The Fortifications de Québec National Historic Site is one of the most significant pieces of Québec City’s history. Walk through the gates and upon the ramparts and take in the gorgeous views of Old Québec.
The only fortified city north of Mexico, one cannot visit Québec City without admiring the fortified walls and ramparts which were the city’s defensive system built between 1608 and 1871. Today, the fortifications of Québec consist of 4 gates, 3 Martello towers, the Citadelle, and 4.6 km of ramparts, complete with cannons, which encircle Old Québec’s upper town.
In the more than 300 years of its history, Québec has come to possess a variety of fortifications, all of which can be explored on an hour-long circular walk. The bastions, walls, towers, gates, and countless old cannons show how well the former French colony was protected. the four and a half kilometers of defensive ramparts on the west flank of the Old City were constructed of granite and sand, the only fortifications of this kind in North America. Numerous pieces of weaponry are a constant reminder of Québec's troubled past.
There are 4 gates in this fortification (enter /exit from upper Quebec)
1. St. Jean Gate
2. Kent Gate
3. Prescott Gate
4. St Louis Gate