Breakneck Stairs - The Steep Way Down

Breakneck Stairs - The Steep Way Down

Photo: remundo, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)

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

Now you leave Upper Town on foot. These are the Breakneck Stairs, the oldest stairway in Quebec City, first laid out in 1635. For centuries this was the main shortcut for people climbing between the riverside docks and the heights.

The stairs have had many names, including Champlain's stairway and the Lower Town stairway. The current one, Escalier Casse-Cou in French, caught on in the 19th century, and you'll understand why as you look down the drop. In 1889 the city engineer Charles Baillairge rebuilt them, breaking a single long run into four flights with landings.

Head down carefully, holding the rail, especially when the steps are wet or icy. At the bottom you land at the top of Rue du Petit-Champlain, with Place Royale just around the corner. Pause on a landing and look down: the view of the shop signs and copper roofs below is one of the classic pictures of Old Quebec.

Getting here: Walk east past the seminary to Parc Montmorency, then follow the curving Cote de la Montagne downhill until you reach the top of the stairs. This is your way down to Lower Town.

Did you know?: There are 59 steps in all, enough to make the climb back up a real workout - which is why the next part of the tour returns by funicular.

Photo op: From the top landing, shoot straight down the stairs onto the lanterns and shop signs of Rue du Petit-Champlain.

More on Wikipedia: Breakneck Stairs · Charles Baillairge

Stops on this tour

  1. Dufferin Terrace - A Boardwalk on the Cliff
  2. Rue du Tresor - The Artists' Alley
  3. Notre-Dame de Quebec - Mother Church of New France
  4. Seminaire de Quebec - Where a University Began
  5. Breakneck Stairs - The Steep Way Down
  6. Place Royale - Where Quebec Began
  7. Quartier Petit Champlain - Shops Beneath the Cliff
  8. Old Quebec Funicular - The Easy Way Up
  9. Governors' Garden - One Monument, Two Generals
  10. The Citadelle - Star Fort on Cap Diamant
  11. Plains of Abraham - Thirty Minutes That Changed a Continent
  12. Parliament Building - Je Me Souviens
  13. Porte Saint-Louis - Gateway Through the Walls