A stunning Quebec City hotel with a worldwide reputation, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has hosted the likes of Grace Kelly and Sir Winton Churchill. Winner of 2022 Global Hotel of the Year Award, from the prestigious World Luxury Awards, its fairy-tale silhouette presides majestically over the city. If you are thinking of visiting Canada, make it a journey of a lifetime with an iconic movie star stay at this magnificent chateau.
Discover this on: Indulgence in Eastern Canada
A Place in History
@fairmontfrontenac
Québec City’s most famous landmark, the impressive Château Frontenac sits perched atop Cape Diamond. Of great historical significance, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City on the very rock that the hotel is located on. Built more than a century ago in the style of a Renaissance French château, the hotel offers 610 rooms and was designed to convey prestige in keeping with its Old Québec surroundings.
The work of American architect Bruce Price, the Château Frontenac opened in 1893. It was constructed at the request of William Cornelius van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway who hoped it would become “the most talked about hotel on the continent.”
Americans came to Quebec in their drives during Prohibition and kept coming long after the ban ended. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met here to plan the Allied campaigns.
For travel inspiration: Canada destination guide
Grandiose interiors
@fairmontfrontenac
Through many renovations, as comes with a building of this size, the hotel has kept much of its original character. This can be seen in full glory in the public rooms and the gleaming paneled lobby. With its many areas and anti-chambers, some with vaulted ceilings, oil portraits, baronial chandeliers and gold statues, the lobby oozes old-world charm.
The rooms of this Quebec City hotel vary from classic to modern. Enjoy a decadent stay with soft greys, ivories and beige with dark accents, elegant furnishings and all the modern amenities you would expect from a five-star establishment.
Related content: Why New Orleans’ Ritz Carlton Hotel is a cut above the rest
A decadent Spa
@fairmontfrontenac
For the ultimate in relaxation, let time stand still at the sixth-floor Moment Spa. Offering a full range of treatments, stunning views over the St. Lawrence River and the city’s fortifications make this a truly unique experience. Large windows illuminate the indoor pool and hot tub, so you can also gaze out as you bathe.
If you are feeling more active there is also a fitness center and gym, bike hire, and in winter months, a direct shuttle to the Mont Sainte-Anne ski resort. In winter you can also enjoy the toboggan slide.
Related content: 6 of the best spas you can visit with Luxury Gold
Exceptional dining
@fairmontfrontenac
With a restaurant befitting one of the best hotels in Canada, Quebecoise chef Hugo Coudurier brings some 20 years of experience at world-class establishments, including Michelin-starred restaurants.
At the Champlain Restaurant he offers ambitious nouvelle cuisine québéquoise, using locally sourced products, paired with an impressive wine list. The exciting five-course set menu focuses on local produce and constantly changes to reflect seasonality. Expect to start with dishes such as oysters and Acadian sturgeon caviar. A specialty is Fredo’s Wagyu beef, fed with hemp, organic certified hay and corn and served with Jerusalem artichoke, beets and mushrooms from nearby St-Sauveur. For dessert savor Candied citrus fruits, mandarin sorbet Shiso and clementine sponge cake, depending on the season.
Sip cocktails like Churchill
@fairmontfrontenac
If you want to walk in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill, then take a seat at the elegant dark-wood 1608 Wine and Cheese Bar. Formerly the Bar Saint-Laurent, it serves a superb range of cocktails along with wines and fragrant local Québec cheeses.
It was at the Bar Saint-Laurent at this Quebec City Hotel that Churchill came to smoke his famous cigars, between two conferences in Quebec, during the Second World War (1943-1944). The hotel also hosted some of the greatest jazz musicians of the time.
Revamped décor combines with traces of ancient history, and the literary atmosphere of old French cafés has been preserved. Take time to enjoy the library with its floor-to-ceiling shelves full of books, encyclopedias and artefacts discovered in the ruins of the Citadel of Québec.
Related content: Top vacation spots for cheese lovers
The ultimate location
Perfectly located in the heart of Old Québec, you have the pleasure of enjoying the city’s magnificent walls just by the hotel. North America’s only walled city, Quebec is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dating back to the 17th Century, the ramparts circle Old Quebec’s upper town and include four gates, three Martello towers and several cannons.
The city sights, including the Citadel and boutique-filled Quartier Petit-Champlain, and the city’s museum, are within a mile’s walk. And, if you came to Quebec for the snow, you have your choice of three ski areas all situated within an hour of the hotel
Related content: 6 of the world’s most beautiful walled cities and towns
If you are inspired to visit Canada and stay at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, a luxurious stay at this exquisite Quebec City hotel is a feature on our Indulgence in Eastern Canada limited-edition tour.
