36 hours in Quebec: the must-see neighborhoods, museums and best cafes

With its fortified walls, Quebec City , Canada , one of the oldest European settlements in North America, seems frozen in time in many ways - a major draw for visitors who enjoy its picturesque public squares and cobblestone streets, free of skyscrapers.

But while Francophones still resist the incursion of English, Quebec is evolving.

Walk down a designated thoroughfare to a Japanese restaurant serving salmon poke bowls not far from a bistro preparing traditional dishes such as tourtière (similar to meatloaf) and poutine (french fries and cottage cheese with hot sauce).

Don't miss the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec , which houses the world's largest collection of fine arts from the Québec area.

And there's plenty of fun to be had even in the coldest months, when temperatures can drop to an average low of -16°C in February, whether you're sledding down a hill overlooking the St. Lawrence River, marveling at intricately carved sculptures at an ice hotel or enjoying live music and ice canoe races at Le Carnaval de Quebec, the annual winter carnival.

In the 17th century, French colonists built defensive walls called remparts (ramparts) along certain sections of the rocky escarpment of Quebec City to protect it from the British.

See the remains of those walls on Rue des Remparts, which also has panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River, the entry point for the city’s first settlers. The street is also home to Le Monastère des Augustines, the site of what historians believe to be the first hospital on the continent, built north of Mexico and founded by Augustinian nuns from France.

Prepare your body for a weekend outdoors in Quebec with a daily yoga practice—CAD$18, about US$12.50—in the monastery’s arched stone vault.

A classic option for skating is Place D'Youville , a public square located on one of the oldest streets in the city, beneath a giant crown on a historic theatre building that now houses the Il Teatro restaurant.

But if you're looking for a more lively experience, in Quebec's Old Port, one of Canada's largest, about a 20-minute walk north is a new nightclub-inspired skating rink called Discoglace, with live music and colored lights. (It runs until March 9. It's open to all ages and admission is free. Skate rentals are $8 CAD.)

If you work up an appetite, Le Café du Monde , a 37-year-old bistro just minutes from Discoglace, serves camembert fondue (CAD14) and confit duck legs (CAD28).

Or across the street from there, Lueur is a new, more accessible offshoot of Laurie Raphaël, the fine-dining powerhouse that charges $185 CAD for its tasting menu.

Lueur seats just 14 people at a counter, and the most expensive dish on its modern French menu is a filet mignon in foie gras sauce with fries at CAD 30. In Quebec's busy restaurant scene, reservations are recommended, even in the winter off-season.

Look for the blue door near the end of the steep Rue Sainte-Angèle. The shifting neon light streaming in from the low window will let you know you've found the right place: Bar Ste-Angèle , a cozy jazz spot showcasing the Old Quebec district's live music scene.

The bar's nightlife is nightly (entrance tickets are around CAD 10) and serves cocktails and beers at affordable prices (cocktail pitchers around CAD 20). While Quebec City's winter nightlife can be subdued compared to summer, Pub Saint-Alexandre, an English tavern in Old Quebec, is another bar that offers programming year-round.

A hearty breakfast at La Buche in Old Quebec will give you the energy to navigate the city's steep pedestrian streets and the outdoor staircases that connect them.

There are deer heads mounted on the walls, mini-sleds nailed to the ceiling and lumberjack-checkered curtains evoking cabanes à sucre, or sugar shacks, traditional huts set up in forests where sap is collected and transformed into maple syrup.

They serve classic dishes like tourtière ($29) alongside smoked trout crêpes ($24) and maple-caramelized apple French toast ($20). Keep your receipt and get a 15% discount at the restaurant’s boutique next door, which sells clothing and tourist-themed gifts like maple syrup lollipops and fir-scented candles.

Porcelain figurines, vintage Christmas decorations and old records fill the windows of the nearby Rue St. Paul in the antiques district .

Although some shops in the district close or operate with reduced hours in January, Les Antiquités Bolduc is a reliable bet.

The shop is run by a brother and sister who inherited it from their parents and they scrupulously display film cameras, glass paperweights and fine china.

New arrivals on the street include Rosie Papeterie , a minimalist stationery store, and a chic café, Café Apotek . Try the sweet brioches there, filled with lime mascarpone cream and blueberries (CAD 8.50). For vintage shopping, Oh La La! Boutique Éco Chic offers high-end finds, about a 20-minute walk west.

The cheers get louder as you reach the top of Quebec's oldest staircase , affectionately known by locals as the "Vertiginous Stairs," and head toward the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac .

The sounds come from the Au 1884 snow slide, named for the year it was built on nearby Dufferin Terrace. A ride costs CAD 4.75 per person, or CAD 15 for four tickets.

You may work up a sweat as you drag your wooden sled (which seats four) up the steep ramp, but you'll dry off easily after racing at speeds of nearly 70 km/h while looking out over the Château Frontenac and the St. Lawrence River.

After a few strolls, wander the festively decorated cobblestone streets of the Petit Champlain district , believed to be one of the oldest shopping streets in North America and now a lively area of ​​boutiques, heritage buildings and restaurants.

Take a break from the cold at Quebec's library of English texts, the Morrin Centre , originally built by the French in the 19th century as a prison, transformed into a university by a Scottish doctor, and then run by the Quebec Historical and Literary Society as a heritage site.

The library houses an impressive collection on two floors of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. But it also has its own ghost stories: in the crypt, learn the prison's haunting history, including graffiti and engravings by former inmates. Tours cost CAD$18.50 and have set times in French and English (1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in English).

It's the 25th anniversary of the Hôtel de Glace , a one-story hotel built every December from carved ice.

Set on the grounds of Valcartier Vacation Village, an outdoor recreation complex about 35 minutes northwest of town, the ice hotel features 30 guest rooms, a wedding chapel, two bars, ice sculptures depicting the indigenous heritage of the local Huron-Wendat people, and a new restaurant (open Friday and Saturday nights).

Visit the hotel up to 8pm, before guests check into their rooms for the night (a day stay costs CAD 40).

Marvel at the intricate sculptures in the themed rooms, with polar bears, dragons, flowers, canoes and psychedelic motifs carved so delicately you might think the snow walls are made of stone.

In the trendy Saint-Roch neighborhood , west of Old Quebec, two sister Japanese restaurants sit next to each other: Hono Izakaya , with a minimalist design in light maple, and the adjoining Hono Ramen , in contrasting shades of dark mahogany.

Try the Izakaya for a selection of yakitori , small grilled skewers (including a confit of duck heart, CAD 10) or larger dishes such as an elegantly presented Japanese curry (from CAD 19).

If you can't make it into Hono Izakaya (reservations recommended), Hono Ramen offers a variety of creative bowls with flavors enhanced by additions like roasted leek and garlic oil, and fun textures like puffed rice.

It’s hard to tire of the sight of the sweeping St. Lawrence River , but for another taste of Quebec’s natural beauty, grab a cab or carpool the 15-minute ride east of Old Town to the 270-foot-high Montmorency Falls , viewed from a suspension bridge (ask to have the car drop you off at Montmorency Manor, the historic home of Quebec’s third governor, where the trail begins).

During the off-season winter months enjoy free admission (regular fare is approximately $10 CAD for adults).

On the way to the suspension bridge, about a 15-minute walk away, you will see giant stalactites along the ravines and the icy height of the Montmorency River, whose stillness contrasts with the roar of the waterfall.

Head to the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec to see the exhibition “Early Days” (on view until April 21), which includes works by approximately 50 Native artists.

Admire the hopeful painting “New Climate Landscape” by Lawrence Yuxweluptun, an artist born in Kamloops, British Columbia, known for his vibrant reinterpretations of the Northwest coasts.

Also check out works by Kent Monkman, whose striking paintings reference historical European art styles and depict violent scenes of colonialism, and Norval Morrisseau, who popularized the Woodlands style of painting, which is characterized by thick, defined brushstrokes and bold, contrasting colours and is used by a large proportion of the indigenous art community in Ontario and Manitoba.

The New York Times / Special for Clarín

Translation: Roman Garcia Azcárate