The last time I went to Quebec City, my family came back with a Malamute puppy, a sled-dog reject who to this day remains the best souvenir from a trip, full stop.
I returned recently for a weekend, and while I didn’t adopt a dog (alas), I did come home with a new appreciation for this friendly, surprisingly affordable (for now) northern outpost and its European streets. Here are five design-forward highlights, all situated in or near the Old City. (Just don’t forget to bundle up—really—if you’re going in winter.)
To Stay: Le Auberge Saint-Antoine
Above: Centrally situated in Vieux Quebec (the Old City), Auberge Saint Antoine is a small, intimate “museum hotel”: Displayed in built-in glass cases throughout the lobby and hallways are ceramics, pipes, glassware, and pottery shards discovered during the hotel’s construction, many dating back hundreds of years from when the area was a wharf. Extras–like access to the sauna, Saturday-morning yoga classes, and a cinema room—are all included in the room rate, and our suite (above) featured wide-plank wood floors, a tidy tray for storing snowy boots, and a high-tech commode. Chez Muffy, the on-site restaurant, is situated in a former maritime warehouse with stone walls and serves its lattes in bowls. Rooms from $217 CAD ($151 US).
For Browsing: Sous le Toit and Rosie Papeterie
Above: Rosie Papeterie is a small shopfront, but inside you’ll find a well-curated selection of stationary and paper goods. A few doors down is Sous le Toit, Quebec City’s answer to a zero-waste shop, featuring trusty utilitarian goods (many of them Canadian made). There are a slew of antiques shops on the same street, if you also feel that getting lost in bric-a-brac stores equals an afternoon well spent.
For a Break: Café Apotek
Above: The city’s Most Stunning Cafe award goes to: Café Apotek at 209 Rue Saint-Paul. (For evidence, just see their Instagram.) Stop in to warm up with a hot chocolate or pastry; stay for the serpentine marble table, inventive built-in perches, and wild floral arrangements.
For a Day: Strøm Spa
Above: The real reason for my trip (and the recommendation nearly everyone gave when I asked): Strøm Nordic Spa. Situated on the St. Lawrence River and a short drive from the Old City, Strøm offers hot and cold plunge pools, Finnish saunas, steam rooms, and relaxation areas spread out over its campus, all from $79 CAD per person ($55 US). Once you’re in, there’s no time limit, so arrive early to make the most of the thermal circuit: 15 minutes of heat followed by 15 seconds of cold and 20 minutes of rest. It was busy on the weekends, but the spa’s rule of silence kept it from feeling crowded. Above: After a day of soaking, stop into Nord, the spa’s on-site restaurant. Yes, everyone wears their spa-provided white robes to dine, but this only adds a little comical White Lotus effect to the restaurant’s clean Scandinavian design and “boreal-inspired” dishes.
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: No connected account.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.
v5.0
×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Congratulations on becoming a Subscriber to Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Unlimited access to all three sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive any of the newsletters, including the the full-text daily Remodelista and Gardenista newsletters
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Congratulations on joining as a free Member of Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
If at any time you want to become a Subscriber and enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to all our content, just go to the My Account link and choose Subscribe.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation