The Musée national des beaux‑arts du Québec is one of my favourite places, and this was my second…read morevisit. I attended the Hyper Reality exhibition, which was genuinely striking -- a collection of highly realistic, bizarre, and deliberately disturbing sculptures that leave a strong impression. The museum isn't huge, but it consistently offers thoughtful, well‑curated exhibitions. For anyone who loves art, it's absolutely a must‑visit in Québec City.

Always great to support the local art museum, but this was super disappointing. Most of the…read morebuilding was closed for renovations and the other buildings were completely closed. Honestly, might have been better to discount the tickets further and/or just close the whole museum as there was so little available. Will be back again when they are fully open, NOT recommended at this time (early 2026), check their website for opening details.

The museum exhibits themselves aren't anything to write home about, but the admission fee is worth…read moreit if you are able to join one of the tours. Only two other people joined the tour with me and sister, so it was essentially a private tour. Score! What makes the tour unique is that it takes you throughout the seminary grounds, rather than showing you stuff in the museum itself. The tour takes you to multiple buildings and up and down stairs, so if you have any accessibility requests, let the front desk know beforehand so they can check if the elevators in some of the older buildings are functioning. If you have an interest in architecture, history, or religion, you'll enjoy this tour! Definitely recommend this museum if you're able to make it on one of their tours. 3.75

Despite its location in a busy and touristy area, the museum was quite empty when I went on a…read moreweekday afternoon in the summer. I took a guided tour, where I had the chance to walk through the seminary of Quebec and other special access places that are typically closed to the public. Definitely take the guided tour if you'll be visiting this museum because it's pretty cool and a lot more fun than the exhibits inside the museum. Get your money's worth! :) Since there were only two other people besides me and my sister on the tour, it was basically like a private tour. Call the museum beforehand to check when the tour hours are. Each tour takes 1.5-2 hours since you'll be walking around to different sites. The tour ends back inside the museum, but not at the main entrance where the tour started, so I was confused and found myself lost when trying to exit the museum back into the busy streets. The exhibits inside the actual museum building are pretty standard and in my opinion somewhat dry. However, they are quite educational and the exhibit "On the Road" explains the migration of the francophones (French-speakers). There are other exhibits as well such as "Mutations" that show some interesting art pieces.

Visiting a place like Quebec City allows plenty of opportunities to delve into history. With the…read morefirst permanent trading post being built in 1608, it established a French outpost in the New World. It tells you all of Quebec's military and military engagements throughout its history. There are popular historical reenactments of major conflicts here, a light and sound show on a large-scale model of the entire area with plastic figurines, and even some interactive entertainment at the end. It's a nice bonus to stop here as you explore the city and only takes a short time. A 400-square-foot replica of the city--complete with ships, cannons, and soldiers lined up for battle--is the highlight of the museum and helps guests visualize the area's strategic importance. it is a prime location, on Saint-Anne st, across Chateau Frontenac - so you can't miss it.

This was a fun quaint museum that tries to explain the war history of Québec City. There is a…read morelittle theater that shows a three dimensional diagram of Québec City and explains how the British eventually took Québec from the French and annexed into Canada. The 30 minute if anything is an excellent break from all the walking.

We decided to drop in for a tour here on our second visit to Quebec City, mostly just to try…read moresomething new. The tour was about an hour long and our tour guide's English was great. Plenty of jokes and interesting descriptions about the history of the place. This building was originally a jail when it was built, intended to reflect the ideology of a British man who was set on reforming prisons. Like many countries when faced with an influx of immigration, the population housed in the jail were disproportionately made up of immigrants being punished for minor offenses. It was later converted to an English-language college that didn't last very long. The building finally wound up becoming an English-language library that now serves as the English-language cultural center of Quebec City. The library is filled with artifacts as well. And that old library smell is heavenly! The tour was a little boring, but not terribly, which is the only reason I give it 4 stars. I would have liked some more photographs from that time to be displayed throughout (even though I know they're probably incredibly rare). I did find myself checking my watch, but probably because we came in starving. If you're a history buff, library nerd, or jail hobbyist (lol), definitely try to check this place out.

This was a very enjoyable tour of a building that has been through a lot in it's life. The tour of…read morethe jail and the glimpse of living conditions during Quebec's history was excellent. The library was very beautiful. Definitely worth 90 minutes of your time.

Loved the bad art museum! So delightful to wander through and gaze at the collection.read more

Great nonprofit multi-use space. Currently a group show of artists raging from amusing to thought…read moreprovoking. Free to enter and located at the lower part of Old Quebec city in the tourist district.

Although this monastery listing is for the "museum" the reviews here seem to be for everything but…read moreso I'll break it down a bit: Here at this Quebec City site there's: * a free-of-charge museum; * a place of lodging (in monastery, with spa services offered); and * two places to eat, one a take-out counter and one more fine dining. I'd come for lunch at what I didn't know was the fine dining establishment and it proved more costly and hearty than desired. I stayed for lunch at the take-out counter which was nothing much to remark on except for two facts: 1. The outdoor tables from which one can enjoy the take-out lunch are in a most pleasant setting; and 2. The takeout lunch place sells Sober Carpenter non-alcoholic beer and it is the best version of that I've ever tasted. The museum on-site is quiet and serene, telling the history of the place which was the first hospital on the continent north of Mexico. Run by the Augustine sisters (nuns), this is really the history and evolution of medicine with all sorts of artifacts and information to help one appreciate how far that field has evolved. Interesting and worth a visit, most tourists don't know of this place and won't happen to stumble across it. All the more important to spread the word. The Augustinian monastery played an important role in this area's history. The whole place is serene and lovely and situated within the walls of Old Quebec. I didn't lodge here but the concept looks very unique and worth considering. Come for the lodging perhaps, but be sure to check out the museum (where everything is written in both French and English).

A meal at Le Monastere Des Augustines is a leap of faith!…read more My only clue that it will be glorious is when I picked up unforgettable snacks at their tiny boutique the day before. These were orbs of choco-pastries that melted in the mouth! They look like munchkins but the healthier kind with no added processed sugar. That's why when I found out that the still active monastery maintains a restaurant that cooked with the seasons and used only local produce, I knew I had to have a meal there. The catch is, menu is released five minutes before opening. There are no reviews online. Locals I asked don't know much either. For a traveler whose highlights of each trip are the meal experience, this is a big, big gamble . FORMAT. All I know is that it's "table d' hote" format (read pre-fixe). And as a monastery restaurant, the resident chef designs the menu on based on certain food preparation principles such as no use of alcohol, caffeine and any processed ingredients, to name a few. FOOD. Soup and salad was self-service and buffet-style. I probably went three times because the irresistible choices of organic salads with housemade dressings were so crisp, fresh and unique. Although we got all entrees, my favorite was seared horse meat . Dessert was a blurry of French names I can't pronounce and their signature tea was a great ending to the lunch service. My only regret is I didn't get to try the dinner tasting menu with six courses . Next time! Merci!

This aquarium is still being built and developed, but it is a lovely addition to Quebec City's…read morethings to do. There are several pavilions housing their different animals and sea life with hilly walkways between. If you come during the colder months, be sure to dress warmly!!! You will be outside more than you expect, particularly if you want to take in some of the educational and feeding demonstrations. We arrived just in time to catch the polar bear feeding, which is a must-see. You can watch from the higher level where they toss in the food, or the lower level with an underwater view. The staff member who came out to announce the feeding and provide some information did so entirely in French, so bring your French-speaking friend or use your phone translator. Their fish pavilion was lovely. It's small if you're used to a major aquarium, like Monterey, Cali. or SeaWorld. But it is well-done and the lighting in the aquariums really made the sea life look beautiful. I like how they marked each aquarium with the species' threat levels. It was educational for our kids to learn about how biodiversity is threatened. There is an area where you can pet sea rays as well as feed them for a fee. These rays are VERY eager to be fed, so I would not recommend doing the feeding unless you are 100% unafraid of them. Mind you it's perfectly safe, they're just a tad aggressive and might frighten younger guests. There was also foxes, owls, seals, and more. We came at the end of November, which I'm guessing is not their peak season, so there was not a lot of people there and most of the food offerings were closed. There are lots of nice outdoor areas, and I bet this place really sings in the summer when all the plants and trees come back to life. You can see everything they have in probably 2 hours maximum. They have a nice gift shop where any members of your party who have a soft spot for adorable stuffed animals will absolutely lose their minds. Check it out!

We had a lovely experience visiting Aquarium du Quebec! Checking in was easy. The facility was easy…read moreto navigate. They have a wide variety of species and education on all the exhibits in French and English. The staff were present and friendly. The facilities were well maintained and all the animals looked healthy. We loved seeing the polar bear, foxes, owls, beautiful tanks of fish, and more. They use plenty of seating areas, a cafe, and a gift shop. They have activities and play grounds for the younger kids. This is a great place to add to our itinerary!

This was our second trip to Quebec City and even though we had visited the museum on our previous…read moretrip, we decided to come again as a last stop on our day of departure to check out their temporary Titanic exhibit. I'm so glad we did! This exhibit was absolutely amazing. The exhibit focused on personal effects recovered from the Titanic disaster. It also featured replicas of some of the ship's interiors and leftover items from the White Star Line's other ships so you could see examples of what no longer exists but looks similar or identical to what was on the Titanic. The sections of the exhibit are numbered, and a free audio guide takes you through the entire story, starting with the history of the White Star Line and the conceptualizing of Titanic as well as the other ships built at that time. It takes you through the media attention leading up to the sailing (not as much as Cameron's film would have you think) as well as the sailing itself. Several passengers are highlighted along with their personal effects. Many of these highlighted passengers unfortunately perished that terrible night, but not all. To see their personal things and hear their stories...it was incredibly moving and really hit home in a way that any film or documentary could not. There was a water damaged crumpled list of passengers that you can tell was used during the frenzy of getting passengers to safety. It was almost chilling to look at. There were also several items that we know are the only surviving or one of a few surviving examples. One of the most impactful parts was a wall of ice that is maintained at the temperature the water was the night the ship sank. They invite you to touch it and imagine your body submerged at that temperature. I really cannot overstate how cool this Titanic exhibit was. The regular museum is also very interesting. It gives a great history of Quebec and the First Nations, and includes exhibits about some of the programs and plans for Quebec's future. Their gift shop is a great place to grab a souvenir for your trip. So many items for sale feature Quebec's unique art and history and there are lots of items made by local artisans if you like the kind of souvenirs that you can actually use. Definitely include this on your Quebec City itinerary--especially if you can get there before the Titanic exhibit is finished.

Great modern museum in a historic city. While they have large exhibits on the history of Quebec as…read morea city and province, they also have two very large special exhibit areas, one which had a wrestling exhibit another which had an exhibit about hip hop in the province of Quebec, mostly from Montreal.