In case you missed it, I recently returned home from celebrating my 30th birthday in Quebec City, Canada! When you have a mid-December birthday and your boyfriend says “Let’s take a trip,” you have two options: Flee the Midwestern cold for somewhere warmer, or lean into the winter weather by going somewhere even colder. Clearly, I chose option #2. So we set off for Quebec City with Porter Airlines.
But really though, Quebec City felt like the perfect place to spend a chilly pre-Christmas week. If you’re planning your own trip, though, there are a few things I think you’ll want to know in advance. So here’s my list of 5 things to know before you visit Quebec City in December!
1. IT WILL BE COLD
It’s Canada in December. It might seem like a no-brainer that it’s going to be cold, but I’m here to tell you that it’s going to be even colder than you think. With that in mind, be sure to bring your heaviest coat, waterproof or heavy-duty boots, gloves, scarves, hats… all of it. When we arrived in Quebec City, I believe the high for the day was 18 degrees. It didn’t get much warmer than that until the tail end of our trip, when we had a high of 35 that felt like a heatwave at that point.
Don’t even bother packing more than like 2 or 3 sweaters, because no matter how many photos you take, I promise your sweater will almost never be in any photos. Do make sure you pack your most photogenic coat, though. 😂
Also, the wind is really strong! Especially at wide-open areas like Dufferin Terrace and the Plains of Abraham. If you wear contact lenses, be sure to keep a small bottle of contact solution on you — the wind was blowing so strong that my contact lenses were constantly drying out and then I couldn’t see. Love that.
2. It might not even snow
When it’s that cold, it feels like you should at least be rewarded with some snow for your troubles. Right? Well unfortunately for us, we didn’t get any real snow the week we were there. Even our Uber driver on the way to the airport at 3:30 a.m. told us that, after living in Quebec City for 10 years, he’d never seen a December without snow before. Thanks a lot, global warming!
So it might feel like a little bit of a letdown when you arrive at what you thought would be a winter wonderland, but there’s no snow to be seen. Just remember that no one can control the weather, Jackie, and you’ll likely still see some flurries most days! Even though it doesn’t stick, it’s still pretty to see. By our last night in town, the snow was starting to finally fall.
Also, all of the holiday spirit that is on full display in Vieux Quebec and Petit Champlain will be enough to warm your Christmas-loving heart and forget about the lack of precipitation.
3. You can’t miss the Marché de Noël Allemand
Germany and other European countries are famous for their Christmas markets. Whether you call it a Weihnachtsmarkt, Christkindlmarkt, Marché de Noël, or something else, what’s not to love about a collection of bright stalls selling food, mulled wine, and handicrafts?
Vieux Quebec boasts one of the best Christmas markets on this side of the Atlantic — spanning five sites from Place d’Youville to Dufferin Terrace. You’ll find plenty of classic Christmas market goodies like sausages, cheese samples, artisanal products, and gifts. And, of course, there’s the “Alpine Bar,” which serves vin chaud (mulled wine) and other drinks in a branded cup that will set you back $2 CAD until you return it and get your deposit back. (Unfortunately, there are no pretty glass mugs to add to your collection.)
The decorations are also top-notch! From life-sized Christmas pyramids, to an ice throne for Santa and mini stars strewn from stall to stall, you might think you’re actually in Germany.
4. Winter is Unpredictable
Some of the things you wanted to do during your trip might look different than you planned thanks to the unpredictability of a Canadian winter. For example, one thing I was looking forward to doing was riding the Toboggan Slide at Dufferin Terrace just outside the Fairmont Château. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open for the winter season yet, and there was no specific date it was scheduled to open. A few Google searches told me it opened on Wednesday, Dec. 15 in 2021, and Wednesday the 16th in 2020. So I was hopeful we’d be on track for Wednesday, the 14th, while we were there. But even by the end of that week, as we left, there was no information available about an imminent opening.
Also, one major attraction for those visiting Quebec City is Montmorency Falls in the nearby QC suburb of Beauport. At other times of year, the waterfall offers ziplining, cable car adventures, and hikes to the bottom of the falls. As you might be able to guess, none of these are options in the winter. But you will be rewarded with stunning views of a partially frozen waterfall and its surroundings if you’re brave enough to make the bus trek out to Beauport in the cold.
And, of course… there’s always the chance that something is going to go wrong with your flight. Like it did with ours! We were scheduled for a leisurely 11 a.m. departure from Quebec City’s airport on Friday of our trip. And on Wednesday night, we were surprised with text messages informing us that our flight had already been canceled. Air Canada rebooked us for the same flight the next day, but we wouldn’t have been able to stay that long, so we switched to a flight that left at 6 a.m. on Friday in the hopes of beating the incoming snow storm. By the time we made it to Montreal, where we had our layover, the storm was in full force and we were delayed for hours on the runway as our plane was de-iced.
5. It’s one of the most magical places to travel in December
Despite the potential for canceled flights, unpredictable weather, and the bitter cold… I can hardly think of anywhere better to visit in December if you’re ready to embrace the Canadian cold and holiday spirit. It may have been sub-freezing most of the time we were there, but the festive feelings and cozy vibes of the whole city lends itself to a magic that would be hard to replicate elsewhere.
Quebec City is the only place I’ve ever been that has real pine trees on each and every light pole in the city, each one decorated with twinkling lights. The only place I’ve been that had firepits surrounded by circles of chairs out in public spaces, inviting frozen families and groups of friends to stay awhile in the warmth of the fire. The only place I’ve been where I could be cozy at dinner, inside a restaurant eating rabbit poutine (at Le Lapin Sauté), watching sparkling snow fall outside the window.
Yeah, maybe that’s too specific, and yeah, I obviously haven’t been everywhere. But on top of all that, December is actually one of the least popular months to visit Quebec City. So why not pack your warmest, marshmallow-iest coat and take advantage of having one of the world’s prettiest Christmas towns practically all to yourself?
Have I convinced to you to visit Quebec City in December yet? The cold of Canada in the winter is so worth it to see the city sparkle like it does! Let me know what you think in the comments.
-Cathy
Originally Published on December 30, 2022.
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