{"id":22870,"date":"2026-04-28T11:36:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T11:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/22870\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T11:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T11:36:06","slug":"north-american-cities-that-feel-like-europe-quebec-city-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/22870\/","title":{"rendered":"North American Cities That Feel Like Europe: Quebec City, Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

With narrow, cobblestone streets, European-inspired architecture, and a primarily French-speaking population, Quebec City<\/a> feels like a European paradise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I spent 24 hours in the 400-year-old French-Canadian city<\/a> in August 2022. Back then, I hadn’t explored enough of Europe to decide if Quebec City felt like other countries across the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

But after visiting Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany two months later, the comparison was clear.<\/p>\n

Quebec City is over 400 years old, making it one of the oldest cities in Canada.<\/p>\n

\"Fairmont<\/p>\n

The Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

The city, which sits on the St. Lawrence River, was founded by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, according to the city’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Quebec City is on the eastern edge of the Canadian province of Quebec.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The reporter traveled from New York City to Quebec City.<\/p>\n

Arrows point to Qu\u00e9bec City and New York City. <\/p>\n

I traveled by train from Montreal<\/a> to Quebec City, but my flight home to New York City took less than two hours \u2014 much shorter than a trip to Europe. My direct flight from NYC to Berlin<\/a> was nearly eight hours long when I visited in October 2022.<\/p>\n

I spent most of my time in Old Quebec, a neighborhood with preserved French and British colonial architecture.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A street in Old Quebec.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

During my visit, I spotted many of these simple, rectangular buildings with decorative shutters.<\/p>\n

I wandered down Old Quebec’s photogenic streets and spotted rows of colorful buildings.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Vibrant architecture in Quebec City (left) and Zurich (right).<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

A few months later, in Zurich, I saw blocks I thought looked similar to those in Quebec City. Streets in both cities were lined with vibrant shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n

Many of the streets in Old Quebec were made of cobblestone.<\/p>\n

\"Cobblestone<\/p>\n

Cobblestone streets in Old Quebec.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

They looked like the roads I saw in all four European countries I visited.<\/p>\n

I also noticed most signs were written in French.<\/p>\n

\"French<\/p>\n

French signage in Quebec City.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Insider <\/p>\n

That’s because about 84% of Quebec’s population speaks French, according to the\u00a0Government of Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

English wasn’t the primary language spoken in any of the European countries I visited, either.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sign for gondola rides in Venice, Italy.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

Most of the signs I saw abroad were written in German or Italian.<\/p>\n

While some streets in Quebec City were wide, others were quite narrow.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Narrow streets in Quebec City (left) and Rome (right).<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

Later, in Rome and Venice, Italy<\/a>, I stumbled upon alleys that reminded me of the narrow streets in Quebec.<\/p>\n

After my trip to Europe, I also realized that my hotel in Quebec City, Fairmont Le Ch\u00e2teau Frontenac, was similar to those I had seen abroad.<\/p>\n

\"Streets<\/p>\n

The Fairmont Le Ch\u00e2teau Frontenac in Quebec City.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

I thought it was the most stunning building, which makes sense as, according to the World Atlas<\/a>, it’s known as the most photographed hotel in the world.<\/p>\n

It was a dramatic castle-like structure.<\/p>\n

\"Fairmont<\/p>\n

The hotel’s exterior.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

The hotel opened in 1893 and was inspired by romantic architecture and French castles.<\/p>\n

The hotel looked like something out of a fairy tale, with elaborate landscaping and old-world architecture.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Fairy tale landscapes in Quebec City (left) and Austria (right).<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

I had a similar feeling while strolling through gardens next to historic architecture in Vienna<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inside, I thought my hotel room was small, but the view out the window was grand.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The reporter in her hotel room.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

I perched on the windowsill and marveled at the European architecture surrounding me.<\/p>\n

I also saw Quebec City Hall, which was inspired by the Second Empire.<\/p>\n

\"Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n

Quebec City Hall, a national historic site in Canada.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

It was built in a European style with prominent rooftops, according to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I spotted the same architectural style in Viennese buildings, like Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace.<\/p>\n

\"Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/p>\n

Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace in Vienna.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

This architectural style is known as Second Empire Baroque.<\/p>\n

Additionally, old-world cathedrals in Quebec City, such as Notre-Dame de Qu\u00e9bec Basilica-Cathedral, reminded me of those I later saw in Europe.<\/p>\n

\"Notre<\/p>\n

Notre Dame Cathedral in Quebec City<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

Notre-Dame de Qu\u00e9bec Basilica-Cathedral has a Neoclassical style, with towers and stained-glass detailing.<\/p>\n

I saw a lot of Neoclassical architecture all around Rome, too, like at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.<\/p>\n

After visiting Quebec City and places in Europe, I found that they’re not exactly the same, but they’re pretty close.<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Buildings in Old Quebec.<\/p>\n

Joey Hadden\/Business Insider <\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a European adventure that’s closer to home without the pricey flight and jet lag, I think Quebec City is a good alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With narrow, cobblestone streets, European-inspired architecture, and a primarily French-speaking population, Quebec City feels like a European paradise.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11383,4550,11382,17,11386,586,11389,11388,11385,1888,5046,11384,11387,6618,6371],"class_list":{"0":"post-22870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-400-year-old-french-canadian-city","9":"tag-atlantic","10":"tag-austria","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-cobblestone-street","13":"tag-europe","14":"tag-european-paradise","15":"tag-european-inspired-architecture","16":"tag-french-speaking-population","17":"tag-germany","18":"tag-italy","19":"tag-month","20":"tag-other-country","21":"tag-quebec-city","22":"tag-switzerland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}