Dufferin Terrace - A Boardwalk on the Cliff

Photo: Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Old Quebec City Walking Tour, a free self-guided tour.

You're standing on a wooden boardwalk high above the St. Lawrence, with Lower Town's rooftops spread out below you. Behind you rises the Chateau Frontenac, a castle-like hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and opened in 1893. New York architect Bruce Price gave it its turrets and steep copper roofs to draw wealthy rail travellers.

This cliff was the seat of power long before the hotel. The Chateau Saint-Louis, home of the French and then British governors, stood here until fire ruined it in 1834. Its foundations survive under your feet, and in places you can look down through glass at the old walls.

Governor General Lord Dufferin pushed for this promenade, and it opened in 1879. In 1943 and 1944 the Chateau hosted the Quebec Conferences, where Roosevelt, Churchill and Mackenzie King planned the Allied push into Europe.

Walk to the north end to find the bronze statue of Samuel de Champlain, the city's founder.

Getting here: Start on Dufferin Terrace in front of the Chateau Frontenac, near the Champlain statue at the terrace's north end.

Did you know?: The Champlain statue's sculptor, Paul Chevre, survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, escaping in one of the first lifeboats launched.

Photo op: Stand at the south end of the terrace and look back north to frame the Chateau's towers with the river on the right.

More on Wikipedia: Terrasse Dufferin · Chateau Frontenac · Samuel de Champlain · Canadian Pacific Railway

Dufferin Terrace - A Boardwalk on the Cliff

Stops on this tour