There are few places around the world that embrace winter with such incredible joie de vivre spirit as in Quebec, Canada. Quebec’s relationship with winter is truly special. Its citizens embrace and celebrate winter in countless ways, with lights, music, activities, food – even a world famous carnival. During my winter visits to la belle province, I learned that if you can’t beat it, you may as well get out and enjoy it. Take a peek at these 13 terrific things to do in Quebec in winter, so you can learn to embrace Quebec in winter, too.
Where is Quebec
Quebec is one of Canada’s ten provinces. It’s located in eastern Canada. It’s the largest province in Canada by area and the second-most populous, after Ontario.
Quebec is bordered by the provinces of Ontario to the west and New Brunswick to the east. To the south, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York in the United States. The majority of the population in Quebec speaks French, and it has a distinct culture and history within Canada. The capital of Quebec is Quebec City, and Montreal is its largest city.
13 terrific things to do in Quebec in winter
The key to enjoying winter activities in Quebec is to Go Play Outside! Yes, it’s cold out, BUT that’s what layering and long underwear is made for.
Wondering what to do in Quebec? I’m here to inspire you with all the fun you can have during a Quebec winter. In many ways, winter is the best time to visit Quebec! And remember, these are all great activities if you’re visiting Quebec in winter with kids, too.
Snowshoeing in the Gatineau
Gatineau Park sits just across the Ottawa River from Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. This incredibly popular park is governed by the National Capital Commission. The NCC oversees many of the buildings and public lands in the National Capital Region, including the Gatineau.
The 361 square km park is busy at any time of year, especially in the fall during the leaf-peeping season. But in winter, the landscape is transformed into a snow-covered wonderland made for active outdoor lovers enjoying cross-country skiing, snow walking and snowshoeing.
The Park maintains mile and lies of snowshoe trails. As you wander through birch and beech forests, be on the lookout for animal tracks, birdsong and woodpeckers knocking on tree stumps.
If you go on a guided snowshoeing tour, your guide may point out claw marks on beech trees, made by black bears climbing to fatten up on nuts before hibernation.
Use the map below to search for hotel and short-term rental options
Cross-country skiing in Mont Orford
The rolling hills and scenic farmland in the Eastern Townships region south of Montreal make for idyllic photographs, especially when they’re blanketed in fluffy white snow. It’s a perfect countryside for waxing and wearing your cross-country skis for long glides through birch forests and past lakes and streams.
The 50 km of groomed, cross country trails in Parc National Mont Orford offer loops of different lengths and difficulty levels for any type of skier. If you’re thirsting for downhill action, there’s a family-friendly ski hill in the park as well. Book a stay in one of the coveted in-park cabins and be fully wrapped up in a cozy Townships winter experience.
Howling with wolves at Parc Oméga
You can do a lot more than howl with the wolves at Parc Omega. You can sleep with them too.
Visit with all manner of Canadian wildlife at this unique rehabilitation and nature preserve in Outaouais. Open year round, this 890 hectare wildlife park allows you to observe many species of wild animals roaming free in a natural habitat. Including black bears, red deer, elk, mountain goats, bison, caribou, wolves, wild boars and arctic foxes.
Book one of the two cozy white-pine Wolf Observatory cabins for a night, and your family can enjoy watching, howling and yes, dancing with wolves all night long.
Downhill Skiing at Mont Tremblant
Sure, I’m a western girl with love for our amazing British Columbia ski hills. But when in Quebec and in search of serious downhill thrills, the queen bee hill of the east is Mont Tremblant Resort.
Situated in the Laurentiens just a few hours from either Ottawa or Montreal, Tremblant has a picturesque pedestrian-only village. There’s a variety of skiing and riding runs for all levels of skier, with serious snow-making ability to keep those runs open as long as possible.
The resort has lots of family-friendly restaurants and many activities for the non-skiers in the family, including snow tubing, telemark skiing, dog-sledding, and snowmobiling.
Curling at Le Chateau Montebello
Not all the winter fun has to take place outdoors. How about curling at the largest log cabin in the world? It’s one of the coolest things to do and see in Quebec.
Built from 30,000 red cedar logs in the 1930s, the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is not just a historic and recently renovated hotel property complete with six-sided fireplace on the Ottawa River.
It’s also got its own log-cabin curling rink for you to learn how to ‘hurry hard’ and throw 42 lb rocks down the ice to score points in the house. This is an addictively fun sport that anyone can do.
I like to think of it as Canada’s ‘other’ favorite ice activity. (Hint: Hockey is Numero Uno.)
Fat biking at Parc de La Gorge de Coaticook
If you’ve never tried fat biking in the snow before, you should.
You’re essentially riding a bike, but with extra large knobby tires that are designed to be grippy in the snow. I’m not going to tell you that it’s easy, because I found it quite challenging.
Especially going up hills on our 5 km trail into the woods of Coaticook Gorge. But, it’s a very cool experience that many people will absolutely love, hills or no hills. You can also snowshoe in this large park area, complete with a covered bridge, as there are 21 km of looping trails perfect for all skill levels.
Dog-sledding at Hotel Sacacomie
Go to the dogs and enjoy a winter classic, dog-sledding at Hotel Sacacomie in the beautiful Mauricie region.
A local guide-musher takes you to the kennels where you’ll meet the 125 husky and malamute dogs on the property. Choose your sledding dogs and prepare for an energetic ride in the forest or on the lake, wrapped up cosy in fur blankets. You can even try mushing your own sled.
Then relax with some hydrotherapy at the Hotel’s GEOS Nordic spa, complete with gorgeous views of Sacacomie Lake.
Celebrate Quebec City Carnaval
Many would consider the Québec City Winter Carnaval to be the apex of all things winter in Quebec. After all, it’s two weeks of pure winter celebration, perhaps even the best time to visit Quebec City!
Carnaval, when more than 750,00 visitors come to stay, party and embrace the season every year, is one of the most fun things do to in Quebec City, Canada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Born in the 19th century and reinvented in the 20th, this Carnival has pedigree, events, music, parades, and Bonhomme, the mascot of all mascots. There’s also an Ice Palace, sports competitions, light shows, giant toboggan slide and more maple syrup, poutine and smoked meat than most people can handle.
Carnaval is bucket list event for many people, and it’s super family-friendly – a top Quebec attraction. With special kids activities like sleigh rides, playing hockey, eating maple taffy, and meeting Bonhomme, attending Carnaval is a top thing to visit in Quebec City in winter.
Quebec City German Christmas Market
With its colorful lights, traditional wooden kiosks and free activities for the whole family, the Québec City German Christmas Market offers visitors a unique and unforgettable holiday experience overlooking the Saint Lawrence River.
Enjoy strolling through five locations with more than 90 kiosks in the magical setting of Old Québec’s historic buildings. There are festive performances, tastings of German and local products, free activities for children, Christmas music and a Puppet Theaterplatz for the whole family to enjoy during the magic of the holidays.
Open throughout the winter season, Quebec City is also home to the Village Vacances Valcartier, the largest winter playground in North America. Featuring more than 35 snow slides, snow rafting, as well as the Hôtel de Glace and its famous ice bar, this attraction is a must visit during winter in Quebec.
Kick sledding in Eastern Townships
Kick sledding is a fun and active way to get around snowy trails. And the Eastern Townships should be on your radar as a must do place to visit in Quebec.
Originating in Scandinavia, the kick sled is a self-propelled sled with a chair and two rails that you ride with one foot and kick off with the other foot. You glide your way on a snow trail (that hopefully isn’t too icy), enjoy the scenery and work up a bit of a sweat getting around.
It’s great fun, a great workout, and when you break for a hot chocolate or snack, you’ve already got your chair with you. How cool is that?
Try your hand at ice fishing
Fishing in winter is a whole other ballgame.
First of all, you won’t need a boat. Secondly, you’ll have to drill your own hole to access the fresh water and fish below. It’s a great warm-up activity before waiting on the ice while the fish decide whether to nibble on your line.
Lines are baited with corn rather than worms. The sweet bait works surprisingly well in the cold water. Everyone in our party caught a fish, which is quite satisfying even if you’re only going to catch and release it.
If you’ve caught lunch, the Parc has on-site facilities for cleaning and frying up your fish on the BBQ next to the pond.
Ice skating on a forest trail
You can ice skate pretty much everywhere in Quebec. Indoor rinks and outdoor skating loops through forests and around lakes are plentiful throughout the province.
If you want a truly magical ice skating experience, lace up those blades and hit the 12 kilometer forest labyrinth skating rink in Mauricie, two hours north of Montreal.
Jingle all the way on a horse-drawn sleigh ride
Horses, winter, sleighs – they were made to go together. Bundle up and climb into a sleigh pulled by two gorgeous brothers – Percheron horses Colt and Royale – at the Equestrian Centre Jacques Robidas in Eastern Townships.
The brothers, each 17 hands tall, pull the wooden sleigh through sugar maple forests on land that the family has owned for generations.
Fun fact: In olden times, when families had their own sleighs to get around (before the car), every family had their own unique jingle bell combo. It’s how you’d know that your neighbours were coming for dinner.
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Disclosure: The writer was a guest of Tourism Quebec. As always, her opinions and love of winter are honest and her own. This article contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Photo Credits: Claudia Laroye, Jay Kana
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