This is the last blogpost of the summer!

When I started this summer I had two goals: gently test the job market, and get my (mental and physical) health back in shape. In that vein, I purposefully paused on goal #1 during August to focus on goal #2, which resulted in more kid-free trips in the span of a few weeks than I’ve done since 2020! It was nice being able to spend this time breathing a bit before getting back into a routine for the fall.

For our sixth wedding anniversary, M and I were lucky enough to take our first kid-free trip to Quebec City! We wanted somewhere that was a short enough distance away so that we could maximize our time at the destination, and M isn’t a beach person so we didn’t do a Caribbean trip. Mimi held down the fort at home, and I think because we are pretty settled in our community now it was easy getting backup childcare to support for the few days we were gone. It felt like we were 19 again and able to take trips like this on a whim whenever we wanted! Sleep in however late! Not worry about naps in the middle of the day! Eat adult meals! Read a book at the pool or in a cocktail lounge! Once life stabilizes again after we are done having kids, we must try to make this a recurring event, because it’s so important to remind ourselves of who we are as people and as a couple, not just as parents.

I had seen pictures of Quebec City whenever we would try to figure out a local place to go for Christmas, and was reminded of it again when I looked on a map to see where we could go “locally” from NYC. It doesn’t sound glamorous, but it really felt super European and truly like we were in a different country. We split our time between exploring Old Quebec, which is a UNESCO world heritage site and a walled city, and the Ile d’Orleans which is a cute little island 20 minutes from Old Quebec to give us a taste of nature. I vote this as the most romantic destination in North America!

Here are some of the highlights from the trip!

Old Quebec:

The Chateau Frontenac – apparently the world’s most photographed hotel??

We stayed at Le Frontenac, which is the iconic hotel in Quebec. We used AMEX points so were able to stay for free, get breakfast included, and had a $125 food and beverage credit, so we greatly enjoyed our stay – but not sure we would’ve paid ~$1k a night for the rooms. The location is unbeatable but there are probably some cute hotels right next door that are a fraction of the price.

Old Walls of the city that surround Old Quebec

The two memorable meals we had were at La Buche, for Quebecois brunch, and the Sagamite, for a First-Peoples-inspired meal. Both are only a few minutes away from Le Frontenac. I also recommend going to Aux Anciens Canadiens for dessert (maple syrup pie or crepes are must-haves).

Elk, Bison, and Deer at Sagamite – surprisingly, Elk was my favorite. For brunch / lunch, things drenched in maple syrup are popular – delicious maple bacon, maple beans, maple crepes, etc…

The old city can be split into two main sections: the Upper City and the Lower City, separated by steep stairs (or a Funincular – which at the time of visiting, only took cash. This was the only place in the city where we felt like we were missing out by not having cash – everywhere else took contactless!). Otherwise, Old Quebec is very compact, and if you situate yourself near Le Frontenac, easy to navigate as each street is fun to walk down. The best thing to do for a day is to wander around, look at art galleries, pop into shops, and stop around for some food when hungry.

Plains of Abraham – you can walk here via the Dufferin Terrace outside Le Frontenac, then walk down the Governor’s Promenade and make your way across the Plains. This is where the British defeated the French in the Seven Years’ War.

The Plains of Abraham

Walk down Rue Saint Jean, walk around breakneck stairs connecting Lower Town to Upper Town; then explore Quartier Petit Champlain. This is a super cute and picturesque square; walk around all the little shops and art galleries for some shopping and art. Walk down Rue du Petit Champlain

Ile d’Orleans

For our second full day in Quebec, we rented a car so that we could visit Montmorency Falls (taller than Niagra Falls) and spend a day roaming around Ile d’Orleans. We stopped at Montmorency Falls first (~$15pp), and I didn’t realize that there would be a 500 step climb to the top of the falls, where you cross a suspension bridge…bring water! You can also zipline or canyoneer if you have time – both were reasonably priced.

The stairs leading up to the falls and across the bridge…Cardio day!

For the island, this blog gave me a ton of inspiration on where to stop, but since there’s basically one main road the play here is to pick a direction to drive and pull over wherever strikes your fancy. Our favorite stops included a goat cheese farm, an artisans’ co-op (where we bought some art), a chocolate store, and the oldest house on the island. And of course, we ended the day with a few wineries – we tried Ice Wine at Isle de Bacchus and enjoyed sampling Ciders.

We had such a wonderful time and definitely want to return one year (with the whole family) for Christmastime! It’s a completely underrated place, and so great that it’s within driving distance (although we opted to fly, since we were without the kids!).

Thanks for following along with me this summer! We will end the season with a quick roadtrip to Boston, and we’ll have another kid-free trip to Ireland later this year for a wedding, but otherwise will plan on staying put for the rest of the year minus some local cabin trips (we’ve basically depleted this year’s vacation budget, anyway…!)

Quebec City at night, and the night-caps we had

Chocolate-dipped ice cream is a must! And if you have time and want to learn a bit about Quebec history, the Musee du Civilization is pretty comprehensive.