Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec
Today’s basilica occupies the same site as the city’s first chapel, constructed by Samuel Champlain himself in 1633. The basilica once served as the mother parish to all churches in the United States and Canada, and its status as a basilica dates back to 1874, when it was the first church north of Mexico to be designated as such.
The Corporation du Patrimonie et du Tourism Religieux de Québec offers groups private tours of the basilica and its crypt and museum, as well as tours that combine Notre-Dame and the adjacent Anglican cathedral, Holy Trinity.
Fortifications and Citadel of Quebec
Quebec City is the only city north of Mexico to retain its historic city walls, and they saw so much action during the colonial period when the city changed hands between the French and the British that many parts, including the photogenic Porte St. Jean and Porte St. Louis, have been rebuilt at least twice since the walls went up in 1694.
After walking the ramparts, groups can opt for the regular one-hour tour of La Citadelle, which includes the changing of the guard over the summer, or request a custom religion-oriented tour that includes access to the chapel, typically off-limits to the public. During the summer, 90-minute night tours by lantern are also available.
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Before it was even completed, the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, dedicated to the grandmother of Jesus Christ, is said to have granted miracles of healing to those who visited it. The current cathedral entrance is flanked by pillars composed of crutches and canes left by visitors who felt so healed by their visits to the shrine that they no longer needed them.
Thanks to the influx of nearly 1 million visitors each year, the basilica complex has expanded to include a museum, a restaurant, an inn and a campsite, so groups can easily spend an entire day and night or two taking in the site.
