3e Avenue is the beating heart of Old Limoilou, the leafy grid of streets just across the river from Quebec City's walled old town. Locals treat this stretch — running roughly between 2e and 16e Rues — as much as an outdoor living room as a shopping street, and it is where you feel the neighbourhood's easygoing, un-touristy character best.
It is lined almost entirely with independents: artisanal bakeries, a gourmet grocer, cafés and a tea house, craft and design shops, vintage finds, an ice-cream parlour and a clutch of neighbourhood bars. A wave of young chefs has opened restaurants here too, so it has become one of the city's better-value places to eat well away from the ramparts.
Local tip: Come on a summer weekend afternoon, when the avenue closes to traffic and turns fully pedestrian, the terraces spill onto the pavement and the mood is at its most convivial. It pairs naturally with a food-focused wander around the city's local specialities.
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Good to know
- Where: 3e Avenue, Vieux-Limoilou, Quebec City, QC
- City: Quebec City