One of Québec City’s must-sees, this verdant clifftop park contains the Plains of Abraham, site of the infamous 1759 battle between British General James Wolfe and French General Louis-Joseph Montcalm that determined the fate of the North American continent. Packed with old cannons, monuments and Martello towers, it's a favorite local spot for picnicking, running, skating, skiing and snowshoeing, along with Winter Carnival festivities and open-air summer concerts. For information and to learn more, visit the Musée des Plaines d'Abraham.
The Plains of Abraham are named for Abraham Martin, a Frenchman who was one of the first farmers to settle in the area. The park was commissioned in 1908 to mark Québec City's tricentennial, and it acquired a reservoir to supply the city with drinking water in 1933. Huts built for soldiers being mobilized during WWII later housed displaced German civilians and POWs. It was here on the Plains of Abraham that ‘O Canada,’ the Canadian national anthem, written by Sir Adolphe-Basil Routhier with music by Calixa Lavallée, was sung for the first time on June 24, 1880.