Hello, I'll be in Quebec City next weekend. Any must sees/dos? Thanks.

P.S. This may be too specific of a request and it will be a miracle if I get a response, but I'm also looking for a good hair salon that will make me look like a movie star.

Blue

I've been to Quebec City a couple of times. You will want to see the Citadel, the Chateau Frontenac Hotel, the "lower" city (go down the steps). Great shops and restaurants down there! Fortunately, these are all within walking distance of each other. If you are up for a walk do the Plains of Abraham battle site (take the long steps up the old wall to get your exercise).

You will also want to see the Montmorency Falls (a bit outside the city - you have to drive) and the Isle d' Orleans (another drive) is a good afternoon.

Can't help you with getting your hair done - I'm nearly bald!

Have a great time.

Chuckster

BlueMorning, why do you want to look like a movie star while in Quebec? Save the money and have a good dinner there. Don't know if you like casinos, but I believe there is one there.

General Max

I want to look like a movie star when I get home, not necessarily just while I'm in Quebec. And don't you worry -- I'm going to go all out - get my hair cut AND have a nice dinner(s)! Thanks for your input, gentlemen.

I've been to Quebec numerous times. There is a salon in the Chateau Frontanac, but it might not be open to those who are not staying in the hotel. Just check that out. If it is open, make sure your wallet is very deep, as it could get a little pricey for a cut & style. Another thing about Quebec, make sure you attempt to speak French. The Quebecers can be unfriendly to the English. ALWAYS TRY to speak French, and trust me, they do speak and understand english, however if you don't try to speak french, some individuals do get a little upset.

mugger & Blue,

I never encountered ANY problems in Quebec City with the natives being unfriendly. Of course waiters, store clerks, etc. always opened up with "Bonjour" to which I would reply "Good Afternoon" (or whatever). They all immediately switched to English. Maybe they realized I was an American, but they all were MOST friendly and helpful. Of course, these were all folks in the hospitality industry who really can't afford to be unfriendly.

Chuckster

I was to Quebec in the summer of 1964 and had a great time.

General Max

Thanks Mugger and gentlemen, again. I'm brushing up on my French as we speak. I'm not very good at it, but it did help me a bit in Paris where they REALLY get frustrated if you don't speak it.

I learned my lesson in Greece years ago. I didn't speak a lick of their language, and I felt very lost. I swore to myself that that would never happen again.

I listen to Berlitz tapes before traveling to non-English speaking countries.

Bluemorning, when we visited Paris in 2001, the french got upset about a lot of things besides the language barrier. They are not very friendly to customers in their shops and tend to fly off the handle very easily.

General Max

I noticed. I had trouble with a few Parisians, but it didn't wreck my trip. It was a pleasant experience overall. Although, my travel mate would never go back. It bothered her more.

One incident happened on the way back to the airport at the end of my trip. The bus driver shut the door right in my face while I was nicely asking him a question. I turned into an American screaming maniac. He was the straw the broke the camel's back. I kept it together all week before him.

I'd go back. He was just ignorant. You find his type everywhere you go.

Max: My thirty-five years of travel experience to France contradicts your view. The French have never been anything but wonderful and generous to me. On my last trip this April, a shopkeeper left his store in St. Paul de Vence to personally take me to another store where he thought I might find what I was looking for. I don't call that "not very friendly to customers in their shops," do you? Sweeping generalizations such as yours go a long way to perpetuating ugly and often undeserved stereotypes. I know some wonderful French people who don't deserve these slurs.
Caitie

There's a whole lot of difference between Quebec (and other French-speaking parts of Canada) and France. Almost all French-Canadians in "tourist areas" below the age of 70 speak at least some English. In Quebec the official language is French. Waiters, etc. start out with a "Bonjour" and are delighted if you "Bonjour" back - but won't get offended if that's the limit of your French and you then switch to English. Most speak excellent English.

If you travel to some little out-of-the-way village in Quebec province, you might well encounter folks who don't speak English. That happened to me several years ago at a rest stop on a main highway. I found a wallet with credit cards, drivers license, and even quite a bit of cash. I went into the next town, intending to turn it in to the police. Apparently the owner of the lost wallet had reported it stolen. By the time they located someone to whom I could tell the story, I was under the impression that they were going to arrest me, thinking I had stolen the wallet and was turning myself in!

Chuckster

I grew up in Quebec, as a kid that is, and we lived in on a small military base up north, near other small villages, and as Chuckster says, the difference between Quebec and France is huge. They do not consider themselves affiliated with France at all. There was no English spoken where we lived, so talk about French Immersion!

It is important to try and speak at least a few words of French, and remember, a large amount (almost a majority) want to separate from Canada, the last referendum was CLOSE! They like to consider themselves quite separate from the rest of Canada. It's a whole amazing culture, truely like another country.

Shannon