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Place Royale

Québec CityAttractionhistoric square
Place Royale
Photo: photo source

Stone houses, Notre-Dame-des-Victoires and the traced footprint of Champlain's habitation gather more than four centuries of settlement into one small square.

Guide's tip. Look down before looking up. Dark paving marks the second habitation, while raised firewalls show how builders responded after the 1682 fire. Indigenous people used this river site long before the French settlement of 1608. Continue 0.15 miles into Rue du Petit-Champlain.

On a walking tour. Stop 2 of 10 on the walking tour Quebec City, river to the art museum, every stop on a map in walking order.

about 35 min for a visit

The story

Place Royale stands where Samuel de Champlain established a permanent French settlement in 1608, though Indigenous people had long used the river site for travel, fishing, hunting and gathering. The square later became a market and acquired its royal name after a bust of Louis XIV was installed.

Fire in 1682 led authorities to require stone rebuilding and firewalls that rose above adjoining roofs. Bombardment in 1759 damaged the area again, and later restoration reshaped the square into the historic place seen today.

Look down for the outline of Champlain’s second habitation, then look up at the raised walls, dormers and changing French and British details. Notre-Dame-des-Victoires remains an active church. The square itself is outdoors and free, while services, businesses and interiors keep their own hours.

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Nearby in Québec City