Old Québec & French Canada Private History Walking Tour
5
Old Québec & French Canada Private History Walking Tour
By Quebec 1608 Tours
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About
A must-do experience for North American visitors to Quebec City;
In-depth and fun historical overview of Old Québec, a unique historic district and World Heritage site featuring hundreds of history markers.
Most first-time visitors do not know to what a great extent Canada and US history are intertwined. Do you know the links between French Canada, Quebec and your part of the continent? There is no better place to discover these connections than in beautiful Quebec City.
Discover how early French settlers influenced by many continental events - Manifest Destiny, French & Indian War, Boston Tea Party, American Revolution, War of 1812 , American Civil War, Alaska Purchase, Canadian Confederation... - shaped Quebec and Canada.
During our 2.5-hour walking tour, discover sites in both Upper and Lower Town, highlighting the significant role played by Quebec City in the history of North America and in the creation of modern Canada.
Convenient meeting point: your Old Quebec hotel.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-120
Duration: 2h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, French
More
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
What's not included- Gratuities
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Pickup details
- If your hotel is situated in Old Quebec, our guide will meet you in the hotel lobby 5 minutes before tour time. If your hotel is NOT in Old Quebec, we will be in touch with you to suggest an easy-to-find meeting point.
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 61582P6- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 61582P6
From
₹17,045.32
per group (up to 8)
Select date and travellers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- hunnyjar0 contributionsFantastic QC History Tour with Michel - Above & Beyond!We had a great time on our walking tour with Michel Sirois! I am a travel agent and was leading a group of ladies on a New England/Canada cruise that ended in Quebec City, and this walking tour seemed like a perfect way to get an overview of the Old Town. Michel was kind, patient and gave us great history as we did the tour. He even took some of our group who wanted to down to the lower town on his way back to the ferry. In addition, I had mentioned in my communications with him prior to the trip that I was having issues securing a wheelchair for my mom who'd had a recent fall, and he took it upon himself to reserve a wheelchair for us at a pharmacy close to our hotel. (We ended up not needing it because our hotel did end up having one, but it was still a wonderful gesture.) He even helped me push the wheelchair several times up large hills or helped get mom over the curbs that weren't quite flush with the pavement. All in all, a great tour if you love history, and Michel S. goes above and beyond for his guests.Written 3 October 2024
- FrenchEditor0 contributionsExcellent personalized tour, rich historical experienceMichel is a wonderful tour guide and teacher. He brings many old maps and primary source materials to help illuminate the historical narrative. He has a fascinating family history reaching back 9 generations that also bring the history of Quebec to life. Michel was very responsive to our interests and tailored the tour to our tastes. Wonderful way to experience the city!Written 2 August 2024
- slkinney0 contributionsQuebec History Brought to LifeOur tour of Old Quebec with Michel was the best investment of time and money that we made in our visit to this city. He brought 400 years of history to life with compelling stories and graphics, and did it all with such good humor and charm that he belied the stereotype of history teachers. The arrangements were simple and swift, and he really added a whole new dimension of appreciation for a city which we were already very much taken with. This was a great experience!Written 11 October 2023
- KPpharm010 contributionsGreat tour with passion for Quebec CityMichel has passion for Quebec City with great stories as we walked through lower and upper cities. He maintains a pace that remains comfortable while explaining the feelings of French Canadians dealing with British and the invading Continental Army of the American Revolution. He makes the city real and has first hand knowledge of all the key historic and cultural sites. He’s the best!Written 15 September 2019
- AustinHoneybee0 contributionsQuebec City with Michel!What an outstanding history tour of upper and lower Quebec City. Michel has so much relevant and interesting information to share, complete with illustrative materials and maps to keep us oriented, and easily shaped the tour to our interests. The walking route was completely comfortable for moderate activity, and we enjoyed every minute and some of his special access points as a local. We would recommend him AND call him again for another tour full of amazing historical anecdotes and interesting commentary.Written 22 August 2019
- Claire M0 contributionsSuperb tour, insightful and entertaining guide - a great introduction to Quebec!Michel, the owner of Tours Levi’s, was outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 hour tour, delving into so much French/British/American history. We walked the upper and lower old town, stopping often, and Michel brought so many of the pivotal events to life. History is his passion and he was skilled and charming at sharing it. Our teenage sons really enjoyed the tour. Fascinating, Michel’s own family history as a 10th generation Quebecquois, was woven into the complex and rich history of French America. This is a superb way of getting a 101 on why Quebec is such a key part of Canadian history, and the broader picture of North American colonialism. Highly recommended, hands-on from someone who knows chapter and verse of local history and loves sharing his knowledge of this special place. Thankyou Michel.Written 7 July 2019
- WendyMW0 contributionsGreat educational tourMichel led a fantastic walking tour. Made Old Québec so much more meaningful than just wandering around the touristy areas and looking in souvenir shops. We did the 400 years of history tour, and we learned so much about American and Canadian history. Highly recommend Michel for “not your average tourist.”Written 4 July 2019
- familyguy0 contributionsA real eye openerMichel Sirois's knowledge of the history of Quebec and its place in Canada was enlightening and entertaining. As a Canadian I think I learned more in our 3 hour tour of Quebec than I did in high school. Michel's charts and maps helped us understand and visualize everything that was in front of us. I would highly recommend this tour to anybody wanting to understand Quebec and its unique place within Canada.Written 12 June 2019
- Jeffrey H0 contributionsGreat guideWe had a three hour walking tour with Michel....michel.guide. This guy is charming with a wealth of information on the history of Quebec. We came away with a complete understanding of the history of Quebec, and we used the information we learned to guide us as we toured over the next two days. He will tailor the tour to what you want, so decide before you go whether you want history, geography, architecture.....Written 28 May 2019
- Footprints1580260 contributionsWisconsin meets Quebec!Great tour and great tour guide! Extremely knowledgeable and personable. We are from the States and really enjoyed how Michel connected both countries’ history. Three hours was too short! Thank you, Michel!Written 6 March 2019
- Peggy B0 contributionsAwesome Tour of Quebec City!My husband and I are not great "tourists" but thought it would be a good idea to have a tour to learn more about this gorgeous city. Michel was great! He provided very interesting information on the history of Quebec and an awesome walking tour of the city. Michel is very knowledgeable, a wonderful guide and an overall great guy. I highly recommend him!Written 26 February 2019
- 99540 contributionsGreat Tour on a Snowy DayMichel Sirois was one of the best tour guides we have ever had in any country. Despite the snowy and windy day we were faced with, he adapted his tour to our group in a wise and effective fashion, taking into account the fact that some of us were quite 'mature' in years and had some mobility issues. Michel was personable, very well-informed, and articulate. It was wonderful that he included some of his family's Quebec history in the presentation, and also paid attention to the place of religion, the Quebecois independence movement, and Native Americans in his coverage. He is a natural-born teacher.Written 29 October 2018
- swhidbey20 contributionsExceeded expectations for our tour of Quebec CityThe two of us booked Michel's 3 hour walking tour as an alternative to the large cattle call cruise ship shore excursion tours. When we witnessed tour guides with 30-40 people trying to maneuver the street of Quebec, we were happy we had a private guide. Michel was extremely professional and quick to respond via email to any questions we had prior to the tour. He met us promptly at the cruise terminal and we were off for an enjoyable 3 hour tour. Because there was only two of us, Michel was able to customize our tour as we went along, exploring the history and architecture of this amazing place. If you want personal, professional service, Michel is at the top of the pack.Written 17 October 2018
- MarcoPro20500 contributionsPerfection!Michel is an amazing tour guide who delivered perfection in a tour. Highlights of the positive aspects (there are no negative aspects by the way): 1) Fair price for the value, 2) Expert historian on all aspects of Quebec: Entire history of the city, its people, the economy, the social aspects, religion, migration and more. 3) Willing to combine tours to maximize the experience, 4) Personality: happy, fun, personable, smart, thorough, detail oriented (to the minutest of facts from dates to treaties to wars and more) 5) High Energy 6) Inability of the guide to tire or slow down (wow!) Would I take another tour with Michel? Yes of course! Would I recommend him to others? Yes of course.Written 19 September 2018
- Dally A0 contributionsFantastic QuebecWe took this tour with our guide, Michel Sirois, and loved the history that Michel provided. He also provided maps and visual representations of what Quebec was like in the past and this enabled us to visualise buildings that no longer existed or to see where the buildings were located in pictures of the past. He communicated to us his passion and love for Quebec and we were impressed with the history of this fantastic city. Dallas and Susan Anderson Queensland AustraliaWritten 25 July 2018
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
18 reviews
Excellent
18
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0
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Sunshine12050050906
3 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
One of the very best tours we have ever taken. Our guide, Michel, was superb — he combines his enthusiasm for the history of Quebec City and French Canada with a great depth of knowledge and understanding. Especially impressive was his occasional inclusion of stories from his own family’s nine generations of history here. Plus, he was happy to tailor the tour to our group’s particular interests. Highest recommendation!
Written 17 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Venture49818108687
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Friends
Michel S was a fantastic guide. Our group was really into the history and he provided so many memorable nuggets that we are still discussing them hours later. Having someone who is from here, who has generations of family here, made it so personal and gave great context to what we were walking by. I would recommend this tour and this guide and would also recommend doing the tour at the front part of your trip.
Written 3 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phelim
7 contributions
We were looking for a private tour of the attempted invasion of Quebec by Benedict Arnold. Michel took us on an excellent tour that included all of the important locations and gave us his insight into the battles. He is very knowledgeable and provided us with a detailed history of the events of the invasion and a bit of the history and culture of the Quebecois. Just what we were looking for!
Written 27 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martha C
Los Angeles, CA11 contributions
Michel led us on an informative and interesting tour covering 400 years of Quebec history. He customized the tour for us, as we are particularly interested in Revolutionary War history. I highly recommend taking his private tour!
Written 13 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen Kent R
2 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
We highly recommend Quebec 1608 Tours & Michel. Very knowledgeable, entertaining, engaging, interactive, & very informative. Michel presented a wealth of knowledge in a format that was easy to digest & retain!
We will definitely be back & book another offered tour.
Karen & Kent Robinson
We will definitely be back & book another offered tour.
Karen & Kent Robinson
Written 6 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susanleeson4
Vancouver, Canada1 contribution
Richard was very knowledgable, personable and made the tour fun. This tour was the highlight of our trip to Quebec City. It is worth every penny.
Written 11 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nhpippi
NH17 contributions
Michel was so knowledgeable. He has a vast repertoire of Canadian and American history. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it.
Written 9 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KLP
Baltimore, MD49 contributions
1608 Tours provided us an excellent walking tour of the old City from the hotel Frontenac to the Ursuline Sisters, and a very concise history of the French n Quebec. The tour was in English, it was private, and tailored to what we were interested in.
We spent a fantastic afternoon with Michel.
We spent a fantastic afternoon with Michel.
Written 30 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathy L
4 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
Richard was a wonderful guide. So knowledgeable about the history of this great city. We both learned a lot and so enjoyed his company. Thank you Richard!
Written 29 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen Kent R
2 contributions
Dec 2023 • Friends
Michel was extremely knowledgeable & presented a lot of interesting & valuable information in a manner in which he kept you engaged. He knew the answers to all of our random questions. He would interject amusing & entertaining tidbits too.
If you want to learn a lot in an upbeat, interesting way from a person that knows so much, I would highly recommend Michel & 1608 Tours!!
If you want to learn a lot in an upbeat, interesting way from a person that knows so much, I would highly recommend Michel & 1608 Tours!!
Written 6 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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