A bartender at Quebec City’s fashionable L’EChaude restaurant expresses mock indignation when a visitor asks how Quebec’s capital compares with the province’s largest city, Montreal. “They are not truly French,” the bartender says, conveniently overlooking the fact that as a Canadian, neither is he. “In Montreal, people speak French 50, maybe 55, percent of the time.” He steps back from the bar and folds his arms to proclaim, “Here, we speak French 95 percent of the time.”

Welcome to Quebec, the only Canadian province whose sole official language is French, only a short hop from the U.S. border, yet culturally worlds way. Indeed, the language and the lifestyle in this Eastern Canadian province are reminiscent of the motherland across the Atlantic. There is an authenticity of experience here that fools travelers into thinking they’re traveling not in Canada but in France itself.

It’s no faux French either. English does not even rank as an official language in Quebec, and though English is spoken with fluency in the big cities, things can get more challenging in the province’s hinterlands. A waiter in the village of La Bai apparently must have owned a French-English dictionary too heavy for him to heft, because each time we asked the English equivalent of a menu item, he trotted off to the kitchen and returned with the translation. The fact that he did so gladly was a clear indication that we were not in France.

Snobbery (that unfortunate French attribute) is conspicuously absent in Quebec; friendly people and genuine hospitality are not. Even locals who struggle with English are happy to give directions and advice.

Extending the spirit of generosity to their bottom lines, many Montreal restaurants even invite patrons to “apportez votre vin,” or “bring your own bottle of wine,” making the cost of meals with wine ridiculously inexpensive when compared to what you would pay for similar meals with wine elsewhere.

Nearly 400 years after the French explorer Champlain sailed along the St. Lawrence River to pitch camp at what would become Quebec City, French Canadians still hold France in high esteem. Today, 82 percent of the population speaks French in this North American crossroads between America and Europe.

Cruise “turn arounds” provide a great opportunity to spend time in the area before or after your cruise. Combine Montreal with a three-hour train journey to or from Quebec City, then rent a car to drive to Saguenay.

Seldom will U.S. travelers have the opportunity of being so close to a place that seems so far. It’s like having France in the backyard.

Quebec City offers beauty, fine dining and delightful diversions. And that’s just in the train station.

My three-hour train journey from Montreal to Quebec ended in what has been called ‘the most beautiful train station in North America.’

Reminiscent of similar grand terminals in Europe, Quebec City’s train station attracts those who come here not only to travel by rail but also to dine at the best steak house in town, according to our cab driver. The train station also houses a few shops and even a dentist office, should you want to dash in for a quick cleaning before the conductor calls ‘All Aboard.’

Quebec has been called also been called ‘the most European city in North America’ and the “most romantic city in Canada.” Add to those: one of my all-time favorite cities.

Quebec is a city of superlatives. Here’s another: Old Quebec, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico where the walls still exist. Within the city walls, Quebec City has the feel of Europe, with its stone buildings and winding cobblestone streets. Founded in 1608 as an outpost for France, Quebec City is considered to be the cradle of French civilization in North America.

Perhaps the city’s best known landmark is the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, the legendary 19th century castle turned hotel. With sweeping views overlooking the St. Lawrence River, the hotel stands sentinel over the city from its hilltop post at Cap-Diamant. After checking in, stroll Quebec City’s lovely streets, flanked by boutique shops and restaurants.

Just outside the Fairmont, step aboard the Funicular to travel between the hotel and the charming shopping street Rue Petit-Champlain. Or exit the hotel in the other direction to head outside Old Quebec’s city gate and stroll along Rue Saint-John. Be sure to visit Erico, a popular chocolate shop just outside the old city walls.

You could spend a couple of days strolling the streets of Quebec City, but don’t leave until you’ve rented a car or joined a tour to get to ile d’Orleans, less than 30 minutes away from the city center.

The island is famous for its farms, strawberry fields, orchards and woodlands. Be sure to visit the Chocolaterie de l’ile d’Orleans, a chocolate factory situated in a 200-year-old ancestral house. Stop in at Forge a Pique-Assaut, where Guy Bel, a world renowned craftsman in wrought iron, demonstrates traditional forging; and Domaine Steinbach Cidrerie et Relais gourmand, a 30-acre estate that operates a biologically controlled apple orchard and an early-day vinegar and cider factory.

On your return to Quebec City, stop at Montmorency Falls, one and a half times higher than Niagara Falls. Ride the cable car to the top and walk across the bridge overhanging the falls.

Back at the Chateau Frontenac, dinner is only a short walk away. Make your way across Place d’Armes to Restaurant Gambrinus for Italian and French cuisine served by friendly staff in a charming setting as you gaze out the window at North America’s most European city.

Quebec City is an Avid Cruiser Recommended Destination On Saint Lawrence Cruise Itineraries.

While many travelers embark on Canada/New England cruises for the blazing fall foliage, few water-bound travelers venture all the way down the St. Lawrence Seaway to end their cruises in Quebec (cruises, of course, also start in Quebec). From Boston, our cruise called on Bar Harbor, Maine; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Saguenay Fjord; and Quebec City before ending in Montreal. Of those ports, I had been only to Halifax, which I loved.

A few years ago, I stepped into the cruise terminal in Halifax and sneezed, causing no fewer than five Nova Scotians to look up and reply, ‘Bless you.’ My feet had been planted only a few minutes on Canadian soil, and yet it appeared what the Scottish hairdresser working for Princess Cruises told me just might be true — that the people in Halifax were the nicest people she had ever met in a port. Step off the ship, and people politely offer you directions, maps and literature about the area — without trying to sell you anything at all.

But even as an avid cruiser, I had not given Quebec a lot of thought until The Avid Cruiser’s Summer 2005 issue, when Holland America Line Captain Jonathan Mercer chose Quebec City as his favorite port to sail into. It took me going there to see why Captain Mercer made his choice.

Known as the ‘most European city in North America,’ Quebec City is perhaps the most romantic city in North America too. Pitch camp at the legendary Le Chateau Frontenac, dine on fine cuisine at sidewalk cafes over a bottle of French wine, step into a horse-drawn carriage and listen to the clack of hooves on narrow cobblestone streets. The language, the lifestyle, the cuisine — nothing suggested we were just a few hours from the U.S. border.

Montreal was equally enchanting. The two cities, in fact, rank among the best I have ever visited. I liked them so much that I found myself looking for apartments to rent, a hazard of my profession.

I loved Saguenay too. I found it charming and relaxing and other-worldly. Life there seemed to revolve around the fjord and the fresh breezes off the water. As noted in one of the preceding stories, a hotel receptionist in La Baie, said of the Saguenay lifestyle, ‘We know how to breathe.’ That’s an important attribute that residents in few other places in the world can claim.

If you’ve read the stories preceding this one, it should be apparent that I also loved Quebec because it has many of the positive aspects of being in France — and none of the negative ones.

There’s no jetlag, as Quebec is only a short flight from most U.S. gateways. And although the Canadian dollar was gaining strength against the U.S. dollar when I was there and when this article went to press, Quebec is still a bargain when compared to most of Continental Europe. The fact that you can bring your own bottle of wine to many restaurants also makes Quebec even more of a bargain.

While my intention is not to bash France, comparisons are necessary with two places that are so much alike — and so very different. Quebec has none of the snobbery that many tourists attribute to France, deserved or not. Quebecers, in fact, are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met.

If you’re ending or beginning a cruise in Quebec, you owe it to yourself to add a week (two nights in Montreal, three nights in Quebec City, and two nights in Saguenay). And if not, then it’s time to begin planning. Don’t do what I did and put off visiting Quebec. If you do, you’ll want to kick yourself for waiting so long.