Hotels in Quebec City

Hotel prices in Quebec City and the best time to book

January is the cheapest month, February the priciest

January averages about CAD 205 per night, roughly a third below the yearly norm. February then doubles it to about CAD 395, the highest figure of the year. The Winter Carnival straddles the turn of those two months and fills the city for ice sculptures, parades and open-air concerts. March and April fall back to January levels, around CAD 210, and they are the soundest compromise if the cold does not put you off. Among summer dates July is the dearest at about CAD 355, when the city music festival runs. September holds even higher, about CAD 360. Across the week Sunday is cheapest at about CAD 285 and Friday dearest at about CAD 375.

Booking lead time works backwards here

Three months out the curve starts high, around CAD 335 per night, and slides steadily downwards as the date approaches. In the final week before arrival averages drop to about CAD 190. This is not a rule to build a whole trip on, because the choice of properties narrows sharply a few days out, and the Carnival and the summer festival overturn the pattern completely. Outside those two peaks, though, booking a couple of weeks ahead beats planning a quarter in advance. A typical reservation runs two nights and totals about CAD 685.

Nightly rates by property type

The spread between the plainest and the grandest address runs to roughly tenfold, because the same walled city holds student residences and the hotel that serves as the city emblem. Opening rates from current dates below.

Rates by neighbourhood

The gap between the cheapest and the dearest area is a shade under double, but what follows from it matters more: in Vieux-Québec you sleep inside the walls and walk everywhere, whereas from Duberger-Les Saules you take the bus.

Figures for a double room. Vieux Québec draws the most searches despite the higher rates, while Duberger-Les Saules comes in cheapest, more than a quarter below the citywide average.

Which hotel suits whom

• Families. Montcalm offers roomier accommodation and opens straight onto the Plains of Abraham, while Sainte-Foy sits close to the aquarium. Inside Vieux-Québec the funicular saves you the steep stairs between Upper and Lower Town with a pushchair.
• Couples. The most booked room category here is the romantic one, averaging about CAD 350. Petit Champlain with its pedestrian lane and artisan workshops, and the Dufferin Terrace above the river, are within a walk of most old town hotels.
• Breakfast included. A separate and fairly wide group of properties across Vieux-Québec and Basse-Ville puts breakfast in the rate, from guesthouses to hotels in period buildings. That counts for something in a city where heading out in the morning often means a long walk uphill.
• Near the airport. More than forty properties operate around Jean Lesage airport, the nearest one under two kilometres from the terminal. Rates start well below those inside the walls.
• Business trips. Parliament Hill adjoins the convention centre and government offices, while Saint-Roch concentrates tech firms, independent restaurants and breweries.

Sample Quebec City hotels with prices

Opening nightly rates. In February the same addresses can cost twice what they do in January.

When Quebec City gets more expensive

The peak lands in February and comes down to the Winter Carnival, the biggest event on the city calendar. The second peak is July with the city music festival, and the third is September, which keeps rates high even after the holidays end. The lowest months are January, March and April. One practical note: French is the first language here, and while English gets you through hotels without trouble, outside them it varies.