Adventures in Neighbourhood Life

Audio guide:

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From the top of the Observatory, you have a breathtaking view of Québec City. But it’s easy to miss one of the city’s most striking features: the big differences in altitude! It’s hard to spot the different levels of the neighbourhoods from here, even though you’re almost at the city’s highest point.

For example, look at the nearby Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church (1).

It overlooks the city from its location at 236 feet above sea level. Slightly further north, the Jean-Paul-L’Allier Garden (2), in the Saint-Roch District, is 180 feet lower than the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church. Hard to believe, isn’t it? The descent continues toward the Saint-Charles River (3), which meanders along at sea level.

Québec City’s Upper Town rises to an altitude of 358 feet, while Lower Town goes down to sea level.

It may not be obvious from up here, but this difference in altitude is part of everyday life on the streets of Québec City. There are plenty of slopes, and almost 30 staircases connect Upper and Lower Town. There is even an elevator from Saint-Jean-Baptiste to Saint-Roch to save you some effort!

The Faubourg staircase has connected Upper and Lower Town since 1855. The Faubourg elevator was built next to it in 1942.

While the difference in altitude on the north side can be hard to spot, you can’t miss the Videotron Centre (4)—a hi-tech, multi-purpose amphitheatre with space for over 18,000 fans.

The Videotron Centre is the second-largest arena in the province. Concerts by world-famous artists, by likes of Céline Dion and Billie Eilish, are held in its amphitheatre.

The Centre has been the home of the Remparts Major Junior Hockey team since 2015. It also hosts world-class shows. It is located on the Expocité site, which also includes the Grand Marché de Québec (5) market.

The Grand Marché de Québec market hosts more than 100 producers, processors and artisans keen to share what the region has to offer.

Local products take pride of place in this huge, bright space, which was inaugurated in 2019. It’s really fun to grab a lunch and have a picnic on Place Jean-Béliveau in front of the market.

Place Jean-Béliveau, in the middle of ExpoCité, offers green spaces, a pedestrian walkway, play areas and a variety of activities.

In the winter, you can clearly see the Canac Stadium (6). Its white inflatable dome means it can be used by baseball players all year.

As well as its other uses, the Canac Stadium dome allows young people in sports-study programs to train year-round.

Apart from these two eye-catching sports facilities, you’ll notice that the north side is mainly residential. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great things to discover!

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighbourhood (7), right below you, has a unique community feel. Throughout the year, many events on Saint-Jean Street create a fun atmosphere of friendly encounters.

For many years, community associations have been helping to organize block parties in “Saint-Jambe,” as it is affectionately known by its residents.

With evening entertainment on the church grounds, Saint-Jean-Baptiste feels a bit like a small village in the middle of the capital. Its streets are laid out in a grid and lined with colourful, old-fashioned houses. If you stroll along Saint-Jean Street, you’ll also see the charming grounds of Saint-Matthew’s graveyard (8), the oldest Protestant cemetery in the province of Quebec.

St. Matthew’s Graveyard was inaugurated in 1772. One of its tombstones is thought to be the oldest in the province.

A little further north, the Saint-Roch neighbourhood (9) is socially diverse, with an original and somewhat rebellious character. Saint-Joseph Street, in the middle of the neighbourhood, has a number of unusual shops. It also boasts excellent restaurants and Québec City’s largest library (10), which was recently renovated.

The Gabrielle-Roy Library has welcomed over 25 million visitors since it opened in 1983. It is the main building of Québec City’s library network.

A small plot, the Îlot Fleurie (11), hides on your right, under the freeway crossing the Saint-Charles River (11). The pillars of this elevated freeway showcase an open-air art gallery: authorized murals sit alongside less legal ones, bringing colour to the grey concrete structures.

Fourteen mural artists from Quebec, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France and Belgium created works on the pillars of the Îlot Fleurie. A collective mural was also created by five Québec City graffiti artists.

The Saint-Charles River marks the northern boundary of Saint-Roch District. On the other side is Limoilou (12), a family-friendly neighbourhood filled with buildings with spiral staircases and tall, majestic trees.

Old Limoilou’s many spiral staircases give it a different look from other Québec City districts. This distinctive feature dates back to the early 20th century when Limoilou was being built. A municipal by-law required houses to be set back from the street, reducing the livable inside space. The spiral outdoor staircase was a clever solution to the problem!

Its charming narrow streets, often decorated with colourful murals, are perfect for a stroll. Want to learn more?

Find more information at the bottom of the page!

Find the locations mentioned in the audio guide on our personalized Google map and continue the adventure after your visit to the Observatoire de la Capitale!