Unique Places to Stay in Quebec City: Where French Charm Meets Quirky Comfort

From Frozen Fortresses to Monastery Bedrooms: Truly Unique Places to Stay in Quebec City

Quebec City’s accommodation scene reads like a historical fantasy novel, where each chapter offers a more improbable sleeping arrangement than the last. From ice palaces to converted houses of worship, these aren’t just places to lay your head – they’re portals to different eras, lifestyles, and occasionally, temperature extremes.

Sleeping on Ice: Hôtel de Glace (January-March Only)

North America’s only ice hotel is essentially a magnificent temporary art installation where you’re allowed to sleep. Each winter, artists carve 20+ themed rooms from 500 tons of ice and 40,000 tons of snow, creating a crystalline village that shimmers like a diamond in the winter sun. Inside, temperatures hover between 23-27°F – technically below freezing but carefully maintained to prevent structural melting or guest hypothermia.

Each room features an ice bed platform topped with an insulated mattress and extreme-weather sleeping bags rated for Arctic conditions. Walls showcase intricate carvings that range from whimsical forest scenes to elaborate geometric designs. The premium suites ($699-799 per night) even feature private ice hot tubs and fireplaces (yes, fire and ice coexisting in perfect harmony).

Most guests find that one night in these frozen quarters satisfies their curiosity – and tests their bladder control, since bathroom facilities are located in a separate heated building. The standard $399-499 packages include a backup room at the nearby hotel where you can retreat if your ice adventure proves too challenging. Reservations open six months in advance and typically sell out within weeks for weekend dates.

From Prayer to Pillow Talk: Converted Religious Buildings

Le Monastère des Augustines offers one of the most genuine historic immersions among unique places to stay in Quebec City. This 17th-century monastery operated continuously as a convent and hospital until 2012 when the aging nuns reimagined it as a wellness-focused hotel. Guests can choose between “authentic” rooms ($150-180/night) – actual former nun’s cells with updated bedding but preserved architectural elements – or contemporary rooms ($190-250/night) with modern amenities.

The monastery maintains several traditions, including an optional silent breakfast where guests commune with their croissants in contemplative quiet. The vaulted stone corridors still display artifacts from the Augustine sisters’ medical work, creating a museum-like atmosphere throughout the property. For history buffs, it’s worth requesting room 43, where the original prayer desk remains built into the wall.

For a shorter-term religious experience, the Séminaire de Québec opens its doors to guests during summer months when theology students are on break. These sparse but comfortable rooms ($120-180/night) feature 10-foot ceilings, original woodwork, and windows overlooking internal courtyards that have remained essentially unchanged since the 1700s. Don’t expect luxury, but do expect a powerful sense of stepping back in time.

Doing Time in Style: Historic Prison Cells

In Lower Town’s Hôtel Le Priori, what once held Quebec’s petty criminals now holds tourists paying $229-399 per night for the privilege. The hotel’s “Cellule” rooms maintain their original thick stone walls and small windows while adding rainfall showers, heated bathroom floors, and beds that are decidedly more comfortable than the original prison cots.

The prison’s former dining hall now serves as the hotel’s breakfast room, where guests can enjoy gourmet pastries while contemplating the building’s dramatic change in purpose. For the full effect, book the “Vault Suite,” a former jail administrator’s office with restored 18th-century wooden beams and original hardware still visible in the walls.

The irony isn’t lost on the hotel staff, who enjoy pointing out that guests now willingly lock themselves in each night. Summer booking requires 3-4 months’ advance planning, though spring and fall often offer last-minute availability and rates about 30% lower.

Living Like Royalty: Château Accommodations

Fairmont’s Château Frontenac stands as Quebec City’s most recognizable landmark – less a hotel than a castle where you can rent a room. While technically not “quirky,” it makes this list of unique places to stay in Quebec City because sleeping in a 19th-century railway hotel designed to mimic French Renaissance châteaux isn’t exactly an everyday experience for most travelers.

The Frontenac’s turret rooms ($400-700/night) offer circular layouts with 180° views of the St. Lawrence River. For history enthusiasts, the Heritage Rooms preserve original 1893 architectural details, though they command the highest price points. The hotel’s famous guests include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Alfred Hitchcock, who featured the building in his film “I Confess.”

For a lesser-known château experience, Château Bonne Entente offers a modern interpretation of castle living just outside the city center. Its “Urban Chateau” rooms ($289-450/night) blend contemporary design with classical château elements. The best deals appear during November and April when rates drop by nearly 40% while still offering heated indoor-outdoor pool access.

Centuries of Character: Boutique Hotels in Historic Buildings

Auberge Saint-Antoine might be the only hotel in North America where your room key comes with an archaeology lesson. Built atop significant archaeological sites in the Lower Town, the hotel displays over 700 artifacts uncovered during renovation – many right in guest rooms. Suite 406 features a display case with 18th-century dinner plates that once belonged to the property’s original inhabitants, while the lobby showcases cannons recovered from the site.

At Hôtel Le Germain’s Quebec location, the elevators open directly onto the massive door of a former bank vault, now converted into a wine cellar accessible to guests. Rooms ($280-450/night) feature original structural elements like exposed stone and timber beams dating back to when the building served as both a shipping merchant’s headquarters and later a financial institution.

The award for most ancient accommodation goes to Le Petit Hôtel Café, operating in one of North America’s oldest continuously inhabited buildings (circa 1675). With just six rooms ($180-250/night), this microhotel features dramatically sloping floors, doorways better suited to 17th-century heights, and windows with glass so old it creates subtle distortions in the light. Don’t expect perfect right angles or consistent room temperatures – this is history in its unvarnished form.

Off the Beaten Path: Unusual Airbnbs and Rentals

For travelers seeking unique places to stay in Quebec City beyond the hotel category, the rental market offers some spectacularly unconventional options. The “St. Lawrence Floating Home” ($225/night) provides an entire houseboat moored just minutes from the historic district, complete with gentle rocking motions and panoramic river views from the private deck.

Architecture enthusiasts might appreciate the converted clock tower apartment ($179/night) where the bed sits directly beneath the original clock mechanism, now frozen in time but still an impressive piece of engineering. The hourly bonging has thoughtfully been disabled, allowing guests to sleep past the stroke of midnight.

Just beyond city limits, a collection of architectural oddities awaits. Tiny houses ($95-150/night) with ingenious space-saving designs cluster in eco-villages about 20 minutes from Old Quebec. These 200-300 square foot marvels showcase Quebec’s growing sustainable architecture movement with features like composting toilets, solar heating, and hand-crafted furniture built specifically for the compact spaces.

Embracing the Elements: Seasonal and Outdoor Accommodations

Year-round yurts at Parc de la Jacques-Cartier offer a blend of wilderness and comfort just 30 minutes from the city. These circular tents ($125-175/night) come equipped with wood stoves, proper beds, and solar-powered lighting. Winter guests can cross-country ski directly from their doorstep, while summer visitors enjoy immediate access to hiking trails before the day-trippers arrive.

From May through October, glamping options multiply exponentially. Canvas safari tents with proper beds and electricity ($150-200/night) pop up in regional parks, while the truly adventurous can book treehouse accommodations at Parc Aventures Cap Jaseux. These wooden structures perched 15-20 feet above forest floor ($150-275/night) offer primitive luxury with compost toilets and gravity-fed showers heated by the sun.

For winter warriors, several outfitters offer guided winter camping experiences where guests learn to build quinzhees (snow shelters) before spending a night in the structures they’ve created. At around $200 per person including equipment and meals, it’s both a place to stay and a survival skill workshop rolled into one frigid package.

Finding Your Perfect Match: Options for Every Travel Style

Budget-conscious travelers seeking historic charm should investigate Quebec’s network of guesthouses in heritage buildings. Places like Auberge J.A. Moisan operate above North America’s oldest grocery store (est. 1871) and offer simple rooms from $85-110/night. Similarly, Auberge de la Paix occupies a 19th-century townhouse with dormitory options starting at $30 per night – quite possibly the cheapest way to sleep within 200-year-old walls in the city.

Luxury seekers will find no shortage of over-the-top options. Château Frontenac’s Presidential Suite ($2,500+/night) has hosted actual heads of state, while the Ice Hotel’s Premium Deluxe Suite with private spa ($799/night) combines extravagance with extremity. These high-end splurges typically include private tours, customized meal service, and often, dedicated staff.

Families gravitating toward unique places to stay in Quebec City might appreciate the apartment-style accommodations at Les Lofts St-Joseph, converted factory spaces with multiple bedrooms and full kitchens. Their “Factory Worker” themed lofts preserve original industrial elements while adding kid-friendly features like bunk beds built into what were once material chutes.

Romantics invariably fall for the Auberge Place d’Armes’ “Petit Champlain” suite, where a private rooftop hot tub overlooks the historic district. At $350-450/night, it’s a splurge that delivers both privacy and postcard-worthy views for couples seeking personal space within the bustling tourist zones.