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Originally Posted by Manitoba Jim
Carl
We plan to visit Old Quebec City on the way. Last time, 2015, we could find no place to park our rig, Buick Enclave & 16 ft Scamp, so we left very disappointed. This time we plan to park at a mall and take public transit. Do you have any suggestions?
Jim R.
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Quebec City is very busy during the summer, especially during the Festival D'Été (Summer festival, which is a music festival).
https://www.feq.ca/en/
Some shows attract around 100,000 people on the Plains of Abraham...
There a some campgrounds pretty close from the city that are good for visitors. I have not been to all of these campgrounds myself, we try to go further away when we go camping ;-). You can Google each of them for more details and see where they are on the map. Some of them are mostly seasonnal campers, not our style, but sure beats Walmart!
Quebec City KOA: on the south shore near the twin bridges. I think they actually have city tours that leave straight from the campground, and/or maybe shuttles to bring you in the Old City. In any case, it's an easy drive to get in the Old City area, unless early in the morning where traffic can be slow across the bridges (can actually be slow just about everywhere early in the morning and late afternoon). Shopping area just east of the highway exchange. Just east of that you will find Camping la Relâche, also an easy access to the north shore using the old and impressive Quebec Bridge (which you should cross at least once).
A bit farther away to the southwest are 2 more: Sous-Bois du Campeur and Camping Bernières.
Camping Juneau: literally minutes (if not seconds!) from where I live, on the north side of the St-Lawrence, in the western part of the city, again easy access to the Old City via highway 40 (Charest Blvd), shopping area just 10 minutes away.
Just west of it is another one, Camping Canadien-Américain.
There is also Quebec en Ville campground, just north of the airport.
North of the city is Camping de la Joie (heard good comments about this one).
Farther north, maybe 30 minutes away from downtown, is Camping Stoneham. I've been to this one a lot. Nice campground, that was once a government-own campground back in the 70s. Lots of nice sites by the river.
Another one is Village Vacances Valcartier. This campground is actually part of a huge water park.
If you like parks, there is a beautiful provincial park (called Quebec National Parks in QC) about 30 min north of the city: Parc de la Jacques-Cartier. It's very nice but farther north and there isn't much around (it's in the Jacque-Cartier river valley). Super scenery, hiking trails, etc.
Northeast is Camping Municipal Beauport, maybe 15 minutes from downtown.
You can find info on most QC campgrounds on this site:
https://www.campingquebec.com/en/
To visit the Old City:
https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/
You can Google all the places and attractions I mention:
The Old City is best visited by foot. Walk the Terrasse Dufferin at the foot of Chateau Frontenac, the Promenade des Gouverneurs up the Citadelle (which you can also visit) walk historic Grande Allée and Rue St-Jean, the oldest streets of Petit Champlain at the foot of the Cap Diamant, including Place Royale. Lots of restaurants, museums, and they will all speak in english if you're concerned about getting around in english in a very french city, so no worry.
The Old city is all about it's history: the French colony, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, etc. It is worth reading about it a bit before visiting, if you love history you will definitely
fall in love with the Old Quebec.
You can go for a super cheap "cruise" on the St-Lawrence by taking the ferry from Levis to Quebec and back (like $8 per pedestrians) and get a super view of the Quebec skyline and the Chateau (actually, if you're camping somewhere on the south shore the ferry can be a good choice to get you across the river, right in the heart of the Old City, leaving the vehicle in Levis as crossing as pedestrians)
Public transit is a good option to visit the Old City. May take a bit longer to get to and from you campground but you don't have to try to find a parking spot and pay for it. I don't use public transit myself for work but look for the Parc-O-Bus parking lots, where you can park your vehicle and then take the bus. Info here on the RTC (Quebec transit) website:
https://www.rtcquebec.ca/Default.asp...language=en-CA
For rainy days, main shopping malls are Place Laurier and Galeries de la Capitale (IMAX theatre and interior theme park, kids will love it). Bora Park is popular too (interior water park).
Nice urban parks to go for a picnic or just relax are Parc du Bois de Coulonge and Plage Jacques-Cartier, and of course the Plains of Abraham.
East of the city are the Montmorency Falls, very popular attraction. While you're there, you can go for a drive on the bucolic and historic Ile d'Orleans, as you are seconds away from the bridge to the island.
As mentioned, you can Google all of that, and don't hesitate if you need further details on the city or the area. I live here and I'm glad to help.