Quebec City Walking Tours

Old Quebec is about one square kilometre of cobblestone inside the walls, which is why guiding here happens on foot. The most-reviewed tour in the whole city is a two-hour walk, 4.8 stars across nearly five thousand travellers. Below are the four walks worth comparing, from a $6 self-guided route to a certified-guide small group.

Checked with Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Quebec City tour guide & heritage specialist

Which walking tour of Old Quebec is best?

For most first visits: the Tours Voir Québec walk, two hours through Upper and Lower Town and the biggest review base in the city at 4.8 across 4,995 Viator reviews. If a steep climb worries you, the HQ Services Classique includes the funicular ride between the two towns, 4.9 across 1,538 reviews, from $41 USD. Prefer no group at all? A self-guided route starts at $6.

The four walks, compared by real review data

All figures below are each operator's current platform numbers, not ours. Every walk starts and ends inside or beside the walls, so none of them needs transport.

Most reviewed tour in the city Visitors walking a narrow stone street in Old Quebec toward the city walls on a guided walking tour

Best overall first walk: Upper and Lower Town with the city's most-reviewed operator

Quebec City Walking Tour, Upper & Lower Towns (2 hours)

4.8 across 4,995 Viator reviews

Run by Tours Voir Québec, the walk with the largest review count of any tour in this city
Covers both halves of the old town: the clifftop Upper Town and the riverside Lower Town in one loop
Two hours on foot through the UNESCO-listed historic district

Live price on the listing shown for your date and currency at booking

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The rating is Tours Voir Québec's current Viator figure.

A small walking-tour group on the cobblestones of Quartier Petit Champlain in Old Quebec

Best if you want the funicular ride included, so the cliff climb is not your problem

Old Quebec Classique Walking Tour with Funicular (2 hours)

4.9 across 1,538 Viator reviews

HQ Services Touristiques small group covering the Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace, Place Royale and Petit Champlain
The funicular between Upper and Lower Town is part of the ticket, a real knee-saver on the way back up
From $41 USD, two hours with a licensed local guide

From $41 USD live price on the listing for your date

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Prefer GetYourGuide? The same HQ Services tour is listed there too, rated 4.9 across 903 GetYourGuide reviews.

The fortification walls and a stone gate of Old Quebec, the only walled city north of Mexico

Best for a smaller group with a certified local guide and a little more time

Old Quebec Walking Tour, Certified Local Guide (2 h 15)

5.0 across 158 Viator reviews

Urban Horizons Tours; a perfect 5.0 so far, on a smaller review base than the two big names above
Fifteen extra minutes over the standard walks, with a certified local guide
Covers the historic district on foot at an unhurried pace

Live price on the listing shown for your date and currency at booking

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The stone facades and church of Place Royale, the birthplace of French North America, in Old Quebec

Best on a budget or an odd schedule: walk the route whenever you like

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Quebec City

A self-paced route through the historic district, from $6 USD
No fixed start time, so it fits around a cruise-ship stop or a late arrival
No live guide; you trade the stories for total flexibility

From $6 USD live price on the listing

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This listing shows no review figures yet, so we print none.

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How to choose between them

The honest version: the two big operators cover nearly the same ground, and both hold ratings most tours never reach. Pick on logistics, not on quality.

You are...	Take this walk
A first-timer who wants the proven default	Tours Voir Québec (4.8, 4,995 reviews)
Worried about the steep climb between towns	Classique with funicular included (4.9, from $41 USD)
After the smallest group and extra time	Urban Horizons certified-guide walk (5.0, 158 reviews)
On a tight budget or a fixed ship schedule	Self-guided route from $6 USD

Walking is also just the start of the old town. Many visitors pair a morning walk with an afternoon of tastings around the historic district, or take the double-decker for the sights beyond the walls the next day.

Walking tour questions

How long does it take to walk around Old Quebec?

The guided walks above cover the historic district in about two hours to two hours fifteen. On your own, you can cross the old town in well under an hour, but between the funicular, Dufferin Terrace, Place Royale and the shops of Petit Champlain, most people happily spend half a day inside the walls.

Is Quebec City really the only walled city north of Mexico?

Yes. Old Québec is the only city north of Mexico whose fortification walls still stand, which is a large part of why the district is UNESCO-listed. The walls and gates are on the route of every guided walk on this page.

Is there a free or self-guided walking option?

The old town is free to wander, and the self-guided route above costs from $6 USD if you want a structured path without a group. What you give up is the guide: the history of the Fortifications and Place Royale is the reason the two big guided walks carry thousands of reviews between them.

Do the walking tours include the funicular?

One does. The HQ Services Classique tour includes the funicular ride between Upper and Lower Town in its ticket. On the other walks you either climb the stairs or pay the funicular separately, so check the inclusions on each listing before you pick.

About these picks

Compiled by Jean-Pierre Tremblay, a Quebec City tour guide and heritage specialist who has walked these streets with international visitors since 2022. Ratings, review counts, durations and inclusions come from each operator's current Viator or GetYourGuide listing. We earn a disclosed commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you. Comparing the wider options first? Start from the full lineup on the homepage.

The four walks, compared by real review data

Quebec City Walking Tour, Upper & Lower Towns (2 hours)

Old Quebec Classique Walking Tour with Funicular (2 hours)

Old Quebec Walking Tour, Certified Local Guide (2 h 15)

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Quebec City

How to choose between them

Walking tour questions

About these picks

See Old Quebec the way it was built to be seen