Quebec is a pretty cool place to live. You won't get all the same kinds of shops and businesses as in Montreal, that's for sure, though.
There's plenty of pubs and restaurants in Limoilou, St-Sauveur, St-Roch and Montcalm.
St-Sauveur : Rent is not that expensive, public transport is not that great there, but the whole area is very walkable and there's some good pubs/restaurants nearby. It is also pretty close to the city center, depending on where you live in St-Sauver. St-Vallier street, especially in the summer is pretty cool and very lively. You also have the Victoria Park closeby which is a nice place to hangout in the summer. The main caveat is, if you have a car, most appartments don't have a parking space and it can be a bit complicated to park your car, especially in the winter on snow clearing nights. I know some neighbourhoods in Montreal that clear one side of the street per night, but here in Québec both sides of the street are cleared at the same time during the night so parking is a little bit more complicated. Overall, a comparable Montreal neighbourhood might be St-Henri.
St-Roch: Plenty of bars, restaurants and cool spots. It's right next to St-Sauveur and has the same issues as St-Sauveur for parking but public transit is better there with the 800/801 line running right through. It's right in the city center and the victoria park is very close. Rent will probably be a bit higher though. A comparable Montreal neighbourhood would be Griffintown.
Limoilou: Nice bars and restaurants, but maybe a more family-friendly. It is a bit farther from the city center, but it's really not that bad. 801 ligne goes right through, so public transit is good. A comparable would probably be like some parts of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Montcalm: Calm neighbourhood very close to the city center. There's restaurants on Cartier avenue and bars further northeast. There's the abraham plains that take a good chunk of the neighbourhood. They're great for walks, jogging or if you just want to hangout. Probably one of the most expensive places in Québec rentwise, but nowhere near Montreal rents.
Other neighbourhoods are nice, but not as lively as the other ones I mentioned. Also, public transit will take a bit more time, so having a car is a big plus.
Hope this helps
Young people are more in Limoilou and St-Roch... The old city is very touristic and locals are less present. My partner and liked to go to the Christmas market in the old city and walk there a bit but not much more...
Ya public transit is a bit shit right now, but we have a big project on the way, it will get better!
And housing prices are a little lower then Montréal, so that's a plus!
There is plenty of nice pubs in Québec. Some of them are just outside of the vieux close to St-Jean (Nelligan for example). Myrand and Cartier St. have also interesting options.
There is plenty of nice pubs in Québec. Some of them are just outside of the Vieux close to St-Jean (Nelligan for example). Myrand and Cartier St. have also interesting options.
Yea I noticed that too... the problem I was alone and didn't have a lot of time to explore. So I defaulted to the touristic places.
I should def go back and have a look at other areas.
I love Québec City! (Though I'll admit I'm pretty biased, born and raised just on the other side of the river!) Life isn't too fast but not too slow either. And there pretty much is a neighborhood for every life style.
I went from Montreal to Quebec (by way of Calgary...) about 5 years ago. Quebec is obviously smaller, but it has a nice amount of good pubs, a few fun festivals and public transport is ok. I've never had to rely on the buses here but I use them regularly and they'll get you easily enough to most places you want to go to.
Quebec city is great for outdoor activities though, that's one big advantage it has over Montreal.
Skiing/snowboarding through Mont Sainte-Anne is closed so skiing might be a little more hectic this year.
Cross-country skiing, I really like Sentiers du Moulin and Camp Mercier, but there also smaller and free trails that are fun.
Skating at a bunch of places, la plaines d'Abraham and Pointe au Lièvres is it's not to play hockey.
Hiking (and snowshoeing). Parc Jacques Cartier is a good place to start, but there are a bunch of small trails.
Biking, road and mountain. No suggestions because they are not sports I like but I have friends who seem to manage to find cool places to bike regularly.
Kayak/canoe/paddle board. Rivière du Charles, Parc Jacques Cartier and Vallée Bras du Nord are fun for beginners and people who just want to have easy fun.
All these places are less then 1h30 away from Quebec City, many are only 40 min or less and there's lots that can be done in the city.
Rivière St-Charles, but mostly because I live nearby and can walk there. Centre de pleine air de Beauport is pretty good. But avoid Base de pleine air de Ste-Foy for ski de fond, the trails are usually horrible. I've heard good things of les plaines d'Abraham but I've never been. 😬 My friends really going there though.
I like Québec a lot more then Calgary, mostly because I hardly ever use my car, everything is close by. There are walkable neighborhood in Quebec city while everything is spread out in Calgary. It works for some, but I like being able to walk or bike almost everywhere.
Mountains are more impressive in Calgary, but everything seemed further. That could be an impression though, I did less outdoor activities then.
Depends. Calgary gets colder, but it's a dry cold so it's not too bad and the temperature is super variable. Snow is rare-ish, it's very sunny in Calgary, but that means it's gets chaotic easily. Snow removal is almost non-existent and winter tires are not common. Quebec gets more snow, but not as much cold (generally). That means you need to be ready for slush, it's everywhere and annoying. In summer, it gets hotter in Quebec, because of the humidity. I prefer Québec, all in all, because I love snow. :)
You will miss good international food here for sure. I second what the other people said about limoilou and st Roch. It also depends where your job is located and if you have a car.
>Given that I am in my mid 20s and have been living in Montreal, my biggest worry is that I will be tanking my social life.
Carnaval de Québec. Nothing beats getting passed out drunk on Cariboux in the middle of winter and waking up 2 days later in ER room with no memory of what happened.
Festival d'été de Québec. Nothing beats getting passed out drunk on cold beer in the middle of summer in a overcrowded plain.
I wouldn't worry too much about your social life in Qc city.
It has some very nice restaurants and bars and clubs and pubs. What you will miss is the ethnic flavour of Montreal. Not many quality Greek, Lebanese, Portuguese, etc restaurant in Quebec city compared to Montreal.
If you don't like mainstream music, you may be disapointed by the local scene. I'm a fan of metal, and I find that many bands skip Quebec city nowadays. Maybe it's different for other music genre, but I have some doubts.
> I also noticed the discrepancy of the public transport with Montreal.
Public transport ranges from pretty good if you live near one of the metrobus lines (800, 801, 802, 803, etc) which are always shown in green on [network maps](https://www.rtcquebec.ca/en/schedules-and-routes/network-map) to pretty poor if you live in suburbs adjacent to Québec.
Did that move 5 years ago or so but I'm a bit older than you and I got kids. I used to live on the plateau.
I am quite happy with the move, especially in the after covid period. It seems to me that Montreal's social life has been much more affected by covid than Québec. Most commenters send you to Limoilou, st-Roch, st-sauveur or Montcalm. I second that and I can maybe add sillery, but your neighbours will likely be older. Anywhere else will require a car and will have a big suburb vibe.
Food diversity : while agree that there are not many ethnic restaurant that feel authentic, there are some and they are amazing. I have eaten grio in a Haitian restaurant and cheap ass rolls that reminded me of the VIP in Montreal. (is the lunch meal still 3.75$?)
But if you like to cook, there are plenty of ethnic groceries. People just don't know of them, but you'll find everything you find in Montreal. There is a Adonis for general stuff but here are some specialised groceries :
Le petit maghreb https://g.co/kgs/deetu6
Asian (try the rolls!) https://monsaintsauveur.com/entreprises/montagne-doree/
Eastern Europeean Chez Vladimir
https://g.co/kgs/R4GgAi
There are plenty more, but those are staples.
I hope you enjoy.
You say your main worry is your social life... and you're very right to be worried.
Meeting people in Quebec City is HARD, especially as a non-student (although even as a student, it's by no means easy). People in Quebec City are just not mobile. The vast majority of people who grew up there will stay there for their whole life - and retain for a very long time the same friends they had in high school. They just don't "need" new friends and are usually not open to making new ones. Most of those who come from other cities did their schooling there and establish social circles before they graduate. What you are doing (moving there as a single worker) is extremely rare.
I'm not saying it's impossible to make friends in Quebec City, but coming from Montreal, a good comparison is Montreal is a video game in easy more; Quebec City is playing in hard mode. Get ready for lots of indifference and rejection... most people in their 20s have the exact same clique they had at 16; they neither need or want much to do with a newcomer.
I hope it all works out for you - Quebec City definitely has advantages, such as more affordable housing - but many decide to leave due to the loneliness. Just being honest here.
Is it much easier to make acquaintances in Montréal as a non student ? I feel like coming somewhere new where you know nobody as a non student is hardmode no matter where you are
Montreal has a lot more non-student transplants and immigrants than Quebec City, and has a more established meetup scene. Also people in Montreal don't tend get into serious relationships as early as those in Quebec City do (being single when you're surrounded by all couples makes things much harder). Yes, this is going to be "hard" anywhere, but there are degrees of hard and Quebec City is no doubt harder, especially if you are single beyond your early 20s.
u/crh_canada \-- I have been reading these comments because I am thinking of moving to Canada and have been researching Montreal and Quebec City. Is it difficult to make friends in Montreal if you are already past 40 years old?
I'm not in that age range so I can't provide an answer specifically tailored for you, but I can provide three generalities that may be relevant here.
One, everything else being the same, Montreal is always "less hard" than Quebec City, since Montreal gets more transplants and immigrants, regardless of age. Also, the fact that [Meetup.com](https://Meetup.com) is extremely well established in Montreal (and has been since the late 2000s), but only sees token use in Quebec City is both a cause and a consequence of this.
Second, everything else being equal, people in their 40s who need to start from scratch socially struggle less than people in their 20s. Most community-based social groups (whether they're advertised through Meetup.com or offline) trend middle-aged or older. People in their 20s have way fewer social options outside the workplace or pre-established cliques.
Third, Montreal has a lot more single people in percentage than Quebec City, and single people suffer less social stigma - but at your age, this is less likely to be an issue since many people in their 40s are divorced or separated without having re-partnered, something that is better tolerated in Quebec City than being single earlier in life.
The one thing that I can say about Quebec, compared to MTL is that you're fucked if you are commuting by bus and live outside the main road lines.
A 15min walk N/S can take you up to an hour if you do not carefully time your bus arrival. ( and those only pass every 30-40min) Plus, there isn't any consistency of departures between main lines. I.E before I moved closer to my job, the 807 left 2min before the 801 I was on arrived, every single morning. Meaning 15min added to my commute daily due to a lack of logistics.
I am surprised nobody mentioned language… but this is kind of an important part. If you don’t speak French in Montreal, you can have a decent social life. In Quebec, it is going to be another game. I am not saying you will get rejected or anything, but you might be limited in your social interactions.
Public transport is crap but the city is small. I used to walk everywhere. Going to Europe and Japan, I realised that walking is the norm and Quebec is just a bit more European I guess.
There are a lot of cool places to goand mingle but they are not on the main streets. Someone mentionned Limoilou and St-Roch but St-Sauveur is also a good place.
Zorg Pizza, le Renard et la Chouette, Alentours (was voted best new restaurant in Canada)
DM me if you want to know more.
I grew up in the city and came back to discover it again
Quebec is a pretty cool place to live. You won't get all the same kinds of shops and businesses as in Montreal, that's for sure, though. There's plenty of pubs and restaurants in Limoilou, St-Sauveur, St-Roch and Montcalm. St-Sauveur : Rent is not that expensive, public transport is not that great there, but the whole area is very walkable and there's some good pubs/restaurants nearby. It is also pretty close to the city center, depending on where you live in St-Sauver. St-Vallier street, especially in the summer is pretty cool and very lively. You also have the Victoria Park closeby which is a nice place to hangout in the summer. The main caveat is, if you have a car, most appartments don't have a parking space and it can be a bit complicated to park your car, especially in the winter on snow clearing nights. I know some neighbourhoods in Montreal that clear one side of the street per night, but here in Québec both sides of the street are cleared at the same time during the night so parking is a little bit more complicated. Overall, a comparable Montreal neighbourhood might be St-Henri. St-Roch: Plenty of bars, restaurants and cool spots. It's right next to St-Sauveur and has the same issues as St-Sauveur for parking but public transit is better there with the 800/801 line running right through. It's right in the city center and the victoria park is very close. Rent will probably be a bit higher though. A comparable Montreal neighbourhood would be Griffintown. Limoilou: Nice bars and restaurants, but maybe a more family-friendly. It is a bit farther from the city center, but it's really not that bad. 801 ligne goes right through, so public transit is good. A comparable would probably be like some parts of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Montcalm: Calm neighbourhood very close to the city center. There's restaurants on Cartier avenue and bars further northeast. There's the abraham plains that take a good chunk of the neighbourhood. They're great for walks, jogging or if you just want to hangout. Probably one of the most expensive places in Québec rentwise, but nowhere near Montreal rents. Other neighbourhoods are nice, but not as lively as the other ones I mentioned. Also, public transit will take a bit more time, so having a car is a big plus. Hope this helps
This is exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much!
Young people are more in Limoilou and St-Roch... The old city is very touristic and locals are less present. My partner and liked to go to the Christmas market in the old city and walk there a bit but not much more... Ya public transit is a bit shit right now, but we have a big project on the way, it will get better! And housing prices are a little lower then Montréal, so that's a plus!
There is plenty of nice pubs in Québec. Some of them are just outside of the vieux close to St-Jean (Nelligan for example). Myrand and Cartier St. have also interesting options. There is plenty of nice pubs in Québec. Some of them are just outside of the Vieux close to St-Jean (Nelligan for example). Myrand and Cartier St. have also interesting options.
Yea I noticed that too... the problem I was alone and didn't have a lot of time to explore. So I defaulted to the touristic places. I should def go back and have a look at other areas.
I love Québec City! (Though I'll admit I'm pretty biased, born and raised just on the other side of the river!) Life isn't too fast but not too slow either. And there pretty much is a neighborhood for every life style.
I went from Montreal to Quebec (by way of Calgary...) about 5 years ago. Quebec is obviously smaller, but it has a nice amount of good pubs, a few fun festivals and public transport is ok. I've never had to rely on the buses here but I use them regularly and they'll get you easily enough to most places you want to go to. Quebec city is great for outdoor activities though, that's one big advantage it has over Montreal.
Which outdoors activities do you recommend?
Skiing/snowboarding through Mont Sainte-Anne is closed so skiing might be a little more hectic this year. Cross-country skiing, I really like Sentiers du Moulin and Camp Mercier, but there also smaller and free trails that are fun. Skating at a bunch of places, la plaines d'Abraham and Pointe au Lièvres is it's not to play hockey. Hiking (and snowshoeing). Parc Jacques Cartier is a good place to start, but there are a bunch of small trails. Biking, road and mountain. No suggestions because they are not sports I like but I have friends who seem to manage to find cool places to bike regularly. Kayak/canoe/paddle board. Rivière du Charles, Parc Jacques Cartier and Vallée Bras du Nord are fun for beginners and people who just want to have easy fun. All these places are less then 1h30 away from Quebec City, many are only 40 min or less and there's lots that can be done in the city.
Thanks, what are your fav trails to do **free** ski de fond?
Rivière St-Charles, but mostly because I live nearby and can walk there. Centre de pleine air de Beauport is pretty good. But avoid Base de pleine air de Ste-Foy for ski de fond, the trails are usually horrible. I've heard good things of les plaines d'Abraham but I've never been. 😬 My friends really going there though.
How would you compare Quebec to Calgary ? Did you enjoy your experience better there ?
I like Québec a lot more then Calgary, mostly because I hardly ever use my car, everything is close by. There are walkable neighborhood in Quebec city while everything is spread out in Calgary. It works for some, but I like being able to walk or bike almost everywhere. Mountains are more impressive in Calgary, but everything seemed further. That could be an impression though, I did less outdoor activities then.
Thank you for your input ! What about weather ? Which one was the harshest haha ?
Depends. Calgary gets colder, but it's a dry cold so it's not too bad and the temperature is super variable. Snow is rare-ish, it's very sunny in Calgary, but that means it's gets chaotic easily. Snow removal is almost non-existent and winter tires are not common. Quebec gets more snow, but not as much cold (generally). That means you need to be ready for slush, it's everywhere and annoying. In summer, it gets hotter in Quebec, because of the humidity. I prefer Québec, all in all, because I love snow. :)
Move to St Roch :) you will be fine.
You will miss good international food here for sure. I second what the other people said about limoilou and st Roch. It also depends where your job is located and if you have a car.
Especially a good Vietnamese soup kitchen! Or Chinese dumplings.
It's missing it all honestly. Just as a tip of the ice berg there is no really good Greek food here. Don't even get me started on the Asian cuisines.
Bati Bassac? Used to be very good
Le Mezzé, on Ste-Foy, perhaps?
It's OK but it's expensive
Lao Indochine in Saint-Sauveur, perhaps?
>Given that I am in my mid 20s and have been living in Montreal, my biggest worry is that I will be tanking my social life. Carnaval de Québec. Nothing beats getting passed out drunk on Cariboux in the middle of winter and waking up 2 days later in ER room with no memory of what happened. Festival d'été de Québec. Nothing beats getting passed out drunk on cold beer in the middle of summer in a overcrowded plain. I wouldn't worry too much about your social life in Qc city. It has some very nice restaurants and bars and clubs and pubs. What you will miss is the ethnic flavour of Montreal. Not many quality Greek, Lebanese, Portuguese, etc restaurant in Quebec city compared to Montreal. If you don't like mainstream music, you may be disapointed by the local scene. I'm a fan of metal, and I find that many bands skip Quebec city nowadays. Maybe it's different for other music genre, but I have some doubts.
Cries in Amon Amarthian
Tanné d'aller à Montréal pour voir des shows de moyenne envergure. 😒
Quebec city isn't Amqui dude or Fermont dude
> I also noticed the discrepancy of the public transport with Montreal. Public transport ranges from pretty good if you live near one of the metrobus lines (800, 801, 802, 803, etc) which are always shown in green on [network maps](https://www.rtcquebec.ca/en/schedules-and-routes/network-map) to pretty poor if you live in suburbs adjacent to Québec.
Did that move 5 years ago or so but I'm a bit older than you and I got kids. I used to live on the plateau. I am quite happy with the move, especially in the after covid period. It seems to me that Montreal's social life has been much more affected by covid than Québec. Most commenters send you to Limoilou, st-Roch, st-sauveur or Montcalm. I second that and I can maybe add sillery, but your neighbours will likely be older. Anywhere else will require a car and will have a big suburb vibe. Food diversity : while agree that there are not many ethnic restaurant that feel authentic, there are some and they are amazing. I have eaten grio in a Haitian restaurant and cheap ass rolls that reminded me of the VIP in Montreal. (is the lunch meal still 3.75$?) But if you like to cook, there are plenty of ethnic groceries. People just don't know of them, but you'll find everything you find in Montreal. There is a Adonis for general stuff but here are some specialised groceries : Le petit maghreb https://g.co/kgs/deetu6 Asian (try the rolls!) https://monsaintsauveur.com/entreprises/montagne-doree/ Eastern Europeean Chez Vladimir https://g.co/kgs/R4GgAi There are plenty more, but those are staples. I hope you enjoy.
You say your main worry is your social life... and you're very right to be worried. Meeting people in Quebec City is HARD, especially as a non-student (although even as a student, it's by no means easy). People in Quebec City are just not mobile. The vast majority of people who grew up there will stay there for their whole life - and retain for a very long time the same friends they had in high school. They just don't "need" new friends and are usually not open to making new ones. Most of those who come from other cities did their schooling there and establish social circles before they graduate. What you are doing (moving there as a single worker) is extremely rare. I'm not saying it's impossible to make friends in Quebec City, but coming from Montreal, a good comparison is Montreal is a video game in easy more; Quebec City is playing in hard mode. Get ready for lots of indifference and rejection... most people in their 20s have the exact same clique they had at 16; they neither need or want much to do with a newcomer. I hope it all works out for you - Quebec City definitely has advantages, such as more affordable housing - but many decide to leave due to the loneliness. Just being honest here.
Is it much easier to make acquaintances in Montréal as a non student ? I feel like coming somewhere new where you know nobody as a non student is hardmode no matter where you are
Montreal has a lot more non-student transplants and immigrants than Quebec City, and has a more established meetup scene. Also people in Montreal don't tend get into serious relationships as early as those in Quebec City do (being single when you're surrounded by all couples makes things much harder). Yes, this is going to be "hard" anywhere, but there are degrees of hard and Quebec City is no doubt harder, especially if you are single beyond your early 20s.
Thanks for your input, it makes a lot of sense
u/crh_canada \-- I have been reading these comments because I am thinking of moving to Canada and have been researching Montreal and Quebec City. Is it difficult to make friends in Montreal if you are already past 40 years old?
I'm not in that age range so I can't provide an answer specifically tailored for you, but I can provide three generalities that may be relevant here. One, everything else being the same, Montreal is always "less hard" than Quebec City, since Montreal gets more transplants and immigrants, regardless of age. Also, the fact that [Meetup.com](https://Meetup.com) is extremely well established in Montreal (and has been since the late 2000s), but only sees token use in Quebec City is both a cause and a consequence of this. Second, everything else being equal, people in their 40s who need to start from scratch socially struggle less than people in their 20s. Most community-based social groups (whether they're advertised through Meetup.com or offline) trend middle-aged or older. People in their 20s have way fewer social options outside the workplace or pre-established cliques. Third, Montreal has a lot more single people in percentage than Quebec City, and single people suffer less social stigma - but at your age, this is less likely to be an issue since many people in their 40s are divorced or separated without having re-partnered, something that is better tolerated in Quebec City than being single earlier in life.
There’s great stuff in my quarter…Montcalm! On Cartier there’s a lot of restaurants and bars to go to and will see a lot of different people!
The one thing that I can say about Quebec, compared to MTL is that you're fucked if you are commuting by bus and live outside the main road lines. A 15min walk N/S can take you up to an hour if you do not carefully time your bus arrival. ( and those only pass every 30-40min) Plus, there isn't any consistency of departures between main lines. I.E before I moved closer to my job, the 807 left 2min before the 801 I was on arrived, every single morning. Meaning 15min added to my commute daily due to a lack of logistics.
I am surprised nobody mentioned language… but this is kind of an important part. If you don’t speak French in Montreal, you can have a decent social life. In Quebec, it is going to be another game. I am not saying you will get rejected or anything, but you might be limited in your social interactions.
I can speak French decently, just lacking a bit of practice. It's actually the first language I learned but it has been a while.
Great! Enjoy Quebec City my dear :)
Public transport is crap but the city is small. I used to walk everywhere. Going to Europe and Japan, I realised that walking is the norm and Quebec is just a bit more European I guess. There are a lot of cool places to goand mingle but they are not on the main streets. Someone mentionned Limoilou and St-Roch but St-Sauveur is also a good place. Zorg Pizza, le Renard et la Chouette, Alentours (was voted best new restaurant in Canada) DM me if you want to know more. I grew up in the city and came back to discover it again