Where to Stay in Quebec City When You Visit (Updated 2023)

Posted: 11/28/2023 | November 28th, 2023

Quebec City is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada. Often overlooked in favor of bigger and more internationally well-known destinations like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, this is where European explorers (including Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain) first arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Today, Quebec City is most famous for its well-preserved European Old Town. It also has a blossoming reputation for fun festivals, especially in the winter. There are plenty of things to do too, as the city is home to insightful museums, an ever-growing number of microbreweries, and a surprisingly fantastic foodie scene.

To help you decide where to stay in Quebec City, I’ll highlight the best neighborhoods below so you can choose the area that suits your travel style and budget, as they all have their own feel.

Where to Stay in Quebec City for First-Time Visitors: Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec)

The only remaining fortified city north of Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vieux-Québec is surrounded on three sides by stone fortification walls and their accompanying cannons. With its historic stone buildings, cobblestone streets, and literal castle (that you can stay in if you want to splash out; see below) looming large over it all, Old Quebec is the closest you’ll get to historic European charm on this side of the Atlantic.

You’re also just steps away from all of the city’s main attractions, too, including the Victorian library, Dufferin Terrace, Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica (the oldest church in North America), the 19th-century funicular, the Museum of Civilization, and the Vieux Port. It’s the best place to stay if you want the greatest variety of accommodations, as most hotels are located here.

Best places to stay in Old Quebec:

• BUDGET: HI Québec-Auberge Internationale de Québec – This is the best hostel in town. With a superb location in Vieux-Québec, this large hostel (the largest HI location in Canada) has a super friendly atmosphere, several common rooms, a café, and a communal kitchen. The dorms are spacious and the bunks, which are either metal or wooden, all have their own outlets (no privacy curtains or individual reading lights, though).
• MIDRANGE: Hotel AtypiQ – This hotel offers excellent value for the location with its unique concept of offering small rooms that are just big enough to accommodate the bed that folds down from the wall. With common areas and…