Canada Guide
Québec City
Musée de la Civilisation
Address: 85 rue Dalhousie
Telephone: 418/643-2158
Website: www.mcq.org
Opening time: Late June to early Sept daily 9.30am–6.30pm; otherwise Tues– Sun 10am–5pm
Price: $8; Nov– May free on Tues
One of Québec City's most impressive museums is the Musée de la Civilisation. Designed by prominent Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, the museum references the steep-pitched roofs of the early settlers in a structure that incorporates a rooftop terrace with great views and three historic buildings – be sure to check out the vaulted cellars in the 1751 Maison Estèbe, which survived the British bombardment to eventually become the museum's gift shop (ask for the leaflet detailing the house's history). In the main foyer, a 1730s barque discovered on the site is displayed between a stone wall (the edge of the quay built a couple of decades later) and Astri Reusch's La Débâcle, a sculpture that symbolizes the break-up of the ice in the spring thaw.