Old Quebec Funicular - The Easy Way Up

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

Time to climb back to Upper Town, and this is the painless way. The funicular's glass cabin rides up the face of the cliff at a steep angle, landing right on Dufferin Terrace beside the Chateau.

Its lower station is set inside the Maison Louis-Jolliet, a 17th-century stone house linked to the explorer Louis Jolliet, who in 1673 travelled down the Mississippi with the missionary Jacques Marquette.

The funicular opened on November 17, 1879, conceived by William Griffith. At first it ran on water: a tank in the upper car was filled until it was heavy enough to roll down, hauling the lower car up. Electricity took over in 1907. A fire destroyed the line in 1945, and it was rebuilt within a year. After a fatal accident in 1996, it was rebuilt again with modern equipment and reopened in 1998.

There's a small fare. If you'd rather walk, climb back up the Breakneck Stairs and Cote de la Montagne instead.

Getting here: Walk back north along Rue du Petit-Champlain to the funicular station at the foot of the Breakneck Stairs, then ride up to Dufferin Terrace.

Did you know?: Since the 1998 rebuild it is technically an inclined elevator rather than a true funicular, because its two cabins now run independently instead of balancing each other.

Photo op: Ride facing the river: the glass cabin gives you a rising view over the rooftops of Lower Town and the St. Lawrence.

More on Wikipedia: Old Quebec Funicular · Louis Jolliet · Jacques Marquette

Old Quebec Funicular - The Easy Way Up

Stops on this tour