Quebec Transportation

• Plane: Quebec City's airport is located near Ancienne-Lorette suburbs (website). There is one irregular bus route that can get you from there to the nearby Terminus Les Saules, from which you can easy go downtown. Check out Bus #78 on the RTC web site. Sadly, this bus doesn't run on week-ends neither often on weekdays. An other bus route (#80) runs not so far from the airport (however, you'll have to walk almost 3km or 30 minutes by foot until bus stop at the corner of Notre-Dame/Saint-Jacques in Ancienne-Lorette), which you can access just by walking straight on the road leaving the airport. Bus #80. It is running both on weekdays and week-ends with wider schedules and will bring you in the centre of the Basse-Ville of Quebec, bus stop Place Jacques-Cartier in St-Roch's quarter (around 40 minutes by bus). Otherwise you will have to take an expensive 32$ cab downtown, you can always however try to ask the people leaving the airport itself for a ride (or ask a friend with a car).

• Train:Train (Via Rail) is pretty expensive. It's worth if you buy the Canadian pass or North American pass. If not, definitely consider the bus or car to make your way to Québec! You can save as much as 65$!

• Bus: It is very easy to go to Quebec City from Montreal (or Trois-Rivières by bus using Orleans Express. There are two arrival points in Québec, one in Ste-Foy and the other one, downtown Québec City. Both bus stations are at handy location to use the local public transit system into most destinations within the city. Intercar services Quebec city with the Saguenay and Charlevoix region (East and North) while Orleans Express also services the Gaspesie Region toward New Brunswick.

• Car: You can always use ridesharing networks to travel across Québec's province. It is the cheapest way (though with tricky costs) and it's fairly reliable! Try Allo-Stop or Amigo Express. Alternatively, you can also try to make use of the Kijiji or Craigslist's Carsharing sections.

• • Parking: Parking downtown exists as on-street or off-street, both being expensive. Parking is more easy and smooth the further you are from the city downtown as some areas are resident tagged parking only. On-street overnight parking is often prohibited from November 1st to April 30th, especially when there is a snowfall. You should always verify with the signalisation in district of the city you find yourself.

• Hitch-hiking: Hitching to or from Quebec City is fairly easy and safe, it can also be a good way to go around areas not well serviced by public transit near the city. For further information have a look at the hitchwiki's Quebec City page.

• There is public transportation from most major surrounding suburbs to Quebec City. The furthest suburbs also sometimes have, though less reliable, bus transit. Moreover, it is worth giving a try going to the Quebec South shore, in Levis you get a stunning view of the Chateau Frontenac over the St.-Lawrence River. You can also take a ferry from Levis to Vieux-Quebec (Old Quebec). You’ll get some very nice points of view aboard, especially at sunset.

• In Quebec, the public transportation system is called Réseau de transport de la capitale. It covers most parts of the city, but it doesn't go to the south shore. In the surrounding of the fortification, keep an eye for the miniature Ecolobus which drives around and take passenger for free while connecting the main areas within and around the wall, including the ferry terminal.

• • The main 'metrobus' (#800/#801/#802) are connecting the downtown area with the north and the west of the city.

• On the south shore, the public transportation system is called Société de transport de Lévis. Some of their buses go on both shores, although in Quebec they only go as far at Laval University or Cegep de Ste-Foy. If you want to go to Vieux-Quebec from the south shore, you have two choices. You can take the bus to the ferry in Levis, then take the ferry and arrive directly in the Vieux-Quebec. Or you can take one of the bus going to Laval University and there, transfer in a bus from the Reseau de transport de la capitale (RTC). In both options, you'll have to pay twice, because the two public transportation systems have not merged yet and you can't get a transfer ticket from one to another.