Chateau Frontenac, the funicular and a walled city at the gangway.
Quebec City is the stop that makes a Canada and New England cruise feel like Europe: ships tie up at Wharves 21 and 22 at Pointe-à-Carcy, at the foot of Old Quebec, where the Petit-Champlain lanes, the funicular and the Chateau Frontenac are a 5 to 10 minute walk from the ship (bigger ships use Wharf 30 at the Estuary, a few minutes farther). Most cruisers spend the morning inside the walls and the afternoon at Montmorency Falls, 8 miles out and taller than Niagara. Many cruises also start or end here, but on this page it is a port of call: SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Quebec City from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Quebec City
Do the walled city on foot from the pier, ride out to Montmorency Falls, or take the full day to Île d’Orléans and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.
Old Quebec from the pier
- Walk off the ship into Place Royale and the Petit-Champlain lanes, then ride the funicular (about CAD 7, cash only as of 2026) up to the Terrasse Dufferin and the Chateau Frontenac
- Loop the Upper Town walls to the Citadelle and the Plains of Abraham, with lunch of poutine or a tourtière on rue Saint-Jean
- Everything is inside a mile of the gangway; the only cost is the funicular and whatever you eat
Best for: first-timers, walkers, short calls
Montmorency Falls
- A 272 foot waterfall, about 100 feet taller than Niagara, 8 miles east of the port; cable car, suspension bridge over the lip and a 487 step staircase
- Ship tours run 3 to 4 hours at about $80 to $110, usually with a drive past the Plains of Abraham on the way
- On your own, RTC bus 800 from Place d’Youville (about CAD 3.75, 35 to 40 minutes) or a taxi; park entry plus cable car is about CAD 29 as of 2026
Best for: families, photographers, repeat visitors
Île d’Orléans and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
- The farm island 10 minutes from the falls: cider, chocolate, strawberries and 300 year old stone houses, then the huge pilgrimage basilica at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
- Ship tours run 5 to 7 hours at about $120 to $160 and almost always include a Montmorency stop, so you get the falls too
- Best on the 10 to 12 hour calls and overnights that most lines schedule here
Best for: foodies, long calls, anyone who has seen the walls before
Quebec City cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every cruise that calls at Quebec City from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Quebec City
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Quebec City
Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there; New York and Boston send the most ships up the St. Lawrence, and the one-ways that start here or in Montreal give you the longest Quebec days.
Things to do in Quebec City
Half of this list is inside the walls within a 15 minute walk of the ship; the rest is a short bus ride or a ship tour east along the river.
Which lines call at Quebec City?
The port handled 103 calls from 22 lines in 2025 and nearly 30 calls in October 2026 alone; these are the lines you will see at Pointe-à-Carcy and the Estuary.
When to go
The St. Lawrence cruise season runs May to early November; summers are warm and quiet, fall color peaks in the first two weeks of October when the port is busiest, and the last ships leave in cold, sometimes snowy weather.
Quebec City questions we answer every day
Where do cruise ships dock in Quebec City and how far is it to Old Quebec?
Most ships dock at Wharves 21 and 22 at Pointe-à-Carcy, with the Ross Gaudreault terminal on Dalhousie Street at the foot of the Petit-Champlain district: you walk off into the old Lower Town in 5 minutes and reach the Chateau Frontenac in 10 to 15. The biggest ships use Wharf 30 at the Estuary, a 10 to 15 minute walk away with a shuttle on busy days, and on rare overflow days a ship goes to Quai Paquet in Lévis with the ferry across. No line tenders here. The port caps visitors at 15,000 a day, so it never feels like Nassau.
How do I get around Quebec City from the pier?
On foot: Old Quebec is small and everything is inside a mile, with the funicular (about CAD 7, cash) to save the climb. Taxis wait at the terminal, RTC city buses are about CAD 3.75 (bus 800 to Montmorency Falls leaves from Place d’Youville just outside the walls), and a hop-on hop-off bus loops the sights for about CAD 50. For Île d’Orléans or Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré there is no practical transit, so book the ship tour or a private driver.
What currency do I need, do people speak English, and does my phone work?
Canadian dollars, about CAD 1.35 to 1.40 to the US dollar; cards and tap work everywhere, the funicular is the one cash-only thing. Quebec is French-speaking by law and signs are in French, but everyone in the old city who deals with visitors speaks English; a bonjour goes a long way. The city is on Eastern Time, the same as New York. Most US carriers charge for Canada roaming unless your plan includes it, and the terminal has free Wi-Fi.
Is Quebec City safe?
Yes. Canada is at the State Department’s lowest advisory level and Old Quebec is one of the safest places you will walk on any cruise. The real risks are cobblestones and steep stairs in the rain, and the cold on late-season calls; wear good shoes and bring layers.
What is the best excursion, and should I book through the ship?
Montmorency Falls is the one everybody should see, and on a call of 8 hours or less we book it through the ship so the line guarantees your return. The old city itself needs no tour; a 2 hour guided walk (about CAD 30 to 40) adds the stories if you want them. On overnights and 12 hour calls, which Celebrity, Oceania and Holland America usually schedule here, do the island and basilica on the second day.
Do I need a passport?
If your cruise starts or ends in Quebec City or Montreal, yes, you fly into or out of Canada and need a valid passport. On a closed-loop cruise that starts and ends in the same US port (New York, Boston or Baltimore), US citizens can sail with a government photo ID plus an original birth certificate, but we strongly recommend a passport, and Canada can refuse entry to travelers with certain criminal records.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.
Talk to a Quebec City cruise specialist
We know which sailings overnight in Quebec and which weeks the maples peak, so call us to check availability and book your Canada and New England cruise. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.