Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City with kids

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If you’ve ever seen a photo of Quebec City, chances are you have also seen a photo of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which claims to be one of the most photographed hotels in the world. There is no doubt that the Frontenac is visually stunning from the outside, but we wanted to explore the hotel from the inside, too, and see if it lived up to the hype. During our first visit we only spent one night at the Frontenac, and we departed early due to an oncoming blizzard. For our second visit, we spent three nights at the Chateau Frontenac. Here’s our honest review of the Chateau Frontenac with our young kid.

Location, Location, Location: Why the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is a great place to stay with kids

The Château Frontenac is within the walled part of Quebec City, which is knows as Old Quebec (Vieux Quebec). In the winter this means that the German Christmas Markets are just down the road. The Frontenac overlooks the Saint Lawrence river, is next to Dufferin Terrace, and sits just above Le Petit Champlain neighborhood. If you’re looking to spend a few days walking around the city, then you cannot go wrong by staying at the Château Frontenac with kids.

A view of Quartier du Petit Champlain and the Château Frontenac above.

One of the reasons we love the Frontenac is because of its access to the 1884 toboggan- the epic wooden run that has been allowing thrill-seekers to race down an icy wooden path for nearly 140 years. The lines at the toboggan can become very long, so if you’re staying at the hotel, you have the extra benefit of being able to just stop by the 1884 toboggan on your way home, or in the middle of the day.

A view from the 1884 toboggan with the Château Frontenac and St. Lawrence River in the background. this is one of our toddler’s favorite activities in Quebec City.

Pool at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac with kids

The pool at the Château Frontenac is absolutely perfect. There are toys, buckets, and floaties all available for kids to borrow, a shallow splash area feeds into the main swimming pool, which is comfortable and warm even in the winter. For parents, there is always coffee and tea ready, and a hot tub to relax in. We ended up spending every morning in the pool before we began our day. It was a great way for us all to wake-up and enjoy some time while the city was still waking up.

Ambiance, Ambiance, Ambiance

Why the Château Frontenac is the best hotel to visit during the holidays with kids: The Christmas ambiance is amazing at this hotel. Each day before you walk out of the lobby, you pass a beautiful row of uniquely decorated Christmas trees. Santa visits with children on Sundays. At night, the building is lit up with green and red lights, which guides you back to the hotel on your walk back from dinner, ice-skating, or the German Christmas markets.

Our toddler’s daily walk past Christmas tree row at Château Frontenac

The Rooms at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac with kids

Our upgraded room at the Château Frontenac with kids

On our first visit, we received an unexpected upgrade for our room. (The moment the desk attendant saw our stroller and luggage, he kindly upgraded us.) This meant that we had high expectations for our return visit. However, on our second visit, we had a smaller room that just fit all 3 of us. Since we drove to Quebec City, We ended up bringing an inflatable bed for our daughter so she could sleep on the floor; each morning we packed it away.

The one perk to the rooms is that they all have a small fridge, a well-stocked Nespresso machine, and drawers for storage. If you’re traveling with a kid, do not expect a tub at the hotel; even in our upgraded room, we had a very small bathroom. Remember that the Château Frontenac was built in the late 1800s, and while it has been updated and expanded, there are some limitations to the floor plans because of these changes.

Classes, Tours, and other events at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

When staying at the Château Frontenac, you pay a resort fee, which includes tours. During our stay, we opted for a historical walking and ferry tour. Other options include yoga classes and water aerobics. All of these are included in your stay, so be sure to book ahead. When we realized how many choices we had, we popped down to see the concierge. Even though the morning walking tour filled up, they added a second tour in the afternoon, and registered us for that. The staff was incredibly helpful and professional.

The tour we took was a historical walking tour, which included a roundtrip ferry ride across the St. Lawrence.

How to stay at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac using credit card points

Fairmont hotels are part of the Accor hotel chain. If you wanted to book the Fairmont on points, you could use points from the Capital One Venture or Venture X card, or points from Chase portal. This may not be the best way to use your points, so consider your options. For us, the Fairmont felt like a splurge, so we did end up covering about half the cost with our Capital One Card. If you want to hear more stories about how we use points and miles, check out this post.

Disclaimer: By clicking on one of those links above and applying for one of these credit cards, we would earn additional points if you were approved. This does not cost you anything, and do not earn cash from these referrals, just points that allow us to continue to travel on a budget with our family.