Terrasse Dufferin

Quebec City, Upper Town. Most people stroll this boardwalk for the river view without realising what lies beneath it. Under the planks are the excavated remains of the Saint-Louis forts and Château Saint-Louis, the seat of French and then British governors from 1620 to 1834. Guided tours of the remains show power changing hands in the foundations themselves, the same building simply acquiring new masters after the conquest. The underground site is seasonal and closes in late October. In winter, the terrace has its own tradition instead: a toboggan run at the southern end, in use since the end of the nineteenth century and a fixture of the Winter Carnival.