Monastère des Augustines

Where Augustinian Nuns Still Keep the Keys

Le Monastère des Augustines occupies part of a cloister founded in 1639, when three Augustinian nuns arrived from France to open what became one of the oldest hospitals in North America, the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. The order still lives on site, and the hotel wing was built to let guests share the quiet of that life rather than borrow its aesthetic for effect. Vaulted corridors, a working museum, and a restaurant serving simple food sit alongside contemporary rooms added during a careful restoration, so the history reads as lived-in rather than staged.

Why It Works

We chose this address for something no design budget can manufacture: four centuries of continuous use by the community that built it. The nuns' own retreat and wellness programs, extended to guests through massage, rest cures, and respite stays aimed particularly at caregivers, give the hotel a genuine purpose beyond lodging. Add a museum on site, a restaurant built around wholesome rather than showy food, and a Michelin Guide mention, and the case is for authenticity, not atmosphere alone.

Why This Location

The monastery sits on rue des Remparts, on the fortified northern edge of Old Quebec, inside the walls that make the district a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Terrasse Dufferin and Château Frontenac are a ten-minute walk south; the Museum of Civilization and the ferry to Lévis are close by in the other direction. Guests are inside the old city's quietest corner, away from the rue du Petit-Champlain's summer crowds but a short walk from all of it.

Fast Facts

• Price: €€ (Standard to Premium)

• Vibe: Monastic, restorative, quietly historic

• Rooms: 65, split between Authentic rooms in the original cloister and Contemporary rooms in the restored wing

• Best For: Travellers seeking rest, history, and a genuine wellness pause rather than a spa resort

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The museum next door, telling the Augustinian order's four-century medical and spiritual history

• Dining: Le Vivoir, serving simple, healthy cuisine, plus a takeout counter

• Amenities: Wellness and massage programs, group retreats, on-site museum, respite stays for caregivers

• Attractions: Terrasse Dufferin and Château Frontenac, Old Quebec ramparts, Museum of Civilization, Petit-Champlain district

Sleeping in the Cloister

The Authentic rooms occupy the nuns' former cells and quarters, updated for modern comfort but kept close to their original scale and simplicity, small windows, thick walls, and a stillness that a new-build room can't fake. The Contemporary rooms, added during the restoration, give more space and modern finishes while staying visually in step with the historic wing next door. Neither category chases luxury in the conventional sense; both are built for guests who came here to slow down.

Rest, Not Indulgence

The wellness program follows the nuns' own tradition of care rather than a typical spa menu: massage and treatments are on offer, but so are guided retreats, daily programming, and respite stays built specifically for caregivers and healthcare workers who rarely get looked after themselves. It is less a pampering stop than a genuine pause, in keeping with a building whose original purpose was healing rather than hospitality.

Before You Book

This is not a hotel for guests chasing rooftop bars or late nights: it rewards travellers drawn to quiet, history, and a slower pace inside the walls of Old Quebec. Families are not the focus, and the emphasis throughout stays on rest rather than entertainment. Booking the Authentic rooms means accepting smaller, simpler spaces in exchange for sleeping inside a nearly four-hundred-year-old cloister, a trade most guests who choose this address are glad to make. It is a five-minute walk from Vieux-Québec's main gate at Porte Saint-Jean, close enough to reach on foot with luggage in tow.