Quebec City to Montmorency Falls is a short trip: about 12 to 14 km (8 to 9 miles) from Old Quebec, depending on whether you go to the bottom of the falls or the Manoir at the top, and Sepaq, which runs the park, describes it as a mere 15 minutes from Old Quebec. The waterfall is 83 metres high, and you can see it from a cable car, a suspension bridge across the top, a cliffside staircase and a footbridge below.
The short distance hides a few details that decide how you should go: the park has an upper area and a lower area, the cable car between them closes for part of the winter, and Sepaq charges a daily access fee. A rental car, a tour shuttle and a private chauffeur all get you there; they differ in how much of the park you see and how much of the day you spend organising it. This guide from the Elly8.net desk compares them fairly.
How do you get from Quebec City to Montmorency Falls?
By car it is about 15 minutes from Old Quebec. You can drive yourself and pay the park's daily access fee, join a scheduled tour shuttle, or book a private chauffeur: hourly from US$110 an hour with a 3-hour minimum, or the 6-hour Montmorency Falls and Ile d'Orleans package from US$610 per vehicle.
Our routing puts Old Quebec to the Manoir Montmorency at about 14 km (9 mi). Elly8.net rides in Quebec City are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
See Quebec City prices and reserve
How the park is laid out
Knowing the layout makes every option easier to judge. According to Sepaq's panoramic circuit page:
- The cable car climbs between the river level and the top of the cliff in a few minutes, with views of the St. Lawrence, Ile d'Orleans and Quebec City.
- The Manoir Montmorency sits at the top. From its terrace, a boardwalk along the cliff leads to the La Baronne observation deck and on to the suspension bridge directly over the falls.
- The panoramic staircase clings to the cliff with 487 steps, ending at a concrete promontory at the bottom where the spray reaches you.
- The contemplative footbridge crosses the river below, on the line of an old railway crossing, with platforms for sitting and watching the falls.
The practical consequence: if you arrive at one level and want to see the other, you either ride the cable car, walk the staircase, or have a car meet you at the other end. That last option is the quiet advantage of a chauffeur, covered below.
What it costs to visit (2026-27)
Sepaq's rates page lists a daily access fee per person, plus tax, and separate cable car tickets.
| Ticket | Price, plus taxes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daily access, adult, regular pricing | C$13.90 (May 11 to Nov 1, 2026) | C$10.42 in low season, Nov 2, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 |
| Daily access, adult, Province of Quebec rate | C$6.95 high season / C$5.21 low season | For Quebec residents |
| Daily access, children up to 17 | Free | |
| Cable car, adult round trip | C$14.95 | Unlimited rides on the day of purchase |
| Cable car, child 6 to 17 round trip | C$7.48 | Under 5 free with a parent |
| Cable car, family (2 adults and children) | C$43.06 | Round trip, unlimited that day |
These fees are paid to the park whichever way you arrive. Sepaq recommends buying daily access online before your visit.
When the cable car runs
The cable car is seasonal, and this is the detail that most often changes a plan. Sepaq's schedule page gives these 2026-27 hours for the cable car and the La Manufacture service centre:
- October 13 to November 1, 2026: daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- November 2 to December 18, 2026: closed, but the site remains accessible with no services.
- December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027: daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed December 25.
- January 4 to February 5, 2027: closed, site accessible.
- February 6 to March 31, 2027: daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In summer the hours run later, to 6:30 p.m. from late June to mid-August in 2026. If you visit in a closed period, you can still walk the site, which makes it more important to arrive at the right level or to have a car that can move you between them.
Option 1: driving yourself
If you already have a rental car, driving to the falls is simple: it is a short run east from the city, and you pay the daily access fee for each adult. You set your own timing, you can carry on to Ile d'Orleans afterwards, and a family that already has the car pays nothing extra for the drive.
The trade-offs are small but real. You arrive at one level and need to come back to the car at the same level, so you either ride the cable car twice, climb the 487 steps back up, or skip half the park. In winter you are driving on snow and parking on ice. And if the day includes tastings on Ile d'Orleans, someone has to stay sober to drive. For a longer comparison of the two ways to travel, see chauffeur vs car rental.
Option 2: a tour shuttle or coach tour
Tour operators in Quebec City run scheduled coach and minibus tours, and some include the falls on their routes, sometimes combined with other stops east of the city. For a solo traveller or a couple without a car, that is usually the cheapest way to see the falls with a guide, and the price is per person.
The limits come from the schedule. The bus leaves at a set time, stops for a set time, and follows a fixed route, so you see what the tour sees. With children, older relatives or a group of friends who want to linger at one producer and skip another, that rigidity is the main cost. On public transit, the RTC's bus itinerary planner gives the current route from your hotel; expect it to take longer than a drive.
Option 3: a private chauffeur
A chauffeur turns the falls into a short, flexible trip. There are two ways to book it.
Point to point, by the hour. For the falls alone, book hourly chauffeur service: US$110 an hour in a business sedan, US$140 in a business SUV and US$220 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. Three hours covers the drive, a visit and the return.
The 6-hour signature package. Montmorency Falls and Ile d'Orleans together, from US$610 in a business sedan, US$775 in a business SUV and US$1,215 in an Executive Sprinter. The chauffeur drives you to the falls, waits, takes you around the island at your pace and brings you back.
The useful trick: ask the chauffeur to drop you at the top and collect you at the bottom, or the other way round. You walk across the suspension bridge, down the staircase and along the footbridge, and the car is waiting where you finish. No second cable car ticket, no climb back up.
Side by side
| Drive yourself | Tour shuttle | Elly8.net private car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Rental, fuel and the park fee | Per person ticket plus the park fee if not included | Per vehicle: from US$330 for 3 hours in a sedan, or US$610 for the 6-hour package |
| Timing | Yours | Fixed schedule | Yours, within the booked hours |
| Both levels of the park | Return to where you parked | As the tour plans it | Drop at one level, collect at the other |
| Ile d'Orleans | Easy if you have the car | Only if on the route | Included in the 6-hour package |
| Winter | You drive on snow | Operator drives | Chauffeur drives, car stays warm |
| Best for | Families who already rented a car | Solo travellers on a budget | Families, groups, older travellers, short stays |
The US$330 figure is arithmetic only: three hours at the US$110 business sedan rate. The price is always per vehicle, so a family of five in a business SUV on the 6-hour package pays US$775 for the vehicle, which works out at US$155 each for comparison.
Timing the visit, and stopping on the way in from YQB
Time of day. Morning light is kind to the falls, and on summer weekends the park is calmer early. Sepaq's cable car and service centre opened at 9 a.m. from late April to the start of November in 2026, so a 9 a.m. hotel pickup puts you there at opening.
Straight from the airport. The falls are on the far side of the city from Jean Lesage airport, about 26 km (16 mi) by our routing, roughly half an hour. If you land in the morning, a chauffeur can take you from arrivals to the falls with your luggage secured in the car, then on to your hotel. Book it by the hour; the plain YQB to Old Quebec fare starts at US$115 if you prefer to go straight to the hotel.
Weddings and photos. Sepaq offers the Manoir Montmorency as a wedding and reception venue, with the falls beside it. For a couple and a photographer, a first class sedan by the hour works well; for the wedding party, an Executive Sprinter. See wedding limousine service.
Which vehicle. A business sedan seats up to 3, a business SUV up to 6 with room for strollers, and an Executive Sprinter up to 12. Seats and bags are on the fleet page, and a longer old town circuit can be added through private city tours.
Adding Ile d'Orleans
The island is the natural second half of the day. Destination Quebec cite's Ile d'Orleans guide lists vineyards with views of the falls, a chocolate maker on Rue Horatio-Walker, strawberry picking from late June to mid-July, a maritime museum and the Manoir Mauvide-Genest. In autumn it is apples and colour; in winter it is quieter and very pretty. If tastings are on your list, they happen at the producers; the chauffeur follows local rules on alcohol in the vehicle, and our wine tours page explains how those days run.
For the rest of the region, see our guide to planning a chauffeured Quebec City tour, and for a longer day east, Quebec City to Charlevoix by private car. Getting around town itself is covered in Quebec City taxi vs Uber vs a private car.
Booking it
Pick the package on the Quebec City car service page and press Reserve now, or enter your hotel and plan in the web booker. Child seats are fitted on request. Parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Montmorency Falls from Old Quebec?
About 12 to 14 km (8 to 9 miles), depending on whether you go to the base or to the Manoir at the top. Sepaq describes the park as a mere 15 minutes from Old Quebec by car. The waterfall is 83 metres high, and the cable car connects the two levels in a few minutes.
Is the cable car open in winter?
For part of it. In 2026-27 Sepaq lists the cable car as closed from November 2 to December 18 and from January 4 to February 5, open daily from December 19 to January 3 (closed December 25) and from February 6 to March 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site stays accessible when it is closed.
How much does it cost to get in?
Sepaq charges a daily access fee per adult, C$13.90 at regular pricing from May 11 to November 1, 2026 and C$10.42 in low season, plus tax; children up to 17 are free. A round-trip cable car ticket is C$14.95 per adult. These fees are separate from any transport cost.
Can the chauffeur meet us at the bottom of the falls?
Yes. Ask for a drop-off at one level and a pickup at the other. You walk across the suspension bridge and down the 487-step staircase or ride the cable car one way, and the car waits where you finish, so nobody has to climb back up.
Is a private car worth it for such a short trip?
For one or two people with a rental car, probably not. It is worth it for families, older travellers, winter visits, groups who want one vehicle, and anyone adding Ile d'Orleans: the 6-hour package from US$610 per vehicle covers both with a chauffeur waiting at every stop.
