Quebec Ferry to Levis: See Stunning Views From the Water

Here's a fun and inexpensive activity to add to your Quebec City itinerary. The Quebec-Lévis Ferry is a great way to witness the beauty of Quebec City from out on the water.

While many people ride the ferry with the intention of crossing the St. Lawrence River to visit the nearby city of Lévis, many tourists simply ride the ferry for fun. Board the ferry from Quebec City to Levis, and simply get back on the ferry and ride back to Quebec City. We decided to give it a try!

Justin and I boarded the ferry in the early evening with the hopes of catching the sunset while our ferry boat was out on the water. We were a little bit early for it; however, I think it was a little too cloudy that day for a spectacular sunset.

Our Experience Taking the Ferry from Quebec City to Lévis

There are two levels to the ferry, so we grabbed some seats on the upper level facing the Old Quebec City skyline as our boat motored through the water across the river. It was incredibly relaxing to sit and enjoy the views after a lengthy day of walking all over the city.

There was a light breeze off the water as we sailed away from Quebec City. As the sun was setting on the Lévis side, it might be a better idea to take the ferry at sunrise. We still really enjoyed the sunset scenery nevertheless.

I can imagine that the ferry ride would be excellent at all times of the day, including nighttime with everything all lit up. I'm sure that the scenery looks gorgeous in the fall with the leaves changing colour or in the winter with snow-covered hills.

We got to see a different view of the Governor's Promenade from the water, which we had walked earlier that day. It was really lovely to see the entire city from a distance like this. Of course, Chateau Frontenac remained at the forefront - such a beautiful, historic building that is thought to be the "most photographed hotel in the world".

The views beyond Quebec and Lévis up the St. Lawrence River were really nice, too. We could see mountains off in the distance where I'm sure that people love to ski in the Winter.

Arriving in Levis

After about 15-20 minutes on the ferry, we reached the island of Lévis. All of the passengers got off the boat and we stayed on, as we wished to travel directly back to Quebec City. Or, we thought that we could stay on to go straight back to Quebec.

An employee of the ferry approached us, and he seemed very confused as to why we didn't exit the ship. We were surprised as we didn't think that we had to leave if we were going right back again.

Unfortunately, he didn't speak very good English and we can't understand French. After the man attempted a couple of times to explain this to us, we finally understood what he meant and we departed, chuckling to ourselves about the slightly confusing situation. We immediately re-boarded the same ferry without any issues.

Make sure you depart the ferry. Then, get back in line to get back on the ferry if you wish to return right away.

Returning to Quebec City

We made our return to Quebec City and enjoyed more fantastic views of the skyline as we approached the mainland. Here's the ferry schedule for the Quebec-Lévis Ferry, though you likely won't need one. A new ferry arrives every half hour so you'll have no problem catching one.

In fact, the ferries run quite early in the morning and keep going until late at night. And the best part is the price: only $4.15 per person for one way! For a little over $8, you can view this beautiful city from the water on a boat ride. There are discounts for younger people and senior citizens, too.

Accessing the ferry is really simple. Walk down to Old Port along the waterfront to the far southern point of Rue Dalhousie. The actual address is on Rue des Traversiers.

You will likely see a bunch of boats, and one of them will be your ferry boat. Enter the building for the ferry and you'll be able to purchase your tickets inside at a ticket booth.

If you're actually interested in stopping in Lévis, I've heard that it can be a great spot for a picnic or to ride bicycles around, although we didn't actually spend any time there ourselves.