10 Best Museums in Quebec City

Quebec City is located along the Lawrence River, surrounded by a privileged natural environment in a place where you can breathe quality of life and cultural diversity. Some of the most interesting museums in Canada are located in this city, so one of the best things to see and do in Quebec is to visit its museums, which reflect both the past and the future of the city and the country.

So you do not miss anything in this cultural experience in Quebec, in this article I leave you a list of its most representative museums, covering a range of topics ranging from the past and present of the native populations to the French presence and art in all its forms.

The Musée de la Civilisation is a museum dedicated to the culture and civilizations of Quebec and other parts of the world. Inaugurated in 1988, it is located in Old Quebec City near the Saint Lawrence River in a building considered an architectural jewel of the city.

There you can learn about Canada's earliest civilizations, with interactive exhibits ranging from their roots to the present day. Specifically, the permanent exhibition C'est notre histoire (This is our history) allows you to learn about the history and culture of the 11 civilizations that populate Quebec, made up of some 95,000 inhabitants. The interesting thing is that it is their voices that tell their story, as they work closely with the museum.

In addition to this permanent collection, at the Museum of Civilization you can see a wide variety of temporary exhibits with themes ranging from the musical history of Quebec to unusual topics such as wrestling. An audio guide and app are available to help you interpret the exhibits.

Interesting details

• Location: 85 Rue Dalhousie, Québec, QC G1K 8R2, Canada.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
• Admission fee: about 17€ for people aged 35 to 64; about 14€ for people aged 18 to 34, about 6€ for people aged 12 to 17 and about 4€ for children aged 6 to 11. Children under 5 years old are free and those over 65 years old pay about 16 €.

Albert Gilles was an outstanding artist of the répoussé who was able to bring his art to the churches of Quebec, such as the cathedrals of Valleyfield and Moncton, to movie studios and to the homes of celebrities such as Mae West. He also made the silver chalice for Pope Pius XII. Some of his work is on display at the Albert Gilles and Cooper Museum along with that of 5 women in his family who continued his artistic legacy.

Répoussé or embossing is a technique with which pieces of art are created in low relief on metals. You will be amazed by the level of detail and creativity of the 50 copper panels that tell the story of Christ in the Christorama exhibit, considered by the artist to be his masterpiece. In the museum you will also find a lot of information about his life and about copper, from the time it is obtained in a mine until it becomes art.

Something very interesting you can do at the Albert Gilles Museum is to participate in a workshop to learn the technique of répoussé and make your own artistic piece. Undoubtedly, going to this museum is a good idea because you will not only see the works of art of the famous sculptor and his family, but you will also learn the technique and you can take your work as a souvenir. In addition, you can buy these unique pieces of art in the museum's boutique.

Interesting details

• Address: 7450, boul. Ste-Anne, Château-Richer, Québec, Canada, G0A 1N0. 22 km from Old Quebec, the historic center.
• Hours: May to October daily from 8:30 am to 5 pm; November to January from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and on weekends from 1 pm to 4 pm. From February to April every day from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Admission fee: entrance and parking are free. Participation in the workshop costs about 14€ per person.

Although not strictly speaking a museum, a visit to this hotel is quite a historical and cultural tour. The Chateau de Frontenac has the Churchill, Roosevelt, Elizabeth II, Alfred Hitchcock and Celine Dion suites, which are some of the personalities who have stayed in its rooms.

The Chateau de Frontenac opened its doors in 1893 in the walled part of Old Quebec, the historic district of the city. It was designed in congruence with the surrounding historic buildings and became one of Quebec's most emblematic castles. Considered a Canadian Historic Site, it is located on a promontory and offers a beautiful view of the Saint Lawrence River.

If you are not staying at the hotel, you can join a guided tour to get to know its facilities and listen to the stories told in its suites. Some of these tours are conducted with guides who interpret a historical figure, which makes the tour more entertaining. These tours are only available from tour companies.

Details of interest

• Location: 1 Rue des Carrières, Québec, QC G1R 4P5, Canada.

The Musée national des beaux arts du Québec is dedicated to exhibiting the art of Quebecers from the 18th century to contemporary times and also contains works by artists from other parts of the world. It houses some 25,000 works and is located very close to the Notre-Dame Church and the Citadella de Quebec.

It has 3 pavilions: Pierre-Lassonde, Charles-Baillairgé and Gérard-Morisset. In Pierre-Lassonde there are permanent exhibitions on Inuit art with more than 100 works; Quebec decorative and design arts, such as ceramics, posters and glass crafts**; contemporary art**, with more than 9000 works; and the fresco that the artist Jean Paul Riopelle painted as a tribute to Rosa Luxemburg.

The pavilions are different buildings connected by long corridors. The whole museum is worth admiring for its architecture and how it has been integrated with the surrounding park. As for the Gérard-Morisset pavilion, it used to be a former prison where the cells can still be seen. The museum is one of the stops of the Hop-on Hop-off buses that take you to the main tourist sites of the city, in a comfortable way.

Details of interest

• Location: 179 Grande Allée O, Québec, QC G1R 2H1, Canada.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Wednesdays until 9 pm.
• Admission fee: about 17€ for adults, young people from 18 to 30 years old about 10€, teenagers from 13 to 17 years old 5€ and seniors from 65 years old about 16€. Children under 12 are free and there are discounts for families.

The Musée de l'Amérique francophone, formerly known as the Musée du Seminaire, is the oldest museum in the country. Founded in 1803, its mission is to disseminate the history of French communities in Canada, and the works of artists and artisans since 1930.

It is located in the Quebec Seminary, a Catholic church building in Old Quebec. The entrance to the museum is through the Chapelle du Musée (the Museum Chapel), where various social events and seminars are held, as it is a secularized space. From there, subway tunnels take you to the main museum building.

The Museum of French-speaking America has about 110,000 pieces, including historical, ethnological and scientific objects, coins, postage stamps, art pieces and handicrafts.

Some of its permanent collections include On the Road: the Francophone Odyssey, which shares the story of French migrants who came to the country in search of new horizons, and Revelations, which features more than 100 works of art from the legacy of the Quebec Seminary.

Details of interest

• Location: 2 Côte de la Fabrique, Québec, QC G1R 3V6, Canada.
• Hours: daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm.

The Museum of the Augustinian Monastery or Monastère des Augustines has the mission of disseminating the spiritual and social work of the Augustinians of Quebec for more than four centuries. But it is not only a museum, since in addition to exhibiting collections of objects and archives that belonged to their monastery-hospitals, it has become a wellness center.

At the Augustinian Monastery you can take guided tours to explore its permanent and temporary collections and learn in depth about the history and legacy of the Augustinians. These take place about three times a day and last about an hour.

In addition, the monastery offers various cultural and wellness activities that can connect you with the heritage of the Augustinians. You can also enjoy a typical meal, take a yoga class or go on a retreat while staying at the monastery. It is located within the walled city of Quebec.

Details of interest

• Location: 77, rue des Remparts, Québec (Québec), Canada G1R 0C3.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Guests of the monastery can stay until 8 pm.
• Admission fee: from 17€ for adults, 14€ for students and seniors and 10€ for children from 12 to 16 years old. Children under 11 years of age (inclusive) are free.

The Erico Chocolate Museum is a must-see for lovers of this exquisite food, as it not only offers you the opportunity to learn more about chocolate, but also to take some home with you to enjoy during your stay in the city.

The tours are free and self-guided, so you can walk around this small museum at your own pace. There you will learn about the history of chocolate from the time of the Mayas to the present and curiosities about the cacao tree. It has a collection of about 120 pieces from the 19th century, mainly from Mexico, the Caribbean, USA and Canada. There is also a window from which you can observe how chocolate is produced in the factory.

The Erico chocolate factory, founded in 1987, is located in downtown Quebec City about six blocks from Parliament. If you are interested in this kind of museums you can also go to the Maple museum store, where you can learn about the manufacture of this typical Canadian syrup and taste it. It is located 700 meters away on the same street.

But if you want to taste the best gastronomy, on the Isle of Orleans you can take one of the best gastronomic tours in Quebec and taste Canadian delicacies. There you can visit apple orchards, vineyards and chocolate factories that will give you a complete gastronomic experience.

Interesting details

• Location: 634, Saint-Jean Street, Quebec, QC G1R 1P8.
• Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.. It closes later in the summer.
• Admission fee: free of charge.

The Musée POP or Museum of Popular Culture is a museum that combines two very different experiences: a tour of Quebec's cultural diversity and a visit to the old Trois-Rivières prison, which operated from 1822 to 1986. You can do the two tours separately or do one, but you get a discount if you do both.

At the POP Museum you can explore diverse collections covering history, language, gastronomy, sport, music and legends from the original populations to the present day. One of the permanent collections is the toy collection, known as the Stars Collection, ideal if you are traveling with children to Quebec.

As for the Trois-Rivières Prison, it is considered by many visitors to be the museum's main attraction. The old building retains its original shape and the layout of the cells, as well as the doors and other elements. Please note that children under 8 years of age are not allowed to enter this museum.

If you are interested in learning more about Quebec's prisons and the crimes it witnessed you can sign up for a ghost and crime tour and get to know the darker side of the city.

Details of interest

• Location: 200, rue LavioletteTrois-Rivières (Qc), Canada.
• Museum hours: in summer every day from 10 am to 5 pm. In autumn from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm. The rest of the year it is open on weekends from 10 am to 5 pm.
• Prison hours: in summer every day from 10 am to 5 pm. In autumn, Wednesdays from 10 am to 4 pm and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm.
• Admission fee: from 12 € the entrance to the museum for adults, about 14 € the entrance to the prison and about 20 € the combined ticket. Children under 4 years old do not pay admission. Children and teenagers from 5 to 17 years old pay about 7 € for the museum entrance, about 10 € for the prison entrance and about 14 € for the combined ticket.

If you are interested in history, the Musée du Fort will give you an immersive experience of the battles of Quebec with its sound and light show. The museum is located in Old Quebec, opposite the Château de Frontenac, and contains a model of more than 100 square meters representing what Quebec City was like in 1750.

With the help of special effects and the large model, the Musee du Fort gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the battles and history of Quebec. At the end of the presentation, if you wish, you can participate in a quiz where you can win a prize.

The museum has a store where you can find old Quebec books in French and English, wooden muskets and military-themed souvenirs. They also offer soldiers and all kinds of certified collectibles.

Details of interest

• Location: 10, rue Sainte-Anne C.P. 833, Haute-Ville, Québec.
• Hours: daily from 8:30 am to 9:15 pm.
• Admission fee: from €6 for adults and about €5 for students. Children under 10 years old are free.

History lovers cannot miss a visit to this military fortress located within the ramparts of Old Quebec. The Citadel was built after the War of 1812 and belonged to the British army. Today it houses the 22nd Royal Regiment and receives visitors every day to witness the changing of the guard.

The Citadel of Quebec is also the official residence of the monarch and the Governor General of the country and is considered a National Historic Site of Canada. It is shaped like a star and is located at the highest point of the city, at Cape Diamond. From there you can enjoy the view of Old Quebec and the Lawrence River.

After visiting it you can visit the fortifications of Quebec that are next to it. They are about 4.5 km long and were part of a defense system that began to be created in 1608. Both the Citadel and the ramparts are two of the sites that are always included in the best guided tours of Quebec, which give you a lot of historical and cultural information about the city.

Details of interest

• Location: 1 Côte de la Citadelle Québec City, Québec G1R 3R2, Canada.
• Hours: from mid-May to early September, daily from 9 am to 5:30 pm and from September to mid-May, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Not open on rainy days.
• Admission fee: from 13€ for adults, 11€ for adults over 64 years old and 4€ approximately for children and teenagers from 11 to 17 years old. Children under 10 years old are free. Discounts are available for families.