You have to be at least 18 years old to enter bars and casinos and to purchase or consume alcohol (you could be asked to show ID). Wines and spirits are sold at outlets of the Société des alcools du Québec, the province’s liquor board. You can buy beer at grocery and convenience stores, which also stock a limited selection of wines.

Most of Québec’s cities enjoy a humid continental climate, with four very distinct seasons and significant differences in temperature marking each one. Summer is hot, while winter sees a considerable amount of snow fall. In fact, Québecers owe their legendary joie de vivre to these climatic variations!

Québec’s Great North is characterized by arctic and subarctic climates. The ancestral land of the Cree and the Inuit is known for its lengthy winters and brief summers.

Below is an overview of seasonal temperatures (minimum and maximum):

City	January		April		July		October
	ºC	ºF	ºC	ºF	ºC	ºF	ºC	ºF
Montréal	-12 / -5	10 / 23	2 / 11	36 / 52	17 / 26	63 / 79	5 / 12	41 / 54
Québec	-17 / -7	1 / 19	-1 / 7	30 / 45	13 / 25	55 / 77	1 / 10	34 / 50
Gaspé	-17 / -6	1 / 19	-3 / 6	27 / 43	10 / 23	50 / 73	0 / 10	32 / 50
Kuujjuaq	-28 / -19	-18 / -2	-14 / -4	7 / 25	5 / 17	41 / 63	-3 / 2	27 / 36

For detailed local forecasts and long-term trends, visit The Weather Network's Web site.

Visitors holding a driver’s licence from their country of origin can drive on Québec’s roads for a maximum period of six months. This means you don’t have to obtain an international driving permit, although if your papers are in a language other than French or English, it is highly recommended that you do so.

By law, all vehicle occupants must wear a seat belt.

Consuming alcohol or having alcoholic beverages present in a moving vehicle is strictly prohibited under Québec’s Highway Safety Code. Furthermore, a person suspected of driving under the influence will have to submit to a breathalyzer test. If the test reveals a concentration of alcohol in that person’s blood of 80 or more milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, his or her driver’s permit will be immediately revoked for a 30-day period.

Although the minimum age for driving a car is 16, some car rental companies require that the driver be at least 25, while others charge higher rates for drivers under the age of 21.

For more information about driving in Québec, visit the section entitled Getting around Québec.

The electric current is 110 volts/60 cycles, as it is throughout North America. Because the outlets cannot accommodate European plugs, you’d best bring or buy an adaptor.

To enter Canada, tourists from the United States must carry proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, as well as a piece of photo ID. A passport is still the ideal document, but it isn’t mandatory. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., you should bring your Permanent Resident Card (i.e., green card) with you. If you return to the United States by air from Canada, you will be required, as of January 23, 2007, to present a passport, Air NEXUS card or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

Visitors from the United Kingdom and all other countries must be carrying a valid passport. Visas are also required for visitors from certain countries. For more information, visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Web site or contact the Canadian embassy or consulate in your country.

Personal effects not subject to particular restrictions are exempt from taxes but must be declared at Customs. Visitors who are at least 18 years old may bring into Québec 50 cigars, 200 cigarettes and 200 g (7 oz.) of tobacco, as well as 1.14 litres (38.55 fl. oz.) of spirits or 1.5 litres (50.72 fl. oz.) of wine or twenty-four 355-ml (12 fl. oz.) cans or bottles of beer. There are restrictions on imports of food products, plants, pets and firearms, so you are advised to contact the Canada Border Services Agency prior to your departure.

Interested in living in Québec? You can obtain information in this regard from the Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec.

Stores, shopping centres and most businesses are generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Some establishments open earlier and close later in the evenings, such as pharmacies and grocery stores. A few shopping centres are open every weeknight until 9:00 p.m. Business hours for banks are much more restricted.

In Québec, most businesses, government offices, banks and stores are closed the following days:

• New Year’s Day (January 1)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Journée nationale des patriotes (patriots’ day, the second-to-last Monday in May)
• Fête nationale du Québec (Québec’s national holiday, June 24)
• Canada Day (July 1)
• Labour Day (first Monday in September)
• Thanksgiving (second Monday in October)
• Christmas (December 25)

Many tourist sites remain open on statutory holidays. However, it’s always best to check with the site in question before setting out.

Students enjoy a week-long break in November and another one in March. The exact weeks could vary depending on the region. What’s more, nearly 25% of Québec workers are on vacation during the last two weeks of July. Certain tourist sites are much busier during these periods, so keep this in mind when planning your vacation!

The legal tender is the Canadian dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. Bank notes are available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, and coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 cents and 1 and 2 dollars.

The leading credit cards are accepted everywhere, namely Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Traveler’s cheques are generally accepted in large hotels, some restaurants and major stores. Otherwise, they must be cashed at an exchange office or bank.

There are numerous exchange offices in Québec’s main cities. Airports also offer exchange services. Some businesses accept American money, but they offer a less competitive rate than the exchange offices.

Banking institutions are generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can withdraw cash from most automatic teller machines (linked to the Cirrus, PLUS System or Interac networks) any time, seven days a week.

Currency converter

Foreign travelers must cover their own medical expenses. Consequently, it is important that you take out an insurance policy prior to your departure.

Travelers bringing their own medications with them are responsible for inquiring about customs formalities with the Canada Border Services Agency. Pharmacies can fill prescriptions only if they’ve been written by a member of the Collège des médecins du Québec (Québec’s professional corporation of physicians). In the event of a medical emergency, dial 911 from any telephone.

The flag
The fleur-de-lis flag was raised for the first time at the Parliament buildings in Québec City in 1948. The lilies are a legacy of French royalty, and date back over 1,000 years. The royal blue background is a reminder of the coat of arms of the ruling sovereigns in the days when France dominated North America.

Coat of arms and motto
The Québec coat of arms features three gold lilies on a blue background, symbolizing the French regime, a gold leopard on a red background, symbolizing the British regime, and a branch with three maple leaves, symbolizing Canada. Below the shield is a banner with the motto Je me souviens (I remember). These words were used for the first time in 1883, on the façade of the Parliament buildings. They were inscribed above the main door, reflecting the goals of the building's architect, who had designed the façade as a lasting reminder of Québec's history. The motto became official on December 9, 1939, when the Québec government adopted its current coat of arms.

Floral emblem
The blue flag (Iris versicolor Linné) was selected as the floral emblem of Québec on October 28, 1999, replacing the white lily (lilium candidum). The heraldic fleur-de-lis on the Québec flag was long considered the floral emblem of Québec.

Official bird
The snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) was chosen as Québec's official bird in 1987. It symbolizes the white of our winters, our roots in a semi-Nordic climate and throughout Québec, as well as environmental protection and nature conservation.

Official tree
The yellow birch (Betula Alleghianensis Britton) was chosen as Québec's official tree in 1993. It is not only one of our best-known noble species, but is also noteworthy for the variety of ways in which it can be used and for its high commercial value. It is used in furniture making and is much admired for its colourful fall foliage.

For more information about the national flag and emblems, visit the Québec portal.

Two taxes—the Québec sales tax (QST) and the federal goods and services tax (GST)—are added to the selling price of most goods and services. Until March 31, 2007, visitors who are not Canadian residents can claim a refund of the GST paid during their stay. For details, visit the Canada Revenue Agency's Web site.

Several tourist regions charge a tax on accommodations. The amount is $2 or $3 dollars a night or 3% of the price of the room per night, before the QST and GST is added.

You must leave a tip on service received in restaurants and bars and from taxi drivers and hairdressers. The amount, which is not included in the bill, generally represents 10 to 15% of the total bill (before taxes). Here in Québec, for a restaurant bill, we usually add the amounts of the two taxes (QST and GST) together, the sum of which equals approximately 15%. Tipping bellhops or porters is at your discretion (in general, $1 per bag carried).

A local call made from a public telephone costs just 25¢. You can pay with coins or by using a prepaid card (you’ll pay more if you use your credit card). For long distance calls, using a prepaid card is usually the best bargain.

Foreign cell phones may work in Québec depending on the technology used and the service offered by your provider.

Visitors who plan to spend several weeks in Québec but with no fixed address can take advantage of the General Delivery service for their mail. The French and international term for this service is “Poste restante.” To pick up your mail, you must go to the main post office of the city indicated in the mailing address.

Montréal and Québec City have each designated a General Delivery counter.

Montréal	Poste restante
	Succ. Place-d'Armes 157, rue Saint-Antoine Ouest Montréal, (Québec) H2Y 1L0 Tel. : (514) 393-1664
Québec	Poste restante
	Succ. Haute-Ville 5, rue du Fort Québec (Québec) G1R 2J0 Tel. : (418) 694-6103

Visit Canada Post's Web site for more information about General Delivery.