Québec City
Saint-Roch
Unsplash / Unsplash
The locals' creative quarter — gentrified working-class district with third-wave coffee, design studios and Quebec's best chef-driven restaurants.
Saint-Roch sits below the cliffs north-west of Vieux-Québec — historically the city's working-class manufacturing district, now Quebec City's answer to Brooklyn or Mile End Montreal. Rue Saint-Joseph is the spine with the city's best independent coffee shops, design studios, microbreweries and chef-driven restaurants. Le Cercle, Bouche Bée and Battuto sit alongside long-running brasseries. Jardin Jean-Paul-L'Allier is the heart of the redevelopment. Cheaper than the Old City and where actual Québecois eat dinner.
Scores
Walkability
Transit
Price
Local feel
Nightlife
Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Quebec City's best chef-driven restaurants — Battuto, Le Cercle, Bouche Bée
- ↑Most authentic local feel inside the urban core — actually locals eating
- ↑Boutique hotels and Airbnb 40% cheaper than inside the walls
What you sacrifice
- ↓10-minute steep uphill walk back to Vieux-Québec — funicular or 800 bus required
- ↓Patchy at night — some blocks still under regeneration
Best for
Avoid if
Other Québec City neighbourhoods
Inside the walls on the cliff — Château Frontenac, Plains of Abraham, the Citadelle and the postcard view of the Saint-Lawrence.
Below the cliffs — Place Royale, rue du Petit-Champlain (oldest shopping street in North America), the Old Port and Musée de la Civilisation.
The city's "Champs-Élysées" — terrace restaurants, Parlement de Québec, nightclubs and the bulk of mid-range hotels.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
Best time to visit Québec City →