Admiring the Skyline from the Lévis Ferry. The ferry provides quite a view for very little money, and passengers can stay on board and come right back without disembarking.

Discovering the Blossoming Lower Town. All but abandoned to shipping and grimy industry, the old riverside neighborhood is being reborn, with antiques shops, bistros, and boutique hotels filling its rehabilitated 18th- and 19th-century buildings.

Lingering at an Outdoor Cafe. Tables are set out at place d'Armes, in the Quartier du Petit-Champlain, and along the Grande-Allée -- a quality-of-life invention the French and their Québecois brethren have perfected.

Relaxing in Battlefields Park (Parc des Champs-de-Bataille). This park is beautifully situated, overlooking the St. Lawrence River, and is particularly lively on weekends, when families and lovers come here to picnic and play.

Strolling and Lounging on the Terrasse Dufferin. Captivating Québec City is at its best here, with the copper-spired Château Frontenac rearing up behind, the Lower Town below, and ferries, freighters, and pleasure craft moving on the broad, silvered river.