Find Québec family activities for unforgettable winter vacations. Easier to do than you might think, always adventurous and a guaranteed win with kids.
Dog sledding with Aventure Inukshuk
Dog sledding is every kid’s dream this winter
Apart from ice hockey and big mountain skiing, nothing in Québec is more of an iconic winter experience than dog sledding through snowy forests. Yet you don’t have to travel into the frozen wilderness to test the age-old thrill of being snugly wrapped up on a sleigh as a team of keen, beautifully trained huskies do all the hard work.
Aventure Inukshuk are just over 40 minutes north of Québec City, and fantastically good fun for first time dog sledding.
Kids as young as two are welcome to ride along, over 18s can try out as trainee ‘mushers’, and there’s hot chocolate waiting for everyone at journey’s end. Although that’s nothing compared with the thrill of seeing newly born husky puppies: highly possible between December and March.
Book a stay at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Québec City
It’s never too cold for maple syrup ice
Discover sweet Québec family activities at sugar shacks
Québec is the world’s largest producer of maple syrup, and early spring is ‘sugaring-off season’: a time to celebrate the deliciousness and versatility of the legendary syrup itself and visit as many sugar shacks as possible.
There are more than 200 sugar shacks in the province. Traditional restaurants number in hundreds too and range from family-style to haute-cuisine, but all with one common thread; everything cooked, baked or brewed has maple syrup in it somewhere.
Seek out heritage shacks to hear live folk music and learn about ancient Amerindian customs; urban shacks with an eco-slant; forest shacks where sleigh rides are part of the fun, or good old-fashioned traditional shacks in the heart of historic maple groves.
Book a stay at Le Centre Sheraton Montréal in Montréal
Snowshoeing, Québec family activities
Take your kids snowshoeing in fabulous forests
Winter in Québec is fabulously snowy, perfect for sharing the local passion for snowshoeing.
What started off as a practical way to get about the frozen wilderness is now one of the province’s most popular sports, so you’ll find well-marked routes scattered with cosy huts to rest and refresh, almost everywhere. And if you need inspiration, there are always plenty of seasoned snowshoeing Québecers to help out with that.
There are over 20 incredible snowshoeing locations across Québec’s network of national parks. You could start with the sheer atmosphere of trekking the Valley of the Phantoms in Parc national des Monts-Valin.
Book at stay at Auberge des Battures in La Baie
Carnaval de Québec 2024
Wintery and wonderful Carnaval de Québec turns 70 in 2024
The biggest winter carnival in the world, Carnaval de Québec turns 70 this year. And if you feel like celebrating it has 100s of activities planned between 25 January and 11 February 2024.
All the great carnival traditions are in place here, but twists like night parades with illuminated floats add distinctive Québécoise character. Everything from ice sculpting competitions to ice canoeing is done on a bold scale, and you only have to look at the pictures from past events to see why this is one of the world’s top three must-do carnivals for families.
