like being back in time in Europe, as I think Quebec has a lot of culture that is from there. The next picture is with a building with a mural on the side. The mural shows the rich famous history of the old city.

European-style building, one with a mural on the side. — A mural on the side of a building (Photo courtesy of Matthew Kenney)

The next picture shows the elevator coming down to the city. It also shows some of the small shops that felt like they were in Europe. The best thing I saw was The Hotel Frontenac. The architecture was beautiful to see as it towered over Old Quebec. The cannons at the base of the hotel were there to protect the Old City, reminding us we were in a fort. The Citadel today is still an active military base on top of a hill in the Old City.

European-style shops — Old town Quebec shops with the Funiculaire in the background (Photo courtesy of Matthew Kenney)

A picture of a large chateau with cannons in the foreground — A view of Chateau Frontenac (Photo courtesy of Michael Kenney)