The province has a colourful history, which moulded its distinctive identity from the rest of Canada; the Quebecois strived to protect their French-speaking culture and society distinct from the British-influenced mainstream culture on the rest of the country.

The areas forming the present province are historically inhabited by First Nations and Inuit until its discovery by European explorers, most notably Jacques Cartier, who explored the area in three expeditions between 1534 and 1542. What is now Quebec was then a French colony for more than a century and a half, from the founding of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 and Governor Vaudreuil’s capitulation to the British in 1760, which took place during the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War). A majority of modern Quebec's population can trace their ancestry back to the French colonial period.

The colony was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which ended the war. Despite this, the new colonial administration agreed to allow the locals to continue using the French language. In 1791, Quebec became part of Lower Canada, which included also include Labrador (now part of Newfoundland and Labrador); but, policies favouring English-speakers have caused numerous French Canadian rebellions against the predominantly Protestant British government, most notably under Louis-Joseph Papineau. Quebec's plight under British administration continued as other rebellions are quelled and French Canadians emigrated to the United States, leading into anti-British resentment that led to the Quebec nationalist movement.

Quebec joined Canadian Confederation in 1867 through George-Étienne Cartier as one of the new country's four founding provinces, along with Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Labrador became part of Newfoundland, then a British Dominion independent from Canada. Quebec's territory further expanded after Canada purchased Rupert's Land, then owned by the Hudson's Bay Conpany (HBC). Montreal boomed as immigrants and rural dwellers entered. Roman Catholicism influenced the Quebecois lifestyle by controlling education and healthcare, and encouraging them to raise large families and women to serve as nuns. As migrants from Italy, Greece and Eastern Europe assimilated into English-speaking society, French speakers became a minority in Montreal and Francophone resentment against English-speakers continued toward the early and mid 20th century. Quebecois nationalism further flourished under premier Maurice Duplessis, who promoted a Catholic, rural, French-speaking Quebecois culture, although he continued to believe that Quebec had a place in Canada.

After Duplessis' death in 1959, Jean Lesage took over as premier and led the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, which saw the rise of the modern Quebecois society, and also changed the political landscape of the province. Education and healthcare became a provincial responsibility, the electricity sector became a state enterprise through the founding of Hydro-Québec, and Quebecois society became secularized. Birth rates began to drop significantly, falling below replacement levels. Politics in Quebec began to focus a lot on sovereignty, with many wanting the secession of Quebec from Canada. Violent extremist attempts to achieve independence occurred through the late 1960s, culminating with the October Crisis in 1970, which ended most armed militant support for sovereignty. Quebec also invested in more infrastructure like high speed highways (autoroutes) and hydroelectric power plants, most notably the James Bay Project. Political sovereignty garnered support under René Lévesque, who formed the separatist Parti Quebecois, which won a majority of seats in the National Assembly (the provincial legislature) in the 1976 provincial election.

Lévesque passed the Charter of the French Language (commonly referred to as Bill 101) in 1978, which made French the sole official language in Quebec, severely limited the use of English and other languages in the public sphere, and created the controversial Office québécois de la langue française (literally the "Quebec Office of the French Language"), or derisively called the "language police" by Anglophones. The first referendum on sovereignty was held in 1980. It proposed the creation of an independent Quebec which would remain in an economic union with the rest of Canada, but was rejected by a 60% majority.

Quebec stood alone in refusing to agree to the 1982 Canadian constitutional amendments, which ended up being adopted without the consent of the provincial government. These reforms abolished the remaining legal links with the United Kingdom and added a bill of rights to the Constitution known as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Attempts to amend the Constitution in 1990 and 1992 to get Quebec's agreement failed due to a lack of consensus. In 1990, the Oka Crisis, a highly publicized conflict between the Mohawk First Nation and the Quebec government, occurred, changing the general treatment of Indigenous peoples in the long term. Another independence referendum was held in 1995, which was again defeated, although this time by a much smaller margin (with 49.4% voting for sovereignty and 50.6% voting to remain a part of Canada). Since then, the movement for sovereignty has declined (but hasn't completely disappeared either), although many Quebecers still feel that their province should be recognized as distinct within Canada.

Quebec is Canada’s second most populous province, only behind Ontario. It has 8 million inhabitants, including 6.4 million (approx. 80%) whose mother tongue is French.

French is the mother tongue of 82% of Quebecers (Québécois), and English is the mother tongue of 10% of the population. The remaining 8% is divided among "Allophones" who speak some 30 languages such as, in order of importance, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Greek. The northern parts of the province are mainly populated by the indigenous Inuit people. However, it is very easy to travel in Quebec speaking only English, especially in Montreal, and to a lesser extent, Quebec City. In fact, over 40% of the population is bilingual. In major cities like Montréal, this percentage is as high as 64%, and 16% of the population speaks a third language. As in any country, beginning a conversation in the local language is always a great way of making friends. Quebecers appreciate efforts made to speak French.

The majority of the population lives in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence River, in the southern portion of the province. The population is largely urbanized; close to 50% of Quebecers live in the metropolitan area of Montreal.

Quebec has a longstanding social democratic tradition since the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s; until 2018, power was shared between the federalist (i.e. wishing to stay in Canada) and centrist Liberal Party and the separatist and centre-left Parti Quebecois.

Today, politics are dominated by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which while having supported many economically left or interventionist policies, is said by experts to be centre-right. While not separatist, the CAQ is nationalist and wants Quebec to have more autonomy within Canada.

Other major parties include the Liberal Party (recognized for its centrism, federalism, and supporting the Anglophone and Allophone minorities), the left-wing nationalist and seperatist Québec solidaire, and the separatist and centre-left Parti Quebecois. The Parti Quebecois, and to a lesser extent the Liberal Party, are losing considerable ground, although the Liberals can still count on the votes of minorities, allowing them to remain influential, and the city of Montreal continues to be a Liberal stronghold.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new party emerged in opposition to the COVID-19 lockdown and the vaccines mandates; the Conservative Party of Quebec is a right-wing party that wants to defend economic and individual freedoms.

There are four distinct seasons in Quebec, offering a wonderful view of the nature and variety of activities.

• Summer (June to early September): Summers in Quebec are warm but the season offers many festivals and outdoor activities.
• Fall or autumn (September and October): The leaves change colour in Quebec, creating breathtakingly colourful landscapes.
• Winter (November to end of March): Quebec’s extremely low temperatures and abundance of snowfall makes skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowmobiling and dogsledding possible. In late November, Quebec’s vast outdoors turns into a snow-covered white dreamland. March and April mark the maple syrup festivities in the sugar shacks, as the maple trees awaken from the winter cold and prepare for the forthcoming springtime.
• Spring (April and May): While April may still be relatively cold at times and another large snowfall can occur, April feels like winter is at, long last, over. As May approaches, nature awakens, trees start to bloom and the air warms, welcoming everybody to a magnificent, colourful outdoor scenery.

There are flights to Quebec from major cities in North America, Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East and China. Montreal is a 70-minute flight from New York and is less than 6 hours and 45 minutes by air from London or Paris.

Quebec has two major international airports: Montreal's Trudeau International Airport, which has direct flights to most major Canadian and U.S. cities, and to European destinations (including daily flights to Paris, London and Frankfurt), is located in the suburb of Dorval, about 30 minutes from downtown. Quebec City's Jean Lesage Airport is much smaller but also serves several Canadian and US destinations (including Toronto, New York (Newark), Chicago and Detroit), as well as Paris (Air France and Air Transat). Jean Lesage Airport is located in L'Ancienne-Lorette, about 25 minutes drive west of downtown Quebec City. Gatineau only has a tiny local airport as most of its intercity traffic is routed through nearby Ottawa.

Montreal's former Mirabel International Airport is no longer in passenger use.

The days when immigrants arrived in Québec by boat via the quarantine station at Grosse Isle are long over, but visitors with a bit of time can enjoy any one of the many cruises available along the St. Lawrence River.

Numerous cruise lines offer routes that sail the Saint Lawrence. Cruise companies include these routes in their Canadian and New England destinations. The port of embarkation and debarkation for most of these itineraries are New York, Boston, Montreal and Quebec City. Depending on the individual cruise, their itineraries include stops in Montréal, Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Sept-Îles, the Gaspésie, and the Îles de la Madeleine.

CTMA operates a daily cruise-ferry during the summer (and less frequently at other times of the year) from Souris, PEI to Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec. as a means to access the Magdalen Islands (Îles de la Madeleine), which are part of Quebec but not easy to reach without leaving the province.

Labrador Marine operates up to three ferries daily from St. Barbe, Newfoundland to Blanc-Sablon, Quebec (near Forteau, Labrador). In winter (January through April) the southern terminus is Corner Brook, more distant with corresponding penalties in crossing time and price. As it's not possible to drive directly west toward Sept-Îles from Blanc-Sablon (for 450-500km from Kagaska to Vieux-Fort, the road simply does not exist), this interprovincial crossing carries primarily intraprovincial traffic within Newfoundland and Labrador. In theory, there are two ways to go elsewhere in Quebec from Blanc-Sablon without going through three of the four Atlantic provinces, but neither is easy:

• Leave the province to Labrador. Follow the Trans-Labrador Highway from Forteau to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, then head west on the Trans-Labrador Highway through Labrador City. Cross back into Québec at Fermont. A primitive gravel highway (Quebec Route 389) leads south to eventually reach Baie-Comeau, a long journey on poor quality roads with few services. If 410 km is posted as the distance to the next filling station in this section of Labrador, the newfies are not joking.
• Board a coastal ferry or an Air Labrador aircraft westward from Blanc-Sablon, which stops in various tiny Québec villages on the north side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence which have no road. The plane flies to the end of the main road at Kegaska; the weekly coastal ferry continues westward, eventually arriving in Sept-Îles or Anticosti on its way to Rimouski.

There are various local ferries which cross the Ottawa River from Ontario into Quebec, typically at points (like Cumberland-Masson) where crossing into Québec by bridge would require driving to a larger centre like Ottawa, Hawkesbury or Pembroke,

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• Amtrak, ☏ +1-215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. "Adirondack" runs from New York City once a day, with stops connecting to bus routes serving upstate New York. The trip is a scenic 6 hours along the Hudson River, but be prepared for delays at the border that can add 2–3 hours to the trip. (updated Jul 2022)
• Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, ☏ +1 418-960-0982, billetterie@tshiuetin.ca. +1-866-962-0988. Operates a train route between Sept-Îles and Schefferville via Emeril, Labrador. (updated May 2022)
• VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates trains routes across Canada. (updated Apr 2022) VIA Rail Canada is the federal passenger train operator. It operates numerous the following train routes into Quebec:
  • The Ocean between Montreal and Halifax via Sainte-Foy (near Quebec City) and Moncton. Three trains per direction per week.
  • Between Toronto and Montreal via Kingston. Several trains daily.
  • Between Ottawa and Quebec City via Montreal. Several trains daily.
  • Significant discounts are available to youths and to university students carrying as ISIC Card (International Student Identity Card).

From the United States of America:

• Greyhound, ☏ +1 214-849-8100, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. From Boston and New York City to Montreal. (updated Nov 2021)

From Ontario

• Megabus (Coach Canada), toll-free: +1-866-488-4452. Operates frequent motorcoach service from Toronto to Montreal. (updated Apr 2022)
• Orléans Express, ☏ +1-450-640-1477, toll-free: +1-833-449-6444. Service from Ottawa to Montreal. (updated Apr 2022) Tour Express and Autobus Maheux also provide service from Ottawa to Montréal.
• There is also limited transportation service from Ottawa into Grand-Remous, Que. via Autobus Gatineau, as well as from North Bay, Ontario. into Rouyn-Noranda via Autobus Maheux.
• Within Ottawa-Gatineau interprovincial travel is possible by local bus. Multiple STO (Outaouais) buses stop in Ottawa-Lowertown, follow Wellington Street past Parliament Hill then take the Pont du Portage back into Hull. OCTranspo 85 stops at Terrasses de la Chaudière in Hull. Additional buses run during peak hours.

From New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island

• Maritime Bus, toll-free: +1-800-575-1807, info@maritimebus.com. Operates an intercity bus service between destinations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. . (updated Apr 2022) It operates services to the following destinations served by Orléans Express:
  • Rivière-du-Loup (not available as Maritime Bus has suspended service due to Covid-19).
  • Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / Campbellton, NB (3 km taxi ride between these communities)

From the west in Windsor, London, Toronto, and other locations along the Golden Horseshoe, the main option is the Highway 401 (six hours by car from Toronto) - part of the beaten-path Windsor-Quebec corridor.

From the west in Ottawa, Highway 417 (in Ontario) / Autoroute 40 (in Quebec) travels to Montreal, and is a part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

From Northern Ontario and points westward, the Trans-Canada Highway very closely follows the Ontario-Quebec border through Pembroke and Ottawa on its way to Montréal. At various points, one can cross the Ottawa River by bridge or ferry; most of these crossings connect to Québec Route 148 (and Autoroute 50 from Hull-Gatineau eastward) to follow the river on the other side. One can also enter far to the north from Ontario Highway 66 (near Cochrane), which becomes Route 117 near the town of Rouyn. Another point at the western edge of the province, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, is reachable in a couple of hours from North Bay, Ontario by road.

From the east, Route 2 (Trans-Canada Highway) in New Brunswick runs from Moncton and Fredericton and becomes Autoroute 85 / Route 185 in Quebec where it continues towards Rivière-du-Loup; from there, one can turn either east toward the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula or west toward Quebec City. New Brunswick Route 11 also enters Quebec near Campbellton, feeding into Route 132.

From Labrador, the Trans-Labrador Highway crosses into Québec at both of its endpoints, Labrador City-Fermont and Forteau-Blanc Sablon. Quebec Route 389 from Fermont to Baie-Comeau is rough gravel with (mostly) no services from Fermont to Manic 5. There is no road from Blanc-Sablon/Vieux-Fort to Kegaska, a 450-km gap bridged by a weekly coastal ferry.

From the United States, there are many border crossings (too numerous to list) from New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. From New York City and other cities farther south along Interstate 95, the principal artery is Interstate 87, which enters from the town of Champlain and continues as Autoroute 15. From Boston the best option is through Vermont, from Interstate 89 toward Montreal, or Interstate 91 (Autoroute 55) to Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Trois-Rivières. The more rural options are farther north and east; US Route 3 runs north from New Hampshire and can enter via Route 253 or 141 near Pittsburg/Chartierville, or farther north to Route 257. State Route 27 runs from Maine's ski resorts in the Carrabassett and Androscoggin valleys to Route 263 near Lac-Mégantic, while Quebec's northernmost international port of entry is US Route 201, which becomes Route 173 toward Saint-Georges. Some border crossings are not open 24 hours, and may have different hours in each direction, or have restricted hours for commercial vehicles.

A few communities are directly on the provincial boundary, easily accessible by bicycle or even on foot.

From Ontario: Hull (Gatineau) has a good set of bicycle paths which reach the Interprovincial (Alexandra) Bridge from Ottawa-Lowertown. Any of the bridges from Ottawa (except for the autoroute) should be suitable for crossing on foot or by bicycle; all are fairly central to both Ottawa and Hull. Hawkesbury ON (Grenville QC) and Pembroke ON are also fairly close to the border, with bridges leading into Québec, although there's relatively little (other than very rural communities) directly on the other side.

From Vermont: From Newport, Vermont the former Massawippi Valley Railway line to Lennoxville, Québec is mostly open as a cycling trail - albeit in three non-contiguous pieces. The border crossing on this line is closed, necessitating a detour to the main street custom station in the village before rejoining the trail on the Canadian side.

From New Brunswick: Campbellton and Edmundston are both fairly close to the Québec border; there's little directly across the border on the Québec side on the Trans-Canada Highway, but there is a small village (Pointe-à-la-Croix) across from Campbellton. These are the only two main crossings from New Brunswick, so expect traffic.

Using air transportation to travel between the different cities in Quebec (Gatineau-Québec City, Montréal-Québec City, Montréal-Bagotville) is possible but usually too expensive to be worthwhile. Air travel is indispensable for getting around northern Québec (except for the Baie-James region, which is served by a paved highway), because there are no highways or railways serving these remote areas.

Trains run infrequently (compared to Europe). There are no high-speed trains in Quebec. Buses are usually cheaper, with more daily connections.

• VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates trains routes across Canada. (updated Apr 2022) Offers train service along the St. Lawrence River, up the Saguenay and across the Gaspé Peninsula to New Brunswick. VIA Rail Canada is Québec's only intercity passenger train carrier.
• EXO (formerly AMT) runs Montreal's suburban commuter trains.
• Orford Express^{[dead link]}, a Magog-Sherbrooke dinner train.
• Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, ☏ +1 418 962-5530, toll-free: +1 866-962-0988, billetterie@tshiuetin.ca. 10-12 hr of spectacular scenery from Sept-Îles to Schefferville, an otherwise-inaccessible mining community in northern Québec. This line is owned by three First Nations (Aboriginal) groups. This line does not connect to the rest of the North American rail system. (updated Feb 2017)

The main way to travel between cities is by bus. The bus network is very well developed, particularly for connections between Quebec City-Montreal, Ottawa-Montreal and Toronto-Montreal. Buying tickets and making seat reservations is a good idea, particularly for Friday evening or holiday travel, but same-day ticket purchase is also possible.

Orléans Express, ☏ +1-450-640-1477, toll-free: +1-833-449-6444. Service between Montreal and Quebec City with connecting service between Quebec City and Rimouski via Rivière-du-Loup. Onward service available to Gaspé. (updated Apr 2022)

Within cities, public transit tends to be good by North American standards, though showing the signs of insufficient public funding.

See also: Driving in Canada

Renting a car and driving around Canada poses no particular problem, even in the cities. However, it is best to arrange the rental from where you are coming. Read the rental contract carefully, particularly the section on insurance. Often, you can rent a car in one city and return it in another without prohibitive costs.

Quebec has a good network of (mostly) toll-free highways connecting all the main cities and surrounding areas. There are a couple of toll bridges (Autoroute 25 northbound from Montreal to Laval, and the Autoroute 30 bypass to cross the St. Lawrence River west of Montreal). Fuel taxes are higher in Quebec than in neighbouring Canadian provinces, which in turn are overpriced relative to the US border states. Fuel prices in Montreal and Quebec City are particularly bad: gasoline on Montréal Island often costs 10¢ a litre more than in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Gasoline is sold by the litre, and you pay after pumping gas.

A note for European tourists: in Quebec, the highway speed limit is 100 km/h. (It was once generally tolerated up to 120 km/h when passing a radar, but the province is increasingly using photo radar.)

Quebec Provincial Police (Surêté du Québec) is known to be more strict with speeding offences, where most drivers stay within 5-10 km/h of the posted speed limit. This differs from neighbouring Ontario, where 20 km/h is the tolerated limit. In addition, Quebec employs speed cameras very liberally, including on freeways, which is unheard of anywhere else in North America.

The Quebec highway code is similar to that practised in most of Europe. A couple of differences are that traffic lights are often located across the intersection, not at the side, and you are not allowed to turn right on a red light on the Island of Montreal or where otherwise indicated. At stop signs, everyone advances in turn, based on the order in which the cars arrived at the stop sign. Roundabouts are very rare. Occasionally, tickets are issued for bizarre offences like "backing up without assistance" which do not exist in other provinces.

Numerous cruises] are available on the St. Lawrence River, one of the world’s biggest waterways.

West of Montreal, a ferry crossing connects Hudson to Oka across the Ottawa (Outaouais) River.

From the centre of Quebec-Lévis downriver to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the river widens and ferries become necessary as there are no bridges; a ferry crossing is also necessary to reach Tadoussac from Saint-Siméon on the north shore and to reach the Magdalen Islands, which politically are part of Quebec despite their proximity to Prince Edward Island. Coastal ferries (or Bush planes) are also needed to reach a few small, isolated communities east of Kegaska where there is no road.

Quebec boasts that its 5200 km (3200 miles) of snowmobile trails (pistes de motoneige) cover much of the province, eastward to Gaspésie and west to Northern Ontario. The Ski-Doo line of snowmobiles were invented in tiny Valcourt by Québécois inventor Joseph-Armand Bombardier. In a few isolated communities in the high Arctic, the snowmobile is the primary native transport; elsewhere, it is a popular recreational vehicle, with many local clubs and organizations dedicated to snowmobiling and maintenance of the trail network.

For people travelling in small groups and wanting to keep their costs down (primarily students), Kangaride, Allô Stop and Quebec-Express are a great alternative to any of the transportation methods mentioned above. They are ride sharing (carpooling) networks serving most of Quebec’s major cities. To access this service, register online (or at one of the offices (registration costs $6) for Allô-stop). Then you can reserve your spot in a car belonging to someone who is travelling to the same destination as you—sometimes for up to half the price of the bus. The only inconvenience with this system is that it doesn’t serve every city, so some areas are not accessible using this method.

"La route verte" comprises 3,600 km (2,200 mi) of bikeways linking the various regions of Quebec. Parts of the route are on the Trans Canada Trail that crosses Canada from coast to coast to coast. One can visit several regions by bicycle and find local accommodations near the bike paths.

Taking to Quebec’s winding, scenic secondary roads by motorcycle is an increasingly popular way to see the province. In southern Quebec, the best season for motorcycling is from May to October. In remote areas, the nicest season is from June to September. The province boasts several motorcycle clubs, and visitors can rent motorcycles.

Quebec’s motorcyclists share a special fraternity. If your motorcycle breaks down, you certainly won’t remain stranded on the roadside for long before another motorcyclist stops to help. So don’t be surprised to see other motorcyclists wave to you on the road or engage in conversation at a rest stop.

There are many sports and outdoor activities in Quebec that can be enjoyed summer and/or winter, including hiking, snowmobiling and ATV riding over an extensive network of trails that covers almost the entire province, dogsledding, water sports, hunting, fishing, golf,

Skiing is big in Quebec. Much of Quebec is mountainous; popular ski areas include the Laurentian Mountains north of Montréal and sites near Magog in the Eastern Townships. Quebec holds its own quite well against its southern neighbour, Vermont, in this regard. Ottawans often head north to Camp Fortune or beyond to enjoy Quebec's downhill ski slopes.

It is also a great place for cycling. The Route Verte network spans 5,300 km (3,300 mi) through 382 communities (as of 2020). In some regions, the paths of former railway lines have been transformed into cycle or nature trails.

Quebec has 4 national parks operated by the federal government, and 27 parks run by a Quebec government agency, which are also called "national parks". Quebec has more land area than any other Canadian province, but fewer people than Ontario, and much of the population is concentrated in a corridor which follows the St. Lawrence River through Montreal and Quebec City. This leaves large areas relatively untouched; for instance, Anticosti has more 570 km² of provincial park and only one tiny village (Port Menier, pop. 250), an angler's and hunter's delight.

Wildlife observation is possible in many of the untouched regions of the province, some of which extend right to the Atlantic Ocean.

Quebecers are known for their festive spirit and taste for celebration. This explains the close to 400 festivals] held each year in Quebec. Québec’s events are varied, from sports to cultural events and festivals, and attract visitors from around the world.

Cultural events

Montréal

• Montréal International Jazz Festival. With over 500 concerts, 350 of them presented free outdoors, the Montreal International Jazz Festival features the top Canadian and international ambassadors of jazz (end of June to beginning of July). 
• Just For Laughs Festival. Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival is the largest comedy festival in the world and attracts over 2 million spectators each year for comedy in English and French (July). 
• Francofolies de Montréal. The largest Francophone music festival, the Francofolies de Montréal, features over 1,000 artists, singing stars, musicians and emerging talent from some 20 countries around the world (end of July to beginning of August). 

• Les Concerts Loto-Québec de l'OSM dans les Parcs. These three concerts by the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) are presented in Montreal parks in a family atmosphere (June and July). 
• L'International des Feux Loto-Québec. The International des Feux Loto-Québec presented at La Ronde draws the largest pyrotechnics companies from around the world. Each show lasts 30 minutes, and the fireworks competition is the most prestigious and largest in the world (every Wednesday and Saturday evening from the end of June to the end of July). 
• International Flora/Le festival de jardins de Montréal. The International Flora lets you visit the loveliest gardens on the festival site itself (end of June to beginning of September). 
• Festival international Nuits d'Afrique. The international-calibre Festival Nuits d'Afrique features music from Africa, the West Indies and the Caribbean, along with workshops, an African market and exotic cuisine (month of July). 

Québec City

• Québec City Summer Festival. For 40 years, the Quebec City Summer Festival has been presenting hundreds of artists from around the world on ten sites around the capital, all easily accessible on foot (beginning of July). 
• Loto-Québec International Fireworks Competition. This international musical fireworks competition takes place at the Montmorency Falls (end of July to beginning of August). 
• Plein Art Québec. Over 100 craftspeople gather at the Plein Art Québec festival to exhibit Quebec arts and craft creations in ceramics, textile and jewellery (beginning of August). 
• SAQ New France Festival. A celebration of the history of the first Europeans to arrive in North America, the New France Festival presents over 1,000 artistic events every year in a journey back to the past in the heart of Old Quebec (beginning of August). 
• Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands. Since 1998, the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands is the place to go at the end of August for military music. Bands from Canada and also from all around the world arrive in Quebec City every year to offer spectacular performances. 
• Quebec City Winter Carnival. Is the biggest winter carnival in the world. The festival typically starts on the last Friday of January or the first Friday of February and it continues for 17 days, usually with close to one million participants every year. 

Gatineau

• Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival. One of the most popular events in Eastern Canada, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival features hot air balloons and shows (beginning of September). 
• Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light. The Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light is a competition that crowns the champion of the international circuit of musical fireworks competitions over water (end of July to beginning of August). 

Eastern Townships

• A wine festival (festival des vendanges) in Magog, early fall. While Quebec's wine industry is smaller in scale than Niagara's, a fair amount of wine is made locally in Quebec's Eastern Townships ("Estrie").

To truly get a feel for the “authentic” Quebec, take one or several of the tourist routes that run alongside the St. Lawrence or criss-cross the countryside not far from the major axial highways. Clearly indicated by a series of blue signs, these routes are designed to showcase the cultural and natural treasures of their respective regions.

• The issue of sovereignty is an extremely complicated and emotional issue, on which Québécois are almost evenly divided. Quebec francophone media often gives equal coverage to both sides. Even those who aren't souverainistes speak of Quebec as a nation with national parks, national assembly and national capital which can be confusing as both levels of government use terms like parc national or région de la capitale nationale with different meaning. To further complicate matters, there are innocuous local translations for the word "national(e)" that do not contemplate a sovereign nation-state, such as the Canadian Parliament's acknowledgment of a Québécois nation. In fact the word can also be used in a more general sense simply to refer to people who share the same history, culture and language.
• Although Quebec is part of Canada, you'll see few maple leaf flags outside Montreal, and the Quebec media outlets don't emphasize connections with the ROC ("Rest of Canada"). Some Quebecers consider the display of the Canadian flag to be an inflammatory symbol of Anglo dominance. Phrases like "here in Canada" or "as a Canadian" may make your conversational partner ill at ease. Depending on the region, very few people will celebrate Canada Day (July 1). Some may be celebrating Moving Day (also on July 1) instead. Quebec's National Day (la Saint-Jean Baptiste, on June 24) is instead the most important celebration throughout the province.
• Quebec is not France. Calling Quebecers "French fries", or jokes with French stereotypes (impoliteness, poor hygiene, eating frogs' legs, and especially "surrendering") will bring puzzled stares, or at best show that you have no idea which continent you're on. It is as illogical as applying Mexican stereotypes to Spaniards just because of the historical and linguistic ties. Comparing Québécois culture and language unfavourably to France's is best avoided. Although Quebec and France have some similarities, the Québécois are a distinct culture quite separate from the country that "abandoned" them three centuries ago.