A Magical Canadian Christmas: Montreal and Quebec City

A Canadian Christmas: Montreal & Quebec City

Visiting North America’s two most beautiful cities, Montreal and Quebec City, over Christmastime is magical. Not only are these cities historic with quaint old towns, forts, and a stunning location on the St. Lawrence River, but at Christmastime, they are especially enchanting. We spent one week in the French Canadian Provence of Quebec, visiting these two cities and had the most magical Christmas!

About Montreal & Quebec City

Montreal and Quebec City, Canada are in the French Canadian province of Quebec in eastern Canada. This area of Canada is French speaking as they closely align with their French heritage. Because of this it definitely feels like you are in Europe! With the French language, architecture, food, and culture you feel like you have crossed the pond to Europe rather than a quick border crossing from the USA into Canada!

During the 17th century, settlers from France settled in this area, mainly living as fur trappers and traders. The area was already settled by First Peoples of Canada, mainly the Algonquins. The relationship between the First Peoples and the French settlers was mostly interdependent, as the First Peoples traded items such as furs and fish for the French peoples’ European goods.

Our Itinerary for a Magical Canadian Christmas

We flew into Montreal (airport code: YUL) and took VIA Rail to Quebec City. We spent 4 nights in Quebec City before heading back to Montreal, where we spent 3 nights. This made for a longer travel day on day one, but by doing it this way we only had to switch hotels one time. We also wanted to make sure we were in Quebec City for Christmas so we could enjoy brunch at the famous Chateau Frontenac as well as visit the German Christmas Market before it closed for the season on December 23.

One Week Canadian Christmas Itinerary

Quebec City

Hotel: Quebec City Marriott Downtown – the hotel is across the street from Place d’Youville, where the ice skating rink is located. The location of the hotel was perfect, within walking distance of the majority of the sites and restaurants.

Things to see & do:

German Christmas Market
Ice skating at Place d’Youville
1884 Toboggan
Petit Champlaign
Chateau Frontenac

Montreal

Hotel: Place d’Armes – this hotel was located right in the heart of Old Town Montreal. We were just steps from the Basilica and could see the beautiful Christmas decorations in front of it as we came and went from our hotel, a magical touch for sure!

Things to see & do:

Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal
Le Grand Roue Montreal
Montreal Museum of Archeology & History
Montreal Science Centre & IMAX
Scandinave Spa

Quebec City

Quebec City is one of North America’s most beautiful cities. It has the feel of a smaller, European town with its cobblestone lanes, beautiful architecture, and wall surrounding Old Town. This is where we began our Christmas trip and it was pure magic!

Day One – The German Christmas Market

On our first full day, we went right to exploring the German Christmas Market! Wow, was it incredible! From Glühwein to lebkuchen to stollen, the German goodies are endless. The live music and festive decor definitely got us into the Christmas Spirit!

The German Christmas Market | Quebec City

The market is spread out over several areas within old Quebec. Right by the ice rink in Place d’Youville market stalls sell food, drink, and wares.

Beyond the ice rink, head through the wall towards Marktplatz, where the larger part of the German Christmas Market resides.

The German Christmas Market | Quebec City

We explored the entire market, taking in the sights and smells of spicy mulled wine and sweet roasted nuts. We tasted a variety of food and drinks and shopped for some unique German handicrafts.

The German Christmas Market | Quebec City

Dinner this evening was at an Italian restaurant, Bossini. As a highly rated Italian restaurant, we all enjoyed a great meal here.

Day Two – Chateau Frontenanc, Petit Champlaign & The Funicular

Today, we were craving Mexican food, so had lunch at Julio Tacqueria. From here, we took an uber to the Chateau Frontenac where we checked out the indoor shops and the Christmas decor inside.

The Chateau Frontenac sits right above Quebec City’s most charming street, Petit Champlaign. Take the stairs down or the funicular, which is a short ride on a 45 degree track taking you from Upper Town to Lower Town.

Oh-so-quaint Petit Champlaign is lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Adorable Petit Champlaign | Quebec City

A visit here during the day to shop and a visit here at night to take in the ambiance are both wonderful experiences! We got coffee and treats from a cafe and picked up some great items from the shops here.

Dinner this evening was at Restaurant La Buche, which offers up French Canadian fare. We all enjoyed our meal in this very cozy restaurant while watching the snow falling outside.

My nephew and I also went ice skating this evening on the rink right across the street from our hotel at Place d’Youville!

Place d’Youville | Quebec City

It was oh so magical, skating around on the rink surrounded by beautiful architecture, Christmas lights, and snow flying! Skating here is free and skate rentals are available if you don’t have your own skates.

Day Three – Christmas Eve

The next day was Christmas Eve, so we headed out to brunch at Il Teatro, which was very close to our hotel. It was decorated beautifully and the food was excellent. It was a great way to kick off Christmas!

Christmas Eve Brunch at Il Teatro | Quebec City

We also made time to visit the 1884 Toboggan, which is one of Quebec City’s most famous things to do. The ride down the icy track goes approximately 70 km/hr! Its fun and exhilarating and a must do in Quebec City. However, be prepared to stand in line for a while, even with a reservation. It is a very slow process to wait for a toboggan as there are only a few sleds. People then take their sled up the stairway and wait for their turn to ride down. We waited two and a half hours even though we had purchased tickets ahead of time!

The long (cold!) line for the 1884 Toboggan | Quebec City

It was extremely cold but we were in for a long haul, due to having my young nephew in tow!

Chateau Frontenac, Canada’s most famous hotel | Quebec City

This evening some of us adults enjoyed a well-crafted cocktail at Bar 1608 inside the Chateau Frontenac, which is right by the toboggan run. It was a great way to warm up on this cold evening and we really enjoyed the cocktails as well as the ambiance. From here, we took the funicular down to Petit Champlaign, taking in the lovely street at night.

Petit Champlaign at night | Quebec City

Day Four – Christmas Day

On Christmas Day we had a special brunch booked at the Chateau Frontenac. Oh is this place gorgeous! We checked in and were walked to our table, which was set beautifully complete with a Christmasey flower arrangement in the center.

Christmas Day brunch at Chateau Frontenac, with a visit from Santa! | Quebec City

The brunch is buffet style with an incredible array of food: the dessert table had everything your heart desires.

Some of the many offerings at the Chateau Frontenac Christmas Day brunch | Quebec City

Breakfast options included a massive array of typical breakfast fare such as eggs, pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, and a variety of pastries. There was also a sushi station, a variety of salads, cold cuts, and meats cut on the spot. We all enjoyed our complementary mimosa while making our way through the brunch. It was an absolutely magical Christmas!

Montreal

Time to head to Montreal! We took an afternoon train direct from Quebec City to Montreal, checking in to our hotel, Place d’Armes in the evening. We kept dinner simple tonight, going to Bevo Pizza. It was a delicious meal in a warm and cozy restaurant.

Day Five – Basilica, Shopping, Ferris Wheel, Archaeology Museum

The next morning, we headed to the Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal, an absolutely stunning church and a must see in Montreal.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

We purchased tickets ahead of time which allowed us to visit any time during that particular day. Once inside the basilica, we took our time taking in the beauty here and lighting candles for loved ones.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

From here we checked out the shops at Marche Bonsecouers. There were some art galleries and shops selling souvenirs. While we didn’t find the shops all that interesting, except for one of the art galleries where I got a piece of art, we were happy to get out of the cold and dined at BreWskey Pub, enjoying light bites along with a flight of beer.

This afternoon, some in our group opted to ride the ferris wheel, Le Grande Roue Montreal, for a birds eye view over the city. Those who went really enjoyed it and said this is a must do!

Views from Le Grande Roue, Montreal’s ferris wheel

Ava and I made our way to the Montreal Museum of Archeology and History.

The Montreal Museum of Archeology and History

Again, it is a great way to get out of the cold but with the added bonus of learning all about the beginnings of Montreal! We started by watching the film and made our way through the museum.

Our group all met back up at the hotel before heading out to dinner, which was at the lovely restaurant, Holder. We had an incredible meal with fantastic service and highly recommend it.

Day Six – Scandinave Spa, Science Centre, IMAX

With one more day in Montreal we had a fantastic afternoon planned – at Scandinave Spa! The thermal journey took us to a hot tub, cold plunge, sauna, steam room, and cold shower. The spa was complete with quiet areas to lounge, read or nap. We each ended our thermal journey with a one hour massage, a great way to end our trip to Canada!

While the majority of us were here, my brother-in-law and my 11-year-old nephew went to the Montreal Science Centre, exploring the exhibits and taking in an IMAX movie. They had a great time and it is a wonderful place for kids to explore.

For our last dinner, we went to Vieux-Port Steakhouse and had yet another wonderful meal. Our Canadian adventure was coming to an end as we had a very early flight out the next morning.

Spending Christmas in Canada was so dreamy with cozy restaurants, beautiful sites, ice skating, festive decor, and a German Christmas Market, complete with falling snow. You can take this itinerary and start planning your own magical Canadian Christmas for 2026!

Things to Know Before You Go:

If visiting in the winter, be prepared for very cold and snowy weather. Boots with good traction are a must for walking around and keeping warm. Bring a warm jacket, gloves, hat, and scarf, and even consider a base layer under your clothes.
The airport code for Montreal is YUL and services most major airports. We flew into Montreal and found it easiest to take a train to Quebec City, rather than switching airlines to then fly into Quebec City. We took VIA Rail from Montreal to Quebec City (and back), catching a shuttle from the airport to the train station.
A car is generally not necessary with this itinerary. We walked almost everywhere, except for a few dining locations that were a bit further out. Reserving a ride share, such as Uber, was very easy, even on Christmas Day when we needed to be transported from our hotel to the train station in Quebec City to head back to Montreal.