A city to savor

One bite of a feather-light chocolate hazelnut crepe stuffed with chantilly. Just one little bite. That's all it took to convince me that Quebeckers are indeed masters of gustatory delights, that I should have visited Quebec City years ago. And that if I didn't get busy hoofing it up and down this city's steep hills, I'd come home with five pounds of unwanted baggage encircling my hips and thighs.

Quebeckers aren't abashed to say food is the highlight of their lives. "This love affair with food probably started a long time ago because of our long, cold winters," said my cabdriver. "We needed a lot of food to survive." Today, 400 years after Quebec's founding, modernization negates much of the need for mega-calories. But Quebeckers don't care a bit. Thank goodness, I thought, wiping a spot of rich chocolate from the corner of my mouth.

Besides an abundance of creperies featuring paper-thin pancakes loaded with everything from fruits and vegetables to fish and chocolate, Quebec City is known for its meat pies and poutine (poo TEEN), a stomach-churning dish of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds, then smothered in gravy. I'd planned to steep myself in history and culture on this trip, but it might be more fun to eat my way through its history instead.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in 1608 on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, an important fur trading route from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. It was France's first permanent colony in North America.

Quebec City quickly filled with French pioneers, who brought with them their customs, Catholic religion and, of course, their favorite foods. Status-conscious, the new immigrants soon settled along class lines, with the politicians and clergy living in the steeply stepped city's Upper Town, which looked down 200 feet to the St. Lawrence; the merchants and working class were relegated to huddling below the wealthy in the city's Lower Town, right at the water's edge.

French culture reigns

In 1745, fearing invasion by the British -- also busy colonizing North America -- Quebeckers began walling in their city. But they started too late; in 1759 the British invaded, eventually conquering the French and taking over the place. On the positive side, the British were a more equitable lot, so class distinctions between Upper and Lower Town began to fade. But the Brits also took control of the city's commercial and banking industries, leaving the French to lower-paying occupations. And they installed Anglicanism as the state religion, indicating its superiority over the Quebeckers' Catholicism by constructing a cathedral 30 feet taller than the Catholic one.

In 1872, Canada's wide-flung British colonies united to become the Dominion of Canada, and over time, most residents began to think of themselves as Canadians, not British subjects. Quebeckers, in contrast, clung to their French roots.

Today Quebec City is home to a remarkably homogeneous population of about 500,000, almost all of whom have at least some French blood and speak French as their native tongue. The city's architecture is a fascinating mélange of French and English styles spanning four centuries, and its age makes it a place of never-ending firsts: It's home to North America's first hospital; it contains the oldest commercial street and hotel in North America; it's home to the oldest girls' school in North America -- you get the picture.

This rich history infuses Quebec City with an incomparable charm, especially in its walled Old Town, which draws roughly 5 million tourists annually.

Quebec City's true downtown lies just west of Old Town. But Old Town is where it's at. The only urban area in North America to be given the prestigious designation of a World Heritage Site for its outstanding cultural importance to all of humanity (quite the weighty honor), Old Town is encircled by a 2.8-mile wall averaging 40 feet tall and 20 feet thick. Tucked inside these walls is a fascinating warren of steep, narrow streets, ancient churches, picturesque stone buildings and a wealth of creperies and shops.

History and pastries in Old Town

You can start your tour of Old Town pretty much anywhere. After gorging on my chocolate hazelnut delight, I decided to start in Lower Town and work my way up. Not long ago, Lower Town was a rather seedy spot, but the city cleaned it up and now it's as lively and safe as Upper Town. Lower Town is home to the Musée de Civilisation, a small but very well-done museum on Quebec civilization that provides a great introduction to the entire province's history, people and land -- a good place to visit early in your stay. From there, it's a short walk to Place-Royale, supposedly the very spot where Samuel de Champlain first set foot in Quebec. Today it's a pretty public square surrounded by more narrow European-style streets filled with shops, restaurants and galleries.

After checking out the museum and Lower Town's shopping district, I climbed back into Upper Town via the city's famous Escalier Casse-Cou, or "breakneck stairs." There's a funicular nearby that will whisk you up if you'd prefer, but skip it if you can. The stairs aren't that bad, and if you want to eat more, you'll need the exercise. You'll also look more like a local; Quebeckers eschew the funicular, scrabbling up the steep hill with nary a second thought. In fact, the constant calorie-busting hikes required if you're walking around town are what led real estate mogul and bestselling author Barbara Corcoran to designate Quebec City as one of the best places to live or simply visit if you're looking to shed some pounds. That's quite an accomplishment in the land of artery-clogging chocolate crepes and poutine.

Speaking of food, I rewarded myself for the climb with a stop at the castlelike Hotel Frontenac, one of Canada's first railroad hotels and supposedly the most-photographed hotel on the continent. A small shop tucked into the hotel sells "Beaver Tails," a Quebec City favorite since 1978. The thin, flat, footlong pastries, which taste much like a doughnut, are topped with such sinful delights as cinnamon and sugar, chocolate and sliced banana or pure maple butter.

I was a bit surprised by all of the galleries in Upper Town specializing in Inuit art, until I recalled -- thanks to the Musée de Civilisation -- that these native people inhabit the northern third of the province. In fact, some of the best Inuit art is supposedly found in Quebec City.

Heading back to the hotel, I noticed a group of people walking on the top of the old walls. Exploring the city via the fortifications and gates is not only allowed, but encouraged; a sentry path lined with interpretive signposts guides your way. At the southern end lies the star-shaped Citadelle, used by the military to this day. In summer, an impressive changing-of-the-guard ceremony is held daily, which includes furry-hatted men, a regimental band and an appearance by Batisse, the goat. I won't tell you the reason for the goat, but it's another charming reason to visit.

Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer from Madison, Wis.