# Québec City: map, what to do and when to go

Historic walls, an upper town and a lower town on the Saint Lawrence, and Montmorency Falls about 12 km from the center.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Quebec City: how many days should I allow?** I'd stay two full days in Quebec City: the first to cover the Haute-Ville, the Citadelle, the Plains of Abraham and to go down to the Place-Royale and the Petit-Champlain in the Basse-Ville; the second for the Musée de la civilisation, the Chute-Montmorency and the neighborhoods outside the walls such as Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Saint-Roch.
- **Quebec City: how do I get there from Montreal, and is a day trip worth it?** Quebec City is 250 km northeast of Montreal by Autoroutes 20 (south shore) or 40 (north shore), a trip of about 3 hours by car or intercity bus (Orléans Express).
- **Quebec City: how do I get from Jean-Lesage airport to the center?** Jean-Lesage International Airport (YQB) is about 16 km west of the Vieux-Québec (20 to 30 minutes by car outside rush hour).

## Haute-Ville, the Basse-Ville of 1608, the Citadelle and the ferry on the Saint Lawrence
Start at the Terrasse Dufferin, at the foot of the Château Frontenac (1893). Between May and October, go in at 9:30 a.m. to the archaeological crypt of the Forts-et-Châteaux-Saint-Louis, beneath the boardwalk; out of season, when the site is closed, carry straight on. Pass by the Place d'Armes and the rue du Trésor, where artists show prints and paintings from mid-May to mid-October, on to the Basilica-Cathedral Notre-Dame de Québec and the courtyard of the Séminaire.
- Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
- Terrasse Dufferin and Forts-et-Châteaux-Saint-Louis
- Place-Royale and Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
- Quartier Petit-Champlain and Escalier Casse-Cou
- La Citadelle de Québec
- Plains of Abraham (Parc des Champs-de-Bataille)
- Fortifications de Québec and Historic Gates
- Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec
- Hôtel du Parlement du Québec and Fontaine de Tourny
- Vieux-Port de Québec, Rue Saint-Paul and the Québec–Lévis Ferry
- Rue Saint-Jean and the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Neighborhood

## Musée de la civilisation, Chute-Montmorency and Saint-Roch
Spend the morning at the Musée de la civilisation, in the Basse-Ville, to learn about Quebec's social history and the exhibitions on the province's eleven Indigenous nations; it opens at 10 a.m. On a Monday between September 8 and June 23, when it and the MNBAQ are closed, switch to the Monastère des Augustines, in the Haute-Ville, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For visual arts on another day of the week, the MNBAQ on the Plains of Abraham is the alternative.
- Musée de la civilisation
- Le Monastère des Augustines
- Parc de la Chute-Montmorency

## Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-fairmont-le-chateau-frontenac
La Cité-Limoilou · Up to half an hour
Opened in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, from a design by Bruce Price in the style of the Loire châteaux, and expanded in 1924 with the central tower, the hotel dominates the entire silhouette of the Haute-Ville. Even if you aren't staying there, you can walk through the public lobby, see display cases of historic objects and stroll the Terrasse Dufferin at its feet; to see the interior salons and learn the story of the Quebec Conferences of 1943 and 1944 (with Roosevelt and Churchill), there are paid guided tours.
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## Terrasse Dufferin and Forts-et-Châteaux-Saint-Louis
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-terrasse-dufferin
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
The wooden boardwalk, more than 400 meters long, leans out over the Saint Lawrence along the cliff edge next to the Château Frontenac, with direct views of the Basse-Ville, the Lévis shore and the Île d'Orléans; in winter, its south end hosts the traditional ice slide (Glissades de la Terrasse), running since 1884. Beneath the planks lies the Forts-et-Châteaux-Saint-Louis National Historic Site, run by Parks Canada, where an underground walkway runs through the foundations of the residence of the French and British governors, destroyed by fire in 1834. The site is open seasonally only: in 2026, daily from May 16 to October 12 and Wednesday to Sunday until October 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission of CAD 13.50 for adults (guided tour or audio guide included).
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## Place-Royale and Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-place-royale
Quebec · Up to half an hour
A small paved square in the Basse-Ville that marks the exact spot where Samuel de Champlain built the Habitation of 1608. Surrounded by old stone merchants' houses from the 17th and 18th centuries with steep roofs and firewall chimneys, it is centered on the church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, begun in 1688 on the ruins of Champlain's building, whose carved high altar reproduces the facade of a fortress.
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## Quartier Petit-Champlain and Escalier Casse-Cou
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-quartier-petit-champlain
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
A narrow pedestrian street at the foot of the Cap Diamant, linked to the Place-Royale and lined with artisan cooperatives, maple-product shops and bistros in restored stone buildings. Where the rue du Petit-Champlain meets the Côte de la Montagne rises the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs), originally built in the 17th century; beside it is the lower station of the Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec, running since 1879 up a 45-degree incline to the Terrasse Dufferin. It runs year-round, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (until 10 p.m. between June 24 and Labour Day), and a ride cost CAD 7 when checked in October 2026, paid in cash on site, with no online sales; there is an ATM at both stations.
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## La Citadelle de Québec
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-la-citadelle-de-quebec
La Cité-Limoilou · Half a day or more
Built by the British between 1820 and 1850 on the Vauban star-fort system, it occupies the highest point of the Cap Diamant (about 100 meters above the river) and remains an active military base of the Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Because it is a working barracks, the interior of the fortress can only be seen on the mandatory guided tour of about an hour (CAD 22 for adults when checked in October 2026), which also gives access to the regimental museum and the bastions with panoramic views of the Saint Lawrence.
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## Plains of Abraham (Parc des Champs-de-Bataille)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-plaines-d-abraham
La Cité-Limoilou · Half a day or more
Stretching over 103 hectares west of the Citadelle at the top of the cliff, the federal park preserves the field where the French and British fought the battle of September 13, 1759. Today it is the city's main green lung, with trails above the river (the Promenade des Gouverneurs, connected to the Terrasse Dufferin by a seasonal staircase open from spring to fall), the circular Martello defense towers of the early 19th century, the sunken Joan of Arc garden (Jardin Jeanne-d'Arc) and the Musée des plaines d'Abraham, which sets out the context of the sieges of 1759 and 1760.
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## Fortifications de Québec and Historic Gates
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-fortifications-de-quebec
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
The 4.6 km of walls that enclose the Haute-Ville form a National Historic Site run by Parks Canada. You can walk for free along the top of the defensive curtain between the slope of the Citadelle, the Porte Saint-Louis, the Porte Kent and the Porte Saint-Jean, reaching the Parc de l'Artillerie (a former complex of barracks and a foundry from the 18th century). In winter, when snow and ice cover the stairs, some upper stretches of the wall close for safety.
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## Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-basilique-cathedrale-notre-dame
La Cité-Limoilou · Up to half an hour
Facing the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, it has housed since 1664 the first Catholic parish in North America north of Mexico, in a church whose oldest parts come from the stone building of the Jesuits of 1647; the building was rebuilt after the bombardment of 1759 and the fire of 1922. The interior holds the gilded canopy designed by François Baillairgé, the crypt of the bishops and governors of New France and the first Holy Door opened outside Europe, in jubilee years. Visiting the nave is free outside Mass times.
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## Hôtel du Parlement du Québec and Fontaine de Tourny
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-hotel-du-parlement-du-quebec
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
On the avenue Honoré-Mercier, just outside the Porte Saint-Louis, stands the Second Empire palace built between 1877 and 1886 to house the Assemblée nationale du Québec. The facade carries 26 bronze statues of figures from Quebec history beneath the provincial motto “Je me souviens”; in the center of the traffic circle in front, the monumental Fontaine de Tourny, cast in France in the 19th century, gushes. Tours, guided or self-guided, are free; according to the tourism office, the building receives visitors Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on Sundays. The entrance is through the reception pavilion (1045 rue des Parlementaires), with a security check and official photo ID. It is best to book on the Assembly's website, which lists the route and the rooms open that day.
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## Musée de la civilisation
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-musee-de-la-civilisation
La Cité-Limoilou · Half a day or more
On the rue Dalhousie, between the Place-Royale and the Vieux-Port, the building designed by the architect Moshe Safdie incorporates old colonial houses and the historic boat buried in the foundations. It is the city's most complete museum for understanding the formation of Quebec society and the history, language and territory of the province's eleven Indigenous nations (First Nations and Inuit). It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays, except from June 24 to September 7, when it opens every day. On the individual price list checked in October 2026, regular admission cost CAD 27 for ages 35 to 64, CAD 22 for 18 to 34, CAD 26 for 65 and over, CAD 10 for 12 to 17 and CAD 6 for 6 to 11; children up to age 5 enter free, and the family ticket (two adults and up to five children up to age 17) came to CAD 58.
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## Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-musee-national-des-beaux-arts
La Cité-Limoilou · Half a day or more
Set on the western edge of the Plains of Abraham, the museum opens its fourth pavilion to the public on October 22, 2026, the Espace Riopelle (Pavillon Michael Audain), with more than 130 works by Jean Paul Riopelle from its collection. It joins the former 19th-century prison (Pavillon Charles-Baillairgé), the Pavillon Gérard-Morisset and the luminous Pavillon Pierre Lassonde, designed by the firm OMA and open to the Grande Allée. The collection runs from the sacred painting of New France to the Quebec modernism of Paul-Émile Borduas and a substantial collection of Inuit sculpture and prints. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Mondays.
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## Le Monastère des Augustines
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-le-monastere-des-augustines
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
In the heart of the Haute-Ville (rue des Remparts), it occupies the historic wings of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, founded in 1639 by the Augustinian sisters who came from Dieppe. Secularized and restored with architectural rigor, it works at once as a museum of the history of medicine and hospital care in New France, an archive recognized by UNESCO and a quiet place to stay.
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## Morrin Centre and Maison de la littérature
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-morrin-centre
La Cité-Limoilou · Up to half an hour
Two neighboring, independent venues in the Latin Quarter of the Haute-Ville show the coexistence of Anglophone heritage and francophone literary creation. The Morrin Centre (44 Chaussée des Écossais) occupies the building that served as Quebec's common jail from 1812 to 1867, later converted into Morrin College and, since 1868, home to the Victorian library of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. A few steps away, at 40 rue Saint-Stanislas, the former Wesley Methodist church of 1848 houses the Maison de la littérature, with a public library and exhibitions on Quebec writers; it is closed on Mondays.
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## Vieux-Port de Québec, Rue Saint-Paul and the Québec–Lévis Ferry
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-vieux-port-de-quebec-rue-saint
Quebec · One to two hours
Along the Bassin Louise and the bank of the Saint Lawrence, the old port combines a flat waterfront promenade for walking and cycling, the galleries and antique shops of the rue Saint-Paul and the river terminal from which the public ferry (traversier) to Lévis departs. The Société des traversiers du Québec runs the crossing year-round, breaking through the ice floes in winter; it takes about 12 minutes, costs CAD 4.25 per adult on foot (fare in effect since April 1, 2026) and offers the best head-on view of the Château Frontenac and the cliff. In 2026–2027, because the Paquet wharf in Lévis no longer receives the ship, the STQ runs the winter timetable all year, reinforced during the Festival d'été: check departures before planning the crossing.
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## Rue Saint-Jean and the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Neighborhood
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-rue-saint-jean
La Cité-Limoilou · One to two hours
Just walk through the Porte Saint-Jean to leave the souvenir circuit and step onto the liveliest shopping street in the upper town. Among historic bars, bakeries, artisan chocolate shops, Quebec cheese grocers and used bookstores, the rue Saint-Jean (which often has stretches closed to cars on summer afternoons and evenings) shows the student and residential routine of the capital.
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## Parc de la Chute-Montmorency
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quebec/#g-lugar-parc-de-la-chute-montmorency
Quebec · Half a day or more
About 12 km east of the Vieux-Québec, the Montmorency River plunges 83 meters (30 meters higher than Niagara Falls) before emptying into the Saint Lawrence opposite the Île d'Orléans. The RTC's Metrobus 800 line stops at the des Rapides stop, a few minutes from the parking lot at the top of the falls, according to the tourism office; travel time depends on where you start and on traffic, and the RTC trip planner gives the exact schedule. Run by Sépaq, the park charges for access and offers viewpoints at the base, a cable car paid separately between the base and the Manoir Montmorency at the top, a suspension bridge right over the crest of the falls and a panoramic staircase of 487 steps fixed to the rock face. The park is open year-round, but the cable car hours and access to the staircase change with the season, and in winter the tourism office does not confirm that the staircase is open: check the Sépaq website before you go. In winter, the frozen spray forms a large ice cone at the foot of the falls called the Pain de Sucre.
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**Quebec City: how many days should I allow?**
I'd stay two full days in Quebec City: the first to cover the Haute-Ville, the Citadelle, the Plains of Abraham and to go down to the Place-Royale and the Petit-Champlain in the Basse-Ville; the second for the Musée de la civilisation, the Chute-Montmorency and the neighborhoods outside the walls such as Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Saint-Roch. With a third day and a car, I'd do the full loop around the Île d'Orléans or head up to the glacial valley of the Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier. A day trip from Montreal is possible by VIA Rail train (3 hours 15 minutes each way), but it sacrifices the falls, the museums and the best hour on the walls.

**Quebec City: how do I get there from Montreal, and is a day trip worth it?**
Quebec City is 250 km northeast of Montreal by Autoroutes 20 (south shore) or 40 (north shore), a trip of about 3 hours by car or intercity bus (Orléans Express). By train, VIA Rail makes the trip in about 3 hours 15 minutes from Montreal's Gare Centrale to the historic Gare du Palais, in the Basse-Ville ten minutes on foot from the walls. A rushed same-day round trip adds up to six hours of travel and reduces the visit to a hurried lunch around the Château Frontenac, missing the evening on the walls and the Chute-Montmorency.

**Quebec City: how do I get from Jean-Lesage airport to the center?**
Jean-Lesage International Airport (YQB) is about 16 km west of the Vieux-Québec (20 to 30 minutes by car outside rush hour). Taxis charge a flat fare to the center, with one daytime rate and another at night (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.), published on the zone map on the airport's taxi page; the counter is on level 1, between international arrivals and the currency exchange. By bus on the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), line 80 runs from the airport to the center via the Les Saules terminal and ends at the Place Jacques-Cartier, in Saint-Roch; to go up to the Vieux-Québec, transfer to the Metrobus 800 or 801 lines. Line 76 connects the terminal to the bus and train stations in Sainte-Foy. The RTC ticket machine is in the lobby, across from the airline counters, and accepts cards and contactless payment.

**Quebec City: how much is the RTC city bus?**
On the RTC fare table in effect from July 2026 (checked in October 2026), a single fare paid by card or the RTC Nomade paiement app cost CAD 3.85 (or CAD 4.00 in exact change on board, with no change given), and the 1-day pass cost CAD 10.50. The high-frequency Metrobus 800 and 801 lines run along the axis of the Colline Parlementaire and the Place d'Youville, and line 800 continues to Beauport, with a stop (des Rapides) a few minutes from the top of the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency.

**Quebec City: how do I get up and down between the Basse-Ville and the Haute-Ville?**
Inside the Vieux-Québec, you explore on foot; a car is a nuisance on the narrow streets within the walls, and underground parking (such as the city hall's and the Vieux-Port's) is paid. To cover the 60 meters of elevation between the Petit-Champlain and the Terrasse Dufferin, you can climb the slopes and the Escalier Casse-Cou for free or pay for the Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec. It runs year-round, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (until 10 p.m. between June 24 and Labour Day), and a ride cost CAD 7 when checked in October 2026, paid in cash on site, with no online sales; there is an ATM at both stations.

**Quebec City: can I visit the Citadelle without a guide?**
The Citadelle, built by the British between 1820 and 1850, remains an active military base of the Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Because it is a working barracks, the interior of the fortress can only be seen on the mandatory guided tour of about an hour (CAD 22 for adults when checked in October 2026), which also gives access to the regimental museum and the bastions with panoramic views of the Saint Lawrence.

**Quebec City: how do I get to the Chute-Montmorency?**
About 12 km east of the Vieux-Québec, the Montmorency River plunges 83 meters before emptying into the Saint Lawrence opposite the Île d'Orléans. The RTC's Metrobus 800 line stops at the des Rapides stop, a few minutes from the parking lot at the top of the falls, according to the tourism office; travel time depends on where you start and on traffic, and the RTC trip planner gives the exact schedule. Run by Sépaq, the park charges for access and offers viewpoints at the base, a cable car paid separately between the base and the Manoir Montmorency at the top, a suspension bridge right over the crest of the falls and a panoramic staircase of 487 steps fixed to the rock face. The park is open year-round, but the cable car hours and access to the staircase change with the season, and in winter the tourism office does not confirm that the staircase is open: check the Sépaq website before you go.

**Quebec City: does the Lévis ferry work as a river outing?**
The Société des traversiers du Québec runs the crossing year-round, breaking through the ice floes in winter; it takes about 12 minutes, costs CAD 4.25 per adult on foot (fare in effect since April 1, 2026) and offers the best head-on view of the Château Frontenac and the cliff. The terminal is in the Vieux-Port, next to the Place-Royale. In 2026–2027, because the Paquet wharf in Lévis no longer receives the ship, the STQ runs the winter timetable all year, reinforced during the Festival d'été: check departures before planning the crossing.

**Quebec City: how much should I add for taxes and tip, and where don't cards work?**
Prices shown on menus and tags do not include the federal (GST of 5%) and provincial (QST of 9.975%) taxes, which add up to almost 15% on the final bill, nor the 15% to 20% tip expected at table-service restaurants (calculated by provincial law since May 2025 on the subtotal before taxes). In practice, multiply the menu price by about 1.3 to get the real outlay. In bars, about CAD 1 to 2 per drink is the custom; at a bakery or café counter, a tip is not required. Credit cards and contactless payment work almost everywhere; the exception that catches visitors is the funicular, which takes only cash (there is an ATM at both stations).

**Quebec City: when is the best time to go?**
June to October is the most balanced period for walking on the walls, using the staircase of the Promenade des Gouverneurs and exploring the Chute-Montmorency and the Île d'Orléans: July brings the Festival d'été and long days (with highs around 25 °C), August has stable weather and from the turn of September to mid-October the maples of the parks and nearby hills turn red and orange. February is the second high season, devoted to authentic winter: temperatures often between -5 °C and -20 °C sustain the Carnaval de Québec, the ice slide at the Terrasse Dufferin and the Hôtel de Glace in Valcartier. November and April are gray shoulder months, when there are no longer autumn leaves or firm winter snow and some seasonal attractions close for maintenance.

**Quebec City: is it safe, and what precautions should I take in winter?**
Walking through the Vieux-Québec, the Basse-Ville and the Plains of Abraham is calm by day and at night. Around the Place d'Youville and in certain low stretches of Saint-Roch late at night there may be people in vulnerable situations, which calls only for the normal attention of any urban center. The main practical risk for visitors is physical and climatic: from November to April, steep slopes and stone or wooden staircases build up slippery ice (verglas) and snow falls from the sloped roofs; respect the cordon tape on the sidewalks, use the chains and handrails, and avoid stairs closed off in winter. Wear waterproof boots with good grip or removable urban ice cleats. On the Terrasse Dufferin, on the Plains of Abraham and on the ferry to Lévis, the wind chill drops far below the thermometer reading; wear thermal layers, a hat that covers your ears and waterproof gloves. The emergency number is 911.

**Quebec City: do I need to speak French?**
About 90.6% of residents of the municipality have French as their only mother tongue, according to the 2021 Statistics Canada census. In the Vieux-Québec, tourist service also works in English, but in residential neighborhoods French is indispensable. When you walk into a shop, bakery or restaurant, greet people with “Bonjour.” Even if you have to continue in English in tourist areas, starting in French shows respect for the language that defines the capital's identity; outside the Vieux-Québec, having basic French phrases on your phone makes a big difference.

**Quebec City: how do I visit the Île d'Orléans?**
Linked to the north shore by a bridge in front of the Chute-Montmorency (about 15 km from the Vieux-Québec, 20 minutes by car), the rural island preserves the farming landscape of the first settlers of the 17th century along the 67 km of the Chemin Royal ring road (Route 368). It calls for a car, a bike ride or a tour to stop in the six historic villages (such as Sainte-Pétronille and Saint-Laurent), to taste strawberries in summer, apples and ice cider in fall, artisanal cheeses and cassis liqueur.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/quebec/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/quebec/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/quebec.md