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Quebec

French Canada: Montréal & Québec City

Program No. 22250RJ
Be immersed in the architecture, Francophone culture and culinary arts of Montréal and Québec City as you discover the joie de vivre that unites the Québecois.

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climate
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Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
Activity Level: Keep the Pace (21)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 16 - May 22, 2023
Starting at
2,349
Jun 6 - Jun 12, 2023
Starting at
2,449
Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Jul 4 - Jul 10, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Aug 1 - Aug 7, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Aug 22 - Aug 28, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Sep 19 - Sep 25, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Oct 3 - Oct 9, 2023
Starting at
2,549
May 14 - May 20, 2024
Starting at
2,449
Jun 4 - Jun 10, 2024
Starting at
2,549
Jun 11 - Jun 17, 2024
Starting at
2,549
Jun 18 - Jun 24, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Jul 2 - Jul 8, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Jul 30 - Aug 5, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Aug 6 - Aug 12, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Aug 20 - Aug 26, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Sep 10 - Sep 16, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Sep 17 - Sep 23, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Oct 1 - Oct 7, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Oct 8 - Oct 14, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Activity Level: Keep the Pace (21)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 16 - May 22, 2023
Starting at
2,969
Jun 6 - Jun 12, 2023
Starting at
3,139
Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Jul 4 - Jul 10, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Aug 1 - Aug 7, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Aug 22 - Aug 28, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Sep 19 - Sep 25, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Oct 3 - Oct 9, 2023
Starting at
3,379
May 14 - May 20, 2024
Starting at
3,099
Jun 4 - Jun 10, 2024
Starting at
3,269
Jun 11 - Jun 17, 2024
Starting at
3,269
Jun 18 - Jun 24, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Jul 2 - Jul 8, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Jul 30 - Aug 5, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Aug 6 - Aug 12, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Aug 20 - Aug 26, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Sep 10 - Sep 16, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Sep 17 - Sep 23, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Oct 1 - Oct 7, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Oct 8 - Oct 14, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Activity Level: On Your Feet (6)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 23 - May 29, 2023
Starting at
2,349
Jul 18 - Jul 24, 2023
Starting at
2,549
Sep 5 - Sep 11, 2023
Starting at
2,549
May 21 - May 27, 2024
Starting at
2,449
Jul 16 - Jul 22, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Sep 3 - Sep 9, 2024
Starting at
2,649
Activity Level: On Your Feet (6)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 23 - May 29, 2023
Starting at
2,969
Jul 18 - Jul 24, 2023
Starting at
3,379
Sep 5 - Sep 11, 2023
Starting at
3,379
May 21 - May 27, 2024
Starting at
3,099
Jul 16 - Jul 22, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Sep 3 - Sep 9, 2024
Starting at
3,499

At a Glance

In Québec — “la belle province” — immerse yourself in the evocative architecture, Francophone culture and artistic passion of Montréal and Québec City. Enjoy a sensuous taste of Europe right here in North America as you discover the visual, performing and culinary arts inspired by the joie de vivre that unites the Québecois. Explore world-class museums, stroll picturesque neighborhoods and interact with Québec natives, as you absorb the artistic expression, historic buildings and European charm of these two cities.
Activity Level
Varies by date
Varies by date. ON YOUR FEET Dates: Walking up to one mile at a slower pace; additional transportation to some field trips. KEEP THE PACE Dates: Walking up to two miles at a brisk pace. Both Activity Levels travel on varied surfaces, from well-maintained sidewalks on busy streets to hills and cobblestones.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Discover the artistic highlights of Québec City and Montréal through a variety of mediums and exhibits at their prestigious museums, including the Pointe-à-Callière Museum.
  • Hear from an expert about what it’s like living in Montréal today, with insights into the city’s cultural, social and economic climate.
  • Enjoy walking excursions (pace varies by date) through Old Montréal and Old Québec, including visits to the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal and the Chute Montmorency in Québec City.

General Notes

Select program dates are at a more leisurely pace featuring less walking and additional transportation. Please see Dates and Prices Tab for more details.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Michel Jutras
Originally from Montreal, Michel Jutras holds a master's degree in the management of cultural organizations and has extensive experience in leading educational excusions. Passionate about researching history, especially the history of the dietary and culinary traditions of Quebec, he is working on a large collection of ethnological texts, the first volume of which has already been published, while the second is currently being printed.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Michel Jutras
Michel Jutras View biography
Originally from Montreal, Michel Jutras holds a master's degree in the management of cultural organizations and has extensive experience in leading educational excusions. Passionate about researching history, especially the history of the dietary and culinary traditions of Quebec, he is working on a large collection of ethnological texts, the first volume of which has already been published, while the second is currently being printed.
Profile Image of Marie Legroulx
Marie Legroulx View biography
Marie Legroulx, a native of Québec City, has a bachelor's in history and a master's in Québec literature. She taught French and Québec literature at local universities for over 20 years. In 2008, she returned to college to become a professional in the tourism industry, and has since been leading historical, architectural and literary explorations. Québec history and language are topics close to her heart since she is a twelfth-generation Québécoise whose ancestors settled on the St. Lawrence River in the mid-seventeenth century.
Profile Image of Julie Bélanger
Julie Bélanger View biography
A Montrealer by birth, Julie has diplomas in cultural animation and teaching. With her warm and dynamic personality, her prime objective is to share her passion and knowledge of Montreal and Québec City as well as little secrets of the living style of each community.
Profile Image of François Gariepy
François Gariepy View biography
François Gariépy, a native of Québec City, has lived in Montréal, Santiago de Chile, and now in Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix — a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. He is a recognized professional in international development and tourism for Charlevoix, actively promoting the region in the Canadian, U.S., Mexican, and European markets. François is trilingual with a passion for people, traveling, and cultures. He will be delighted to introduce Road Scholars to Montreal, Québec City, and the Charlevoix Region, addressing everyone’s interests in an enthusiastic, instructive, and secure manner.
Profile Image of Marie Bussières
Marie Bussières View biography
Marie Bussières, born in Quebec City, is in love with its culture, French heritage and rich history. She is naturally curious about people and cultures, leading her to numerous travels and living broad. Her academic background includes geography, communication, and tourism. She became a group leader and local expert throughout the province of Quebec, as well as elsewhere in Canada. Inquisitive by nature and physically active, Marie is an avid photographer and skier who, within her guiding work, constantly learns and shares her knowledge generously.
Profile Image of Judith de Repentigny
Judith de Repentigny View biography
Judith de Repentigny was born in Montréal and holds a Master of Music degree from McGill University. An all-round professional, she made her mark as an administrator for the Montréal and Québec Symphony Orchestras. Since 2006, she has worked for the City of Montréal in public relations and communication and now as head of cultural programming for one of the city’s boroughs. Also renowned as an excellent and passionate communicator, Judith has given hundreds of lectures.
Profile Image of Françoise Baby
Françoise Baby View biography
Françoise Baby loves to share her enthusiasm about Montreal with visitors. She has a penchant for great food — her mother is French! — history, and architecture. What she enjoys most about being a local expert is interaction with Road Scholars. Her wish is that they come away with a cultural experience. The two most frequently asked questions Françoise gets are whether she is a native Montrealer and what is her favourite “thing” about the city. The answers are “yes”, and the multiculturalism that best defines Montreal.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Montreal & Quebec City Guide – Lonely Planet
by Montréal-based author
Montréal and Québec City really serve it up. You've got old-world grandeur, new-world sensibilities and big-city charms - there's enough neighbourhoods, restaurants and festivals to keep you mon-dieu'ing for months. This guide, penned by a Montréal-based author, gets you straight to the action. Pick & Mix: buy and download individual chapters from this book You could download free: Introducing Montreal (Very interesting…)
The Two Solitudes
by Hugh MacLennan
First published in 1945, and set mostly in the time of the First World War, this story revolves around the life and times of the fictional character Paul Tallard and his struggles in reconciling the differences between his English and French Canadian identities.
Shadows on the Rock
by Willa Cather
Set in seventeenth-century Canada, an evocation of North American origins highlights the men and women who struggled to adapt to the new world even as they clung to the one they left behind. The novel covers one year of the lives of Cecile Auclair and her father Euclide, French colonists in Quebec.
Canada and Quebec: One country, Two Histories
by Dr Robert Bothwell
An in-depth look at Canada-Quebec relations through interviews with prominent Canadian figures by a well known professor of Canadian history and a frequently published author. Dr Robert Bothwell’s research interests include modern Canadian history and political, diplomatic and military history.
Champlain's Dream
by David Hackett Fischer
In this enthralling biography, acclaimed historian David Hackett Fischer brings to life the remarkable Samuel de Champlain—soldier, spy, master mariner, explorer, cartographer, artist, and Father of New France.
A People’s History of Quebec
by Jacques Lacoursière
A People’s History of Quebec is a lively guide to a little-known part of North American history. It tells of the settlement of the St. Lawrence Valley, but also of the Montreal and Quebec-based explorers and traders who travelled, mapped, and inhabited most of North America, and embrothered the peoples they met.
Where the River Narrows
by Aimee Laberge
This novel sweeps across the centuries, from the French royal court to the founding of Québec City in 1608, from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to the FLQ Crisis. Against this rich panorama, the daily lives of the Tremblay family unfolds over generations.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.