Canada Offers Low-Cost Lodgings, Plus Bonus

The good news for young travelers in Quebec this summer: 27 youth hostels are providing low-cost lodgings. A bonus will be free guided walking tours being offered by Montreal’s youth hostels.

Twenty-one of Quebec’s youth hostels are affiliated with the IYHF (International Youth Hostel Federation) through the Federation Quebecoise de l’Ajisme (Quebec Hosteling Federation). Because these hostels are subsidized by the Quebec government, anyone can use them but IYHF members get slightly better rates.

Youth hostel rules tend to be liberal in Quebec. Guests are not required to do a chore, facilities remain open all day and curfew is 2 a.m. The feeling is that night life is one of Quebec’s features and young travelers should be able to enjoy it. Legal drinking age is 18, and bars can remain open until 3 a.m.

The Quebec Hosteling Federation publishes a free listing of all 27 youth hostels. An English-language edition also is available. The IYHF-affiliated hostels are listed in the IYHF handbooks.

European Atmosphere

Quebec City has a charming European atmosphere. It is the only city in North America surrounded by a stone wall. Within the walls of the old city at 19 Rue Ste Ursule, phone (418) 694-0755, is the province’s largest youth hostel. The Centre International de Sejour de Quebec will accommodate up to 200 guests, and has meeting rooms and a theater where daily aerobics classes are offered.

IYHF members pay $9 ($7 U.S.) a night for dormitory accommodations, non-members $10. The 1850s building has limited kitchen facilities but pleasant cafes are nearby.

The hostel is a short walk from the main cultural and tourist sites of Quebec City and provides a convenient base for enjoying major events such as the Quebec City Winter Carnival or the city’s Summer Festival, which will run July 9-19.

The Summer Festival will feature more than 1,000 artists from North America and Europe performing in the streets and parks of old Quebec. Much of the entertainment is free.

You can pick up a free brochure outlining a variety of do-it-yourself walking tours from La Maison du Tourisme at 12 Rue Ste-Anne.

The city has a second independent youth hostel, Auberge de la Paix, 31 Rue Couillard, phone (418) 694-0735. It can accommodate 48 travelers. The rate for dormitory lodging is $10 a night. Needed renovations are being done, albeit slowly.

Dormitory Accommodations

At Montreal’s youth hostel, rates range from $9 to $12 for dormitory lodgings. The hostel is at 3541 Rue Aylmer, phone (514) 843-3317. It can accommodate up to 108 people, and for summer a second temporary location will be opened.

The hostel employs a guide to lead 10 free walking tours each week in the summer (one tour per week is offered in winter). Guests also have free access to bicycles, toboggans and skates. In the winter there are Monday night bar tours and Tuesday morning pancake breakfasts.

The Montreal hostel will help guests get in touch with services such as Allostop and drive-away companies. Allostop is an association that matches riders and drivers. Drive-away companies need people to deliver cars to other cities. They usually require drivers to be at least 21 years old.

If you visit Montreal between May 30 and June 20 you’ll be able to see the International Fireworks Competition. Between June 26 and July 5 the city will host an International Jazz Festival that usually draws about 1,000 musicians from 15 countries. There are also numerous free outdoor concerts.

The Quebec Hosteling Federation and Velo Quebec (a cycle touring association) published a map last year that indicates cycling routes, youth hostels and bed-and-breakfast inns. Copies are available in Quebec bookstores or for $2.50 Canada, from the Federation Quebecoise de l’Ajisme at 4545 Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin, C.P. 1000, Succursale M, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1V 3R2.

When sending money to Canada (or other foreign countries, for that matter) to request travel information, it’s a good idea to use postal money orders to cover mailing costs.

Second-Oldest University

Quebec City’s Laval University is the second-oldest university in North America, after Harvard. Tennis camps for boys and girls ages 12 to 18 will be held this summer in conjunction with the Laval University Sports School.

The two- and three-week sessions include bilingual tennis instruction and daily optional language labs. The cost is $440 U.S. a week. For further details contact Camp de Tennis de Quebec, 2750 Chemin Ste.-Foy, Suite 251, Ste.-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V 1V6.

For further information on Quebec contact the Quebec Government Office of Tourism, 700 S. Flower St., Suite 1520, Los Angeles 90017.