Canada’s Savoir-Faire Cities : Montreal and Quebec City are about as close as you can get to experiencing French style without crossing the pond

It was the oddest sight: The photographer was leading a dozen yapping Pekingese pups up one of Quebec City’s narrow streets, stopping to chat with every tourist he met. Periodically, he would persuade a group to fill their laps and arms, shoulders and heads with the squirming creatures while he snapped a picture.

It was my first hint that beneath the stately exterior of this old walled city, perched precariously on a rock high above the St. Lawrence River, is a festive sense of humor. A magisterial memorial to the past--indeed, an impressive reminder of France’s failed attempt to claim the New World--Quebec City is nevertheless full of fun, reflecting a French joie de vivre imported centuries ago.

In summer, lively sidewalk cafes blossom and talented street entertainers claim every corner.

Carefully nurturing its French origins, Quebec is this hemisphere’s most European city. Quebec sounds European. The language is French; most waiters and shopkeepers speak some English, but almost all informational signs are in French. The food, one of Quebec’s most delightful pleasures, has a decidedly French accent. And Quebec definitely looks Old European.

Beautifully preserved, the historic quarter of the city is completely surrounded by ramparts. Dominating its skyline are the quirky, castle-like turrets and towers of the Chateau Frontenac, the city’s grand old hotel. Nearby is the massive Citadel, a star-shaped fortress from the early 1800s that is still an active military post.

The clip-clop of a horse-drawn caleche , a tourist carriage, echoes off cobblestones.

Like many old European cities, Quebec is best explored on foot. It’s almost the only way, actually, since the city occupies two distinct levels. Much of it, including the Frontenac and the Citadel, is located atop the rock, called Cap aux Diamants, or Diamond Cape. Explorer Jacques Cartier gave it this name in 1535 for the riches he expected to find. Far below, clinging to a long, narrow strip of land alongside the river, is Basse Ville, or Lower Town, site of the original settlement. Getting between the two, as any tourist must, is part of the fun.

My advice is to descend via the Escalier Casse-Cou, the so-called Break-Neck Stairs. They are not as perilous as the name suggests, but steep enough so that you want to hang onto the rail.

The passageway to the top of the stairs leads past several good art and gift boutiques, and at their base is an 18th-Century pedestrian street, Rue Petit Champlain, lined with outdoor cafes and more shops.

Quebec can easily be judged among the prettiest of this continent’s cities. Lush, flower-filled parks abound, among them the broad, rolling Plains of Abraham, where a British force under Gen. James Wolfe defeated the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, in 1759 in a 20-minute battle.

Founded in 1608 as a fur-trading post, Quebec was France’s first permanent settlement in the New World. Only a year earlier, Britain had established its first colony at Jamestown in Virginia. The race was on for domination of the continent, and the ensuing battle was fought on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ultimately, Britain gained naval superiority, and in 1759 it sent an 18,000-man fleet up the St. Lawrence to lay siege to Quebec. The French had only about 7,000 regular troops in the colony. In a summer-long bombardment, the British reduced much of the city to rubble, but the defenders managed to hold on--for a short time. French Canada became a British possession.

French-speaking Canada still lives uneasily in a predominantly English-speaking nation.

To its great credit, the capital of French Canada has taken wonderful advantage of its expansive river views. Nothing I had read had prepared me for the spectacular Promenade des Gouverneurs, a scenic boardwalk literally wrapped around the outside walls of the Citadel more than 300 feet above the St. Lawrence.

The St. Lawrence is a busy commercial thoroughfare, and the boardwalk yields fine views upriver and down. On the distant horizon, the green, thickly forested hills rise above the Canadian countryside.

The sightseer in me is always fascinated by maze-like neighborhoods, where a hidden passageway leads who knows where. Quebec City, like the ancient hilltop towns of Europe, is full of such odd twists and turns. Streets turn into stairways, pedestrian bridges leap across the irregular terrain, and around every corner is a new and interesting view.

Our first morning’s excursion took us first to the Citadel, looming just behind our hotel, and then beyond to the Plains of Abraham, a battle site. Following their victory, the British built the huge fortress in the early 1820s in large part to thwart any attempt by the new United States of America to annex Canada. It is the second-largest fortress in the world after Gibraltar, according to our English-speaking tour guide. It houses Canada’s Royal 22nd Regiment.

We also made our way along the Grande Allee, a historic thoroughfare running southwest from the old wall past the provincial Parliament. Just outside the St. Louis Gate is a block-long concentration of cafes and restaurants in what once were fashionable mansions. We stopped for lunch at the Auberge Louis Hebert, one of the best restaurants in the city. Seated beneath a shady tree at a sidewalk table, we watched the crowds pass by and pretended we were in Paris.

Another day we carefully descended the Break-Neck Stairs to the Quartier du Petit Champlain, a part of Lower Town that is being restored to its 18th-Century appearance. Here, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain established his colony. In time, governmental and religious organizations moved up the cliff, but Lower Town remained Quebec’s commercial center into the 19th Century.

Stringent regulations require that all building exteriors maintain a traditional look, which translates into painted tin roofs, dormer windows, colorful shutters and wooden doors.

A short walk north along the river takes you to the innovative new Museum of Civilization, housed in a thoroughly modern structure. It celebrates ideas, not the least of which is “games.” An entire hall is dedicated to the history of games--board games, cards, gambling, toys and other recreational activities.

Nearby, overlooking the present-day port, is the Port of Quebec Interpretive Center, a museum. It recalls Quebec’s 19th-Century glory as a lumbering and ship-building center.

Quebec is French in flavor, but it has a very special charm independent of Paris.

GUIDEBOOK

Quebec City

Where to stay: For historical atmosphere and convenience, choose lodging inside the walls of the old city. Towering above the historic district is the city’s grand old hotel, the 535-room Chateau Frontenac, a luxury-class lodging. A room for two begins at $155 Canadian per night, or about $140 in U.S. currency. Telephone (418) 692-3861.

My preference, however, is for one of the small hotels on or near the quiet Parc des Gouverneurs in the shadow of the Frontenac. A room for two at the three-story Au Manoir Ste. Genevieve, where we stayed, is about $85 U.S. a night. It is one of the most attractive of the hotels in the neighborhood. Call (418) 694-1666.

Other small hotels nearby include Hotel le Chateau de Pierre, (418) 694-0429; Hotel Chateau Bellevue, (418) 692-2573, and Hotel Chateau de la Terrasse, (418) 694-9472.

Where to eat: Within the old city, the choices range from fast-food to gourmet, and the quality is high. Gourmet magazine says Quebec has more creditable restaurants than any city its size in North America. They are found throughout the old city, usually in a historic building. Many offer outdoor dining in the summer.

By most accounts, the top of the line is A la Table de Serge Bruyere, a restaurant about a 10-minute walk from our hotel. It offers a French menu at a fixed price. I chose a hot appetizer of crab and scallops in mango sauce; a cold appetizer of artichoke hearts, asparagus and avocado; an entree of roast duck in honey sauce, and a dessert of mango mousse in raspberry sauce. With salad, a bottle of wine and tip, the tab for two came to about $185 U.S. Although the food was excellent, I found the decor bland and the service tiresomely prolonged.

Much more to my liking was the lively Gambrinus, just a five-minute walk from our hotel, where the food was very good, the service prompt and the ambience convivial. I was served veal scaloppine in cranberry sauce, herb potatoes, cold asparagus, a salad and a dessert of apricot and kiwi tart. With a bottle of wine and tip, the bill for two came to about $115 U.S.

The Auberge du Tresor, a few steps from the Gambrinus, provides quality dining at more modest prices. A dinner of grilled salmon with wine came to about $70 for two.

For more information: Contact the Greater Quebec Area Tourism and Convention Bureau, 60 Rue D’Auteuil, Quebec City G1R 4C4, Canada, (418) 692-2471, and/or Quebec Tourism (for the province of Quebec), P.O. Box 20000, Quebec City G1K 7X2, Canada, (800) 363-7777.

To put yourself in a historical frame of mind, read Willa Cather’s haunting 1931 novel, “Shadows on the Rock,” which is set in 17th-Century Quebec.