Snow Tubing in Quebec at the Ultimate Winter Playground

This is the most amazing place to go snow tubing in Quebec City. Village Vacances Valcartier is the ultimate winter playground, just outside of Quebec City. It's the largest winter theme park in North America, with more than 35 snow slides, snow rafting, and a high speed tubing slide. Justin and I had an absolute blast playing in the snow, and it's one of the best things to do in Quebec City in the winter.

While it's the best place to go snow tubing in Quebec City, Village Vacances Valcartier has many other attractions and activities, too. It's home to the Quebec ice hotel, the Hotel de Glace. There's an ice skating path that's even operational in the evening. Plus, there's maple syrup tasting at the sugar shack, an on-site spa, and an indoor water park.

Snow Tubing in Quebec: Where to Stay

If you're going snow tubing in Quebec City, I suggest making a true vacation and spending the night. You can stay overnight at Village Vacances Valcartier. There are a couple of options: one is a traditional hotel and the other is a totally unique experience.

If you are staying at the Hotel de Glace (Quebec's ice hotel), you also receive a room at the Hotel Valcartier with your booking. You can always warm up at Hotel Valcartier, use your room's shower and restroom, store your belongings, or even snuggle into bed if you end up getting too cold at the ice hotel overnight.

I recommend spending a couple of days at the property. On the day that you arrive, use your time to tour the grounds of the Hotel de Glace, check out the ice bar, participate in some fun activities like ice carving, warm up in the hot tubs, and then get to sleep in your ice room. The next day, you can go snow tubing at Village Vacances Valcartier and enjoy the activities and amenities at this winter theme park.

Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel)

Spending the night at Quebec's ice hotel is one of the best things to do in Quebec in winter. The Hotel de Glace is a bucket list item that you'll want to check off your list at least once in your lifetime. It's the perfect Quebec City winter vacation, and one of the top ways to spend a winter weekend in Quebec City.

You might have thought that ice hotels were only overseas until now. This ice hotel in North America is more accessible to Canadians and Americans alike. It's the only hotel of its kind in the continent.

Each year, the property is made out of snow and ice from scratch. It's different every year and there are always new themes and new, creative ice sculptures. There are themed suites with fireplaces, relaxing spa experiences, and even an ice chapel for weddings.

Hotel Valcartier

If you're looking for a convenient and luxurious place to rest your head for the night that isn't made out of ice, I highly suggest that you stay at Hotel Valcartier. It's a 4-star modern and comfortable hotel that's designed for families, couples, and groups of friends.

Getting to Village Vacances Valcartier

Village Vacances Valcartier is about a 30 minute drive north of Quebec City. You're welcome to rent a car in Quebec City and drive yourself there. It's possible to park your car on site.

If you don't have a car while you're in Quebec City, you can book this shuttle transfer to Village Vacances Valcartier. This is a roundtrip transfer so you can go snow tubing in Quebec City or enjoy any of the winter theme park activities.

Dining at Village Vacances Valcartier

When you go snow tubing in Quebec City, you'll likely work up an appetite. Village Vacances Valcartier has restaurants and dining options, including Resto Safari, Terrasse du Matelot (lunch or a snack), and you're also welcome to pack your own lunch if you'd rather do that.

At Resto Safari, we ordered veggie burgers with fries. Looking at the menu now, I don't see that option, but the menu is more vegetarian and vegan-friendly than before. You can now get the Tao Tofu, a Golden Beet and Edamame Poke Bowl, and veggie pizzas (get this without cheese for a vegan pizza).

Snow Tubing in Quebec at Village Vacances Valcartier

Have you ever gone snow tubing in Quebec before? You should visit North America's largest winter playground, Village Vacances Valcartier (Valcartier Vacation Village). If you aren't familiar with snow tubing, here are the basics.

Much like a ski hill, it's used exclusively for tubing. Essentially, you go up the tube lifts and then ride an inner tube down an icy and snowy hill. You go pretty fast, and it's a lot of fun. Justin and I rode down the hills together, making sure to hold on to each other's tube.

Did you know that Village Vacances Valcartier has more than 5000 inner tubes and 17 mechanical lifts? Once you reach the top of the hill, you need to decide which snow slide you're going to ride down. Tube rentals are included with your visit.

Village Vacances Valcartier rates each snow slide, from "easy" to "very difficult." That way, you can stick to the calmer hills if you don't want anything too scary. If you're a thrill-seeker, you can head to one of the more intense slides.

No, you won't have to walk back up the hill every time you ride down it. There's a lift system in place to transport you up to the top of the tubing hill. A series of inner tubes travel up the hill. Hop on board this ride before the slide while hanging on to your own tube. Some of the hills are so big, there are two sets of mechanical lifts to get to the very top.

Snow Tubing in Quebec: Inner Tube Slides

In addition to the regular tubing slides (single tube), there are a few other interesting rides. At Tornado, you'll ride in a large, circular tube that seats up to 8 people. It contains a special mechanism that makes the tube spin as you fly down the hill, much like a tornado. It's fun for the whole family!

For the extremely adventurous, Everest is the highest accelerating snow slide in North America, reaching a speed of 80km/hour. It was our first time going snow tubing on such an extreme snow tubing track, and it didn't disappoint! Check out the Everest slide when you visit, if you dare.

Adventurous Snow Tubing in Quebec: Himalaya

There are several difficulty levels at the snow tube park. As for the two of us, our favorite section of snow slides was called Himalaya. These are the steepest and longest slopes at Village Vacances Valcartier. You can also reach up to 80km/hour flying down these hills, just on your inner tubes.

Justin and I sat in our tubes facing one another, hanging on tight to each other's rafts. We flew and spun down the hill, screaming and laughing uncontrollably until we reached the bottom. With the cold wind in my face and a blur of white as I spun around in circles, Himalaya was the most thrilling snow tubing hill I've ever experienced.

Snow Tubing in Quebec: Snow Rafting

Snow rafting is a different kind of snow tubing that I'm sure you'll love. For snow rafting, you sit inside a giant raft, similar to something you'd see if you went white water rafting. It seats up to 12 people, with even adventurous young children being able to ride this one.

There are three snow rafting slides at Village Vacances Valcartier. Each raft seats four to 12 people, so you can bring your friends and all glide down the hill together.

Of course, there are many more ways to go snow tubing at Village Vacances Valcartier. We highly recommend that you spend at least half a day at this winter playground to try all the different slides. Give each snow slide a try...at least more than once! It's the best snow tubing in Quebec, so you might even want to spend the full day there.

More Things to Do at Village Vacances Valcartier

Snow tubing isn't the only activity at Village Vacances Valcartier. There are plenty of other fun winter activities at this snow tubing park in Quebec.

Go Ice Skating on the Skating Path

There's a 1km skating path at Village Vacances Valcartier. Bring your own ice skates or you can rent them at the park. You can also use their skate sharpening facilities if your skates need some sprucing up. Glide across the ice through this winter wonderland while listening to music, by day or night.

Take a Tour of the Hotel de Glace

It's possible to take a tour of the ice hotel, even if you aren't staying there. Go on a tour around the various theme rooms and public spaces, including the ice bar and the ice chapel. Every year, there's a new theme at the Hotel de Glace. The hotel is completely constructed from the ground up annually, so you'll have a new experience each time you visit.

If you're only interested in touring around the ice hotel, there's a great day tour where you can see the ice hotel and tour around Quebec City, too. It's a fantastic overview if you're visiting Quebec City in the winter. Book your tour here.

Eat Maple Taffy at the Sugar Shack

When you're snow tubing in Quebec at Village Vacances Valcartier, you might want to stop for a sweet treat. Just a short distance from the tubing park, you can participate in a very Canadian activity. Eating maple taffy is the perfect sweet indulgence between snowy activities at the park.

For a small fee, you can eat maple taffy on a stick. Hot maple syrup is poured onto a bed of snow. Justin and I rolled up the maple syrup as it hardened on the cold surface. It's an ooey-gooey, sweet and delicious snack that you've got to try.

Bora Parc, the Indoor Waterpark

Bora Parc is a fabulous waterpark that you can enjoy all year long! In the summer, the snow tubing park transforms into a gigantic outdoor waterpark. However, you can still ride the indoor waterslides in the wintertime.

This Quebec indoor waterpark has 14 waterslides, a double surf wave, and an adventure river. There's a water slide that makes you feel like you're free falling, for the thrill seekers in the crowd. There are numerous thrilling slides, a lazy river for relaxing, and all sorts of indoor swimming at the various pools.

Get Pampered at the Aroma Spa

After snow tubing in Quebec, you might want to unwind and relax. For those looking to get pampered, be sure to check out the Valcartier Aroma Spa. It's a 6000 square foot spa with an indoor and outdoor pool. There's also a steam room, a sauna, a tea bar, and a relaxing area with a fireplace. If you're looking to be pampered, Aroma Spa is the place to be.

Play Video Games at the Arcade (Digital Games Room)

Do you love video games as much as we do? There's a Digital Games Room at Village Vacances Valcartier where you can spend hours playing at the arcade. It's a 10,000 square foot gaming room where you can play all the games by using a prepaid chip card.

There are so many kinds of games: pinball, basketball, car racing, table hockey, skill testing games, and so much more. I suggest venturing to the snow tubing park by day, and enjoying some arcade games in the evening after you hit the ice skating path.

In the winter, Village Vacances Valcartier is home to the largest outdoor winter playground. In the summer, the winter playground is transformed into an outdoor water park. The snow slides turn into water slides. There are also swimming pools and lazy rivers. We'll have to return to enjoy this summer playground.

If you're looking for more fun things to do in Quebec City, check out our three day Quebec City itinerary. It's chock full of fantastic attractions, including where to eat, stay, and play. Many of the activities are open all year long, although Quebec City has some unique things to see and do in the winter, like the Winter Carnival (Carnaval de Quebec) and the Quebec City Christmas Market.

Village Vacances Valcartier truly has something for everyone. From winter activities to water slides, and ice sculptures to spa experiences, you should visit in every season. We do highly recommend that you travel here in the winter so you can experience the best snow tubing in Quebec for yourself.

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