Quebec: Bus Tours

Quebec spoils travellers for choices when it comes to site seeing. Historic Quebec City, a UNESCO Heritage Site is probably the most famous sightseeing attraction in all of Quebec followed by Mount Royal in Montreal. Voir Québec Tours offer historical walking tours of Old Quebec city year round. Cyclists or motorists can tour La Cote-de-Beaupre exploring New France's heritage. Nearly a dozen bus tour companies operate within the city paying visit to the fortifications and the Citadel, the Plains of Abraham and the National Assembly buildings.

Most companies offer optional excursions and bus/walk or bus/boat combinations. Boat cruises in Quebec City allow a magnificent view of the city, travel downstream to the Ile d'Orléans and beyond; departures are from the Bassin Louise, in the Old Port north of Upper Town. The most romantic way to tour the city is in a horse-drawn calèche. These can be hired just inside the city walls near Porte St-Louis from Calèches du Vieux-Québec. Gray Line in Montreal offers bus tours that run frequently and take in Montreal's major sights.

For something different try riding a bus through the cobblestoned streets of Old Montreal and then launching right into the water. L'Amphibus is equipped with both wheels and a propeller. The trip takes about one hour (half land, half sea). Visitors in Quebec can also take a shallow-bottomed Bateau Mouche, a wonderful boat tour that enables you to understand the evolution of Quebec as an important port as you view the cityscape. Cycling tours offered by Velo Montreal are a great way to see Montreal's green areas and parklands. Walking tours in Quebec are also very popular; you can choose from a heritage tour to learn about French heritage and the historical highlights of the city or at night opt for a ghost walking tour. Of course there are also many coach tours and minibus tours that cover the best of Quebec's breathtaking scenery. View lakes, mountains and pine forests.HIghlights include Montmorency Falls, rural Quebec, and land-sea tours for whale-watching and harbour cruises.