Quebec City: Breathtaking Falls & Sacred Shrine Half-Day Tour

Daniel, our tour guide, is a "historian" and comedian. He kept us informed about the various spots in Quebec City. We walked around a quaint street in Old Quebec. Then we went to l'Île d'Orléans (Orleans island) to visit a chocolate-making spot. Next, we visited the Chute-Montmorency park, where we saw the half frozen fall. The Shrine of Saint Anne of Beaupre (Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré) is a magnificent-looking basilica. There is the forearm bone (either the ulna or radius) of St. Anne on the left side of the chapel on the main floor. Most tourists miss this. Finally, we visited The Gilles family's copper art store/museum. Absolutely stunning copper work. You'll see why the Catholic Church commissioned them for artworks. Daniel is a fantastic tour guide with a great sense of humor. Jacques, our bus driver, was great at navigating tight turns and corners. I'd highly recommend this company for a half-day or full-day tour packed with fun historical insights and laughter.

Overall, the trip was fine but I am disappointed in how they executed the itinerary for the day. We went on the 12:30pm trip which was the only one left available and had 4 stops. We toured the church, a copper museum, a chocolatier and the Montmorency Falls. During December, when we went, it gets dark around 4 pm. Our tour was 4 1/2 hours which means we would end after dark. The tour guide chose to make Montmorency Falls the last stop of the day even though we passed by the park 2 times on the tour prior to other stops. Why he chose to make it after dark with poor visibility and not able to get any closer then like 1/2 mile away. It was so disappointing when it was the main reason we chose to do this tour. The stops were all nice, especially the church! St Anne cathedral was so pretty and the nativity especially was so pretty!! Just wished they were more flexible in their itinerary to adjust for the late day snow and fog as well as sunset during the afternoon tour so we could have visited the falls first. Everything else on the tour was inside and would have been immune to the weather and sunset time.

Church and copper museum was very good. Chocolatier was a little too commercial. The trip to the falls was in the dark since the sun set at 4pm. Should have gone to the falls first.

We took this tour during December, but although it was quite cold, the experience was very good. I imagine in the fall when the leaves are changing, it would be spectacular. I think the time frame for the tour is too short. We felt quite rushed, especially at the Basilica and the copper museum. Adding time by starting the tour an hour earlier would add to the experience. All in all we thoroughly enjoyed this tour and our guide (Martin) was great!

Daniel was our tour guide and did an excellent job. He was very knowledgeable, and his commentary was just the right amount and added to our enjoyment of the trip. The driver was also very friendly and professional. Our first stop was the Chocolaterie de l'Ile d'Orleans. It was a good stop but the store was too crowded when most of our tour group poured into it. Great selection and our group bought quite a bit of sweet treats. We would have liked to had a longer drive around l'Ile d'Orleans, but that might not have been possible with the winter weather conditions. The Parc de la Chute-Montmorency was awesome given that it was partially frozen! We were only able to view from vantage points below the falls. It was beautiful, and we got some amazing pictures. If you go in the warmer months and want to take the gondola to the top of the falls, you need to visit independently of a quick tour like this one. The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre was a true gem. Amazing architecture and history. The time at this stop was just about right. The Albert Gilles Copper Art & Museum was interesting and impressive, but not our cup of tea. Some people on our tour loved it, but we are not into embossed copper art and did not purchase any. It was the end of the tour so maybe we were just tired by then. Overall, this is an excellent survey of some of the sites and points of interest outside Quebec City. You could spend a lot more time at the water falls on your own or exploring the l'Ile d'Orleans at a more leisurely pace. As with any bus tour, be prepared to spend some time waiting to get off the bus. Older participants with limited mobility tend to sit at the front of the bus and take a while to get off. That is just the nature of the beast with bus tours but it can be frustrating when it feels like it cuts into your time at a stop. Kudos to Daniel and the driver for making it a fun and memorable tour!

Even though the tour says it’s to visit the falls we went there last and late in the day when the sun had set during the winter so very little light. I don’t know why we didn’t go there first or at least leave earlier in the day instead of 12:30 since the tour we took is during the winter with early sunset. Also a little concerning that the guide was also the driver. No sure how safe it is to have a driver of a big bus to also act as a guide. We had no issues but it was a little concerning.

Martin was an exceptional tour guide full of information and humor! I enjoyed the stops And fun facts provided.

Great trip that was informative and very enjoyable. Our tour guide, Daniel, did an outstanding job providing history and information in a fun way. I highly recommend this trip!

Not enough time at the stops - very rushed especially at St. Anne DuPre - not much point of going to these places if not enough time to enjoy and experience

Beautiful tour, especially on a very cold day in Quebec City. The only downside is I think we needed a little more time at the basilica. Otherwise great stops, friendly tour guide.