Lévis travel guide
Ten-minute ferry views of Old Quebec, a riverside trail and the Chaudière Falls
The south-shore city opposite Old Quebec, reached by a 10-minute ferry. Go between June and September for the riverside trail and the Chaudière Falls park, and cross back at dusk for the lit skyline. Half a day is enough, or use it as a quieter base. Costs are very high, and visa-exempt air travellers need an eTA for Canada.
Lévis faces Old Quebec across the St. Lawrence, and the reason most travellers cross is the view back. The ferry from the Lower Town takes about 10 minutes, and from the deck you get the whole skyline at once: the Château Frontenac, Cap Diamant and the old fortifications. The present city dates from 2002, when ten municipalities on the south shore merged into one.
Old Lévis climbs the cliff above the ferry terminal. Alphonse Desjardins founded his first credit union here in 1900, and his house is now a small museum. The Parcours des Anses, a 15 km path for walking, cycling and skating, runs west along the shore with both bridges in view, and after dark it is the best place to see the old town lit up. On rue Saint-Laurent, the A.C. Davie shipyard site tells the story of a yard that worked from 1829 to 1989.
The other draw is the Chaudière Falls in the west end, where the river drops 35 m just before it meets the St. Lawrence. A suspension bridge 113 m long hangs 23 m above the gorge, and the park opens from early May to late October. Beyond these, Lévis is mostly suburbs and highway hotels. Treat it as a half day out or a quieter base for Quebec City.
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Top things to do in Lévis
A riverside trail, a falls park, a shipyard museum and the best view of Old Quebec.
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Best time to visit Lévis
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 23 to 25 C suit cycling the shore path; July is also the wettest month, at about 136 mm, so carry a shell.
January averages -8 C by day and -18 C at night; the falls park shuts, yet the ferry keeps pushing through floating ice.
The suspension bridge at Chaudière Falls is open only from early May to late October, from 7 am until sunset.
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Getting there
The Old Port ferry, Charny station and the two bridges
Most visitors arrive from Quebec City on the year-round ferry from the Lower Town waterfront, about 10 minutes, carrying foot passengers, bikes and cars. From Jean Lesage airport, a taxi crosses the Pierre-Laporte Bridge into western Lévis in about half an hour. VIA's Ocean stops at Charny, and Orléans Express coaches arrive from Montreal.
- Québec-Lévis ferry
- Old Port to Old Lévis in about 10 minutes, year round
- VIA Rail Ocean
- Montreal and Drummondville trains to Charny station in the west end, a few days a week
- Orléans Express coach
- From Montreal, Drummondville, Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski
- Pierre-Laporte and Quebec bridges
- Road link from the north shore into western Lévis
- Crossings thin out late at night, and the last boat leaves Quebec City around 2:20 am; check the timetable before a long evening in Old Quebec.
- Charny is far from Old Lévis; arrange a taxi or a city bus before the train arrives.
- Autoroute 20 exits 325 and 327 serve downtown.
Where to stay
Old Lévis by the ferry or Route du Président-Kennedy
Lévis stretches about 30 km along the river, so your base shapes the trip. Old Lévis is a walk from the ferry and the Terrasse, though steep with few rooms. Hotels on Route du Président-Kennedy near Autoroute 20 are reliable but car-dependent, and Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Romuald are quiet western boroughs by the bridges.
- Old Lévis
- A walk from the ferry, the Terrasse de Lévis and the Desjardins house; streets are steep and rooms few
- Route du Président-Kennedy
- The Grand Times and L'Oie des neiges near Autoroute 20 and the Desjardins offices; reliable but car-dependent
- Boulevard Guillaume-Couture
- Motels by A-20 exit 321, east of the centre, for road trippers heading down the river
- Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Romuald
- Quiet western boroughs near the bridges and Chaudière Falls; little to do in the evening
Getting around
STLévis buses, the ferry and the Route Verte 1 shoreline
Cycle the riverfront: the Parcours des Anses runs 15 km as part of Route Verte 1, and a loop crosses the Quebec Bridge and returns by ferry, which takes bikes. STLévis buses meet the ferry and run express to Sainte-Foy. Old Lévis is walkable but steep. Drive to the Chaudière Falls via A-73 exit 13.
- STLévis bus
- Local routes and express buses across the bridge to Sainte-Foy
- Ferry
- Takes bikes, the easiest way to start a north-shore loop
- Bike
- Parcours des Anses, 15 km, part of Route Verte 1 and in winter partly a skating path
- Car
- Chaudière Falls via A-73 exit 13 or A-20 exit 311
Know before you go
What makes Lévis worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The ferry at dusk, when the towers of the Upper Town and the Château Frontenac light up across the water.
- The suspension bridge at Chaudière Falls, hung 23 m above the river right in front of the last falls.
- The processional chapels of Vieux-Lauzon, two small chapels from 1789 and 1822.
Good to know
- French is the everyday language, so a few phrases help in restaurants and on buses.
- The falls park is seasonal, open early May to late October only.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Lévis, month by month
Lévis has true Quebec winters, with January nights near −18°C. July highs reach about 25°C, and July is also wettest at around 136 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Lévis (Environment Canada, via Wikipedia).
Ferry deck, Fort No. 1 and the Parcours des Anses at dusk
Arrive in Lévis by ferry from Quebec City's Lower Town and stand at the stern for ten minutes of the Château Frontenac falling away. Then climb to the Terrasse de Lévis, whose view of Old Quebec beats any from the city itself, see the Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, and head east to Fort No. 1 at Pointe-de-Lévy.
Board the ferry in Quebec City's Lower Town in the early afternoon and stand at the stern: the Château Frontenac and the walls on Cap Diamant pull away behind you for the whole ten minutes. In Lévis, climb the steep streets of the old town to the Terrasse de Lévis, a long lookout whose view across to Old Quebec is better than any from the city itself. Close by is the Maison Alphonse-Desjardins, the modest home where the founder of Quebec's credit union movement opened his first caisse in 1900.
Mid-afternoon, head east to Fort No. 1 at Pointe-de-Lévy, one of the forts Britain built on the south shore in the 1860s and 1870s to guard Quebec against an American attack that never came; Parks Canada opens it from late June to early September. History buffs can continue to the A.C. Davie shipyard site on rue Saint-Laurent, the last trace of a 19th-century yard, or to the two little processional chapels of Vieux-Lauzon.
As the light drops, walk or cycle a stretch of the Parcours des Anses westward, with the two bridges ahead and the Upper Town across the water. Time the return ferry for after dark. The lit skyline seen from mid-river is the image most people take home.
Beauce sugar shacks and Île d'Orléans strawberries within reach
The countryside behind Lévis sets its table. From March into April, sugar shacks in the Beauce, south along the Chaudière River, serve pea soup, ham, beans and syrup-soaked pancakes, finished with tire d'érable rolled on snow. Summer brings Île d'Orléans strawberries in late June and July, then apples and cider in autumn.
Summer turns to fruit. Île d'Orléans, visible downriver from the Terrasse de Lévis, grows Quebec's best-loved strawberries, picked in late June and July, then apples and cider in the autumn; from Lévis it is a short drive over the bridges and along the north shore.
For the classic Quebec plates, look for tourtière, the spiced meat pie served at Christmas, and poutine, fries with cheese curds and gravy, which every casse-croûte along the highways does in some form. On a ferry day, the easiest plan is a long lunch in Old Quebec, then a coffee on the Lévis side while you wait for the evening light on the river.
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How we research our Lévis travel guide
The Québec-Lévis ferry, STLévis buses and cycling routes were checked with the city website and Destination Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Lévis.
Getting there
About 10 minutes between the Lower Town terminal and Old Lévis. The boats run all year and carry foot passengers, bikes and cars.
The Pierre-Laporte Bridge on Autoroute 73, about half an hour by taxi. For Old Lévis, going through Old Quebec and taking the ferry is often simpler.
The Ocean, VIA's Montreal to Halifax train, which also stops at Drummondville. Charny is in the west end, a long way from Old Lévis.
The river rarely freezes solid here. The ferries run through the floating ice all winter, which makes the crossing memorable on a clear cold day.
Most visitors arrive from Quebec City on the year-round ferry from the Lower Town waterfront, about 10 minutes, carrying foot passengers, bikes and cars. From Jean Lesage airport, a taxi crosses the Pierre-Laporte Bridge into western Lévis in about half an hour. VIA's Ocean stops at Charny, and Orléans Express coaches arrive from Montreal.
General
Yes, if you sleep within walking distance of the ferry landing. The rest of the city depends on a car and the bridges.
From early May to late October, daily from 7 am until sunset. The rest of the year the park is closed.
The river drops 35 m, its biggest fall, just before the mouth. The suspension bridge is 113 m long and hangs 23 m above the water.
Yes. Ride the 15 km riverside path west, cross the Quebec Bridge, follow the Samuel-De-Champlain promenade and catch the ferry back.
A British fort from the 1860s and 1870s, built to protect Quebec from the south shore and now a Parks Canada site open in summer.
The founder of Quebec's credit union movement. He opened the first caisse populaire in Lévis in 1900, and his house in the old town is a small museum.
Cycle the riverfront: the Parcours des Anses runs 15 km as part of Route Verte 1, and a loop crosses the Quebec Bridge and returns by ferry, which takes bikes. STLévis buses meet the ferry and run express to Sainte-Foy. Old Lévis is walkable but steep.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Lévis is Jun to Sep. Long evenings on the Parcours des Anses and the falls park open.
- Riverside summer: June - September (Highs of 23 to 25 C suit cycling the shore path; July is also the wettest month, at about 136 mm, so carry a shell)
- Ice on the river: November - April (January averages -8 C by day and -18 C at night; the falls park shuts, yet the ferry keeps pushing through floating ice)
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
