Next Stop: Paradise

September/October
Quebec City
Average temperatures:
September: 44–64 degrees
October: 35–51 degrees

Priced out of Paris but yearning for an international escape? Look to Quebec, North America’s own City of Love, minus the arrondissements and snobbery. The mini metropolis’s narrow streets, verdant parks, and towering castle seem lifted from a Hans Christian Andersen story. A streetlamp-lined boardwalk above the St. Lawrence River connects the hilltop “old city” with the Central Park–like Plains of Abraham; outside Quebec’s ancient fortress walls are modern neighborhoods full of shops, eateries, and friendly residents. The city’s fun-loving temperament will reach a crescendo in 2008, when locals celebrate Quebec’s 400th anniversary with festivals galore. Couples looking for city respites can decamp for the Ile d’Orleans, a nearby island of rolling vineyards, strawberry farms, and country inns; or visit Montmorency Park, home to a waterfall nearly 100 feet taller than Niagara. New non-stop flights to Quebec are an easy option in the fall, when warm days and crisp nights up the romantic ante.

Sweet suites: Le Chateau Frontenac, “the chateau” to locals, dominates the skyline from its cliff-top perch. The 618-room hotel dates back to 1883 and offers its luxury suite guests panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River, the Plains of Abraham, and the old city. Honeymooners can soak up Quebec’s centuries-old history and fairy tale-like ambiance in the classically decorated rooms and candlelit restaurant (418-692-3861, fairmont.com/frontenac).
The up-and-coming old port district is peppered with galleries, bistros, and boutique hotels. The Auberge Saint-Antoine, with its contemporary décor, in-room Swedish massages, and fabled Panache restaurant, is the best of the latter. The Relais & Chateaux property’s suites are a study in streamlined opulence; be sure to request rooms with fireplaces and terraces (418-692-2211, saint-antoine.com).

One memorable meal: Lovers looking for white tablecloths and formal service should visit Le Saint Amour; those looking to have a little fun should eat at Toast. The eatery’s cherry red-tiled interior gives way to a lantern-lit rear garden, where outstanding dishes like butterfish tartar with artichoke foam and homemade-rabbit-and-truffle tagliatelle are served by affable owner Stéphane d’Anjou (Le Saint Amour: 418-694-0667, saintamour.com; Toast: 418-692-1334, restauranttoast.com).

Compatibility test
Best for: Romantics, explorers, Francophiles, the budget-conscious, history buffs, gastronomes
Not for: Spa fanatics, sun worshipers, anyone put off by preciousness.

-Sascha de Gersdorff

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