Liaison du Petit-Champlain

Below the cliffs of Cap Diamant, squeezed between the rock and the river, the oldest commercial quarter in Old Quebec City still runs on foot traffic. The Petit-Champlain district sits in the Lower Town, a tangle of narrow, cobbled lanes where the houses, many dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, lean close together and the upper floors almost touch overhead. Its main spine is Rue du Petit-Champlain, often described as one of the oldest commercial streets in North America, and the Liaison du Petit-Champlain is the name given to the connected district and its merchants.

The area was the first settled ground in the city. Samuel de Champlain established his Habitation at the foot of the cliff in 1608, and dockworkers, sailors and merchants filled the Lower Town in the decades that followed. The district's fortunes dipped in the 19th century as the port moved, and it was revived in the 20th century through careful restoration of the old stone houses. Today a bright, intimate village stands in their place, and its character has been protected as part of Old Quebec's UNESCO World Heritage listing.

The shops are the chief draw. Small boutiques, craft studios and galleries line Rue du Petit-Champlain, selling hand-made leather goods, knitwear, glass, ceramics, jewellery, maple products and Quebec design, and cafés and bistros spill onto the street in summer. Window displays change with the season, and at Christmas the district is strung with lights. A trompe-l'oeil mural, the Fresque du Petit-Champlain, covers a wall at one end of the street and shows scenes from the area's history. The Maison Louis-Jolliet, a house of the late 17th century, stands at the foot of the funicular.

Visitors will find that getting here is half the fun. The Escalier Casse-Cou, or Breakneck Stairs, drops steeply from the Upper Town to the lower street, and a funicular railway carries passengers from the Dufferin Terrace by the Château Frontenac down to the district. From the bottom, a short walk leads to Place Royale, with its stone church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, and the waterfront near the Port of Quebec cruise terminal on the St. Lawrence River.

Shop hours vary by season, with longer hours in summer, so check ahead if you plan a specific visit. The lanes are steepest and most crowded in July and August, and early morning or evening gives the quietest walk. The district suits couples, shoppers and photographers, and it rewards a slow wander.