A wintertime view of Québec’s 300 year-old Quartier Petit Champlain

YOUR SCHOOL FRENCH CLUB
UNE EXCURSION HIVERNALE A LA VILLE DE QUÉBEC

DAY ONE: BIENVENUE À QUÉBEC, DINNER, HISTORY LESSON

Bienvenue à Québec, the cradle of French civilization in North America.

After checking into your hotel, you will transfer into the old city where your guide will lead you on a walking orientation tour that will begin at Place d’Armes and introduce you to the Terrasse Dufferin, the majestic Château Frontenac and the Assemblée Nationale.

After the tour, you’ll have dinner in fine French-Canadian restaurant in an restored heritage building on the Grande Allée (the Champs Elysées of Québec), or in the 300-year old stone vault of an historic building in the Quartier Petit Champlain.

Your first day will end with an interactive history lesson (in which every student will participate) about warfare in the time of generals Wolfe and Montcalm. Overnight security begins at 10:00pm.

DAY TWO: CITY TOUR, COPPER ART WORKSHOP, VILLAGE VACANCES

After breakfast in the hotel, you will depart on a city sightseeing tour that will end will end at the tallest building in Québec, where you will ascend to the 31st floor observatory for a panoramic view of the walled city, Saint Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains.

OPTIONAL: End your city tour with a visit Québec’s famous Hôtel de Glace.

Lunch on your own in the Quartier Latin, then transfer to the Albert Gilles Museum of Copper Art, where you will learn about the extraordinary craftsmanship of Albert Gilles, who created a number of pieces that you will see tomorrow afternoon at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, then participate in a hands-on copper workshop during which you will produce your own work of copper art.

You will spend the evening at Village Vacances, the largest winter sports facility in North America where, after dinner in the cafeteria, you can go ice skating on its 2.5 kilometer skating rink, or try any of its 42 exciting inner-tube and crazy carpet slides upon which you can reach the speed of 80 kilometers per hour!

OPTIONAL: After dinner in a bistro-style restaurant at the edge of the Latin Quarter, transfer to les Galeries de la Capitale where you will pick up your 30-point tickets good for at least 90-minutes of rides on the indoor roller coaster, Ferris wheel, or the “Hip Hop Tower”. You’ll be free, before, during, or after your Mega Parc rides (until the 9:00pm closing), to practice your French in any of les Galeries' 250 boutiques and retail stores.

DAY THREE: STE-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRE, MONTMORENCY FALLS, CABANE À SUCRE

Begin your day with an extended continental breakfast buffet in the hotel, depart on a ride up the Cote de Beaupré for visits to the magnificent Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Parc de la Chutes Montmorency where the first battle between Generals Wolfe and Montcalm took place during the summer of 1759.

After lunch in the Quartier Petit Champlain, you’ll have an hour to practice your French in the oldest part of the city, then walk to a mid-afternoon visit to the Musée de la Civilisation. After a brief orientation from your guide, you will be free to explore its permanent exhibit on the history and culture of Québec, including a 250-year-old boat found on this very site, and a beautifully preserved 250-year-old stone house, considered to be two of the brightest jewels of the crown of Québec's architectural heritage.

Your last evening will end on picturesque Île d’Orleans with dinner and an evening of traditional music and folk dancing at an authentic, French-Canadian cabane à sucre (pictured at right).

DAY FOUR: INTERACTIVE HISTORY LESSON AND AU REVOIR

After breakfast, transfer to the Terrasse Dufferin where you will learn about the many battles and skirmishes between the French, British and American (yes, American) armies; the presentation will end with a memorable and highly educational depiction of the decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham, and a QUIZ to see how much history you absorbed.

After lunch on your own in the Quartier Latin or the Quartier Petit Champlain, then it’s time to meet the bus and depart for home.

Au revoir, Québec. À bientôt.