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Getting There · Québec City

Nearest Airport to the Québec City Cruise Port

One airport close by, and a train from Montréal if you want the long way. The Port of Québec puts Jean Lesage International 20 minutes from its docks, and lists a flat C$41.40 daytime taxi between them. Here’s what each way costs.

~20 minYQB to the port, per the Port
C$41.40a taxi by day, flat, per the Port
C$4.00RTC route 80, exact change
~3h15the train from Montréal

See the airport guide for every cruise port →

Landing on sail day?

Tell us when you land and when the ship leaves, and we’ll check it against our rule of thumb.

Airport
Scheduled landing
Ship departs
The short answer

Fly into Québec City. The Port puts YQB 20 minutes from its docks, lists a flat C$41.40 daytime taxi between them, and Uber and Lyft pick up at the airport.

Montréal makes sense if the flights are much cheaper or you want the train: VIA Rail takes about 3h15 to 3h26 to Gare du Palais, a 15-minute walk from the terminals, per the Port. Whichever you pick, land the day before if you can.

Fly into YQB if

  • You want a 20-minute taxi to the port
  • You’re landing on sail day or the evening before
  • You’re sailing Princess, whose Québec rule counts from here

Consider Montréal if

  • The fare saving is big
  • You’re landing a day or more ahead
  • You’d enjoy the train along the St. Lawrence
Airport taxis
Need a ride from the airport?

Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.

See airport taxis on Booking.com

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

The Map

Two terminals in the Old Port

Cruises sail from Terminal 84, the Ross-Gaudreault terminal at 84 rue Dalhousie, or Terminal 30 at 300 rue de l’Estuaire, per the Port of Québec. Both are in the Old Port, below Old Québec, and both are a 15-minute walk from the Gare du Palais train station, per the Port.

Île d'Orléans Port of Québec2 cruise terminals YQB YUL 50 km · 31.1 mi N
Cruise terminalAirportStraight line, not the driving routeReal geography: NOAA’s GSHHG shoreline, generalised, so piers and quays aren’t drawn. Pins from the hotel’s or a map listing’s pin, Adresses Québec and Wikipedia; address-geocoded pins can sit up to a block off.
The Airports

The close one and the long way round

The close one
YQB
Québec City Jean Lesage International
To the port
About 20 minutes
The Port says 20 minutes; the tourism office puts it about 20 km from the terminal, and Holland America about 17 km and 25 minutes.
By taxi
C$41.40 flat by day
Between the airport and the Port’s docks, per the Port, subject to change; YQB posts a higher night rate from 11 PM to 5 AM. Uber and Lyft pick up at the airport too.
Lounges
Air Canada Café
By Plaza Premium, 4 AM to 8 PM, from C$90.85, per Plaza Premium. YQB’s own Boréal Lounge is listed as opening in fall 2026.
The long way round
YUL
Montréal-Trudeau International
To Québec City
About 250 km
A drive of 2h45 to 3 hours, per the tourism office. VIA Rail takes about 3h15 to 3h26 from Central Station to Gare du Palais, and Orléans Express about 3 hours from downtown.
Flying home
US preclearance
YUL clears US-bound passengers before the flight, per Montréal’s airport, so you land in the US as a domestic arrival.
Flights
Still need flights?

Fares and dates are on Booking.com. Land the day before, not the morning you sail.

Search flights on Booking.com

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

The Ride

What the ride to the ship costs

Set how many of you are riding. The bus charges per person and the taxi by the car, so the cheaper answer changes with the size of your party.

Travelers
Taxi to the Old Port, the Port’s daytime flat fare—
RTC route 80 to Saint-Roch, exact change—

One way, in Canadian dollars, before tip, as each source published it on September 26, 2026. The taxi row is the Port’s flat daytime fare, and YQB posts a higher night rate from 11 PM to 5 AM; the tourism office’s cruise page says around $45 by day and $50 at night, and Holland America about C$40. The bus row is RTC route 80 to Saint-Roch, per the tourism office, and from Saint-Roch you still need to get down to the Old Port with your bags.

Other ways in: Princess and Holland America sell transfers through your booking without printing a Québec price, and Viator’s Québec port transfers started at $72 for a private car when we checked.

A rental from YQB? Six companies share the airport’s counters, open 8 AM to midnight most days and 9 to 9 on Saturdays. YQB to the cruise terminal, by car or not · Québec City rental cars
Sail-Day Landing

Landing on sail day? Check your timing

Princess publishes one Québec rule: on sailings that overnight here and leave the next day at 5 PM, land by 10 PM the night before. Beyond that, the yardstick is our rule of thumb, labelled as ours.

  • Taxi, rideshare or a booked transfer, any lineNo cut-off of its own; the Port puts YQB 20 minutes from its docks. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: land at least 4 hours before the ship leaves.—
  • Montréal, then the train or the busVIA Rail takes about 3h15 to 3h26 to Gare du Palais, and Orléans Express about 3 hours from downtown Montréal. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: fly into Montréal the day before.—

Your cruise line’s check-in window, in your boarding documents, is the real deadline, and so is the terminal it names: the Port’s own schedules sometimes disagree on which wharf a ship uses.

Take the clock off sail day

Land the day before. Wake up by the ship.

Twenty hotels for a Québec City cruise, seven of them in the Old Port with the terminals. Tell us your sail date and we’ll book the night before.

Find my best three
Coming Home

The morning you’re back

The Port puts YQB 20 minutes from its docks. Put in your flight and this works out the ride, the wait and what to do with the bags.

Partner links (transfers, rental cars, luggage storage) may earn Seabound Journeys a commission at no extra cost to you. They don't change the plan, which is built only from what each company publishes.

After the ship, only three in-town desks on our list open on a Sunday, so the day you dock decides where the car comes from. Renting a car after the cruise · Driving home to the US
Transit and Bags

Can you get to the ship without a car?

Yes, with a little walking. RTC route 80 runs from YQB to Saint-Roch for C$4.00, exact change, and YQB has an RTC ticket machine by the check-in counters. From Montréal, the train and the bus both arrive at Gare du Palais, which the Port puts a 15-minute walk from both terminals; Cruise Critic says about 10.

Bags: the Port checks luggage for disembarking passengers from 8 AM to 5 PM, C$10, card only, and Holland America says C$10 or US$7. Bounce lists storage around Québec City from C$2.50 a day, near Gare du Palais and the Old Port, if you have hours to fill after you get off.

Fly In Early

Flying in the day before

The day-before flight is the one move that takes a delay off sail day. It costs a hotel night. It buys you the morning.

None of our top twenty runs a free airport shuttle, so it’s the taxi either way, C$41.40 by day. Seven of them are in the Old Port with the terminals, and one, Le Saint-Pierre, calls the ships “just steps” away.

Pre-cruise hotels

The top six for the night before

Twenty hotels for a cruise from Québec City, ranked on the walk or ride to the ship, cruise parking, breakfast and distance. Here are the top six.

See all twenty →
155/100
Le Saint-Pierre
Cruise ships dock "just steps" away in the hotel's words, and breakfast is free when you book direct.
Hold a room →
240/100
Comfort Inn Airport
Free breakfast and park-and-fly parking at C$70 for 7 days, by YQB; ask whether a cruise counts.
Hold a room →
340/100
Hôtel MUST
Free breakfast, free parking and a Boston Pizza in the hotel, with a park-and-fly package by YQB.
Hold a room →
440/100
Hôtel des Coutellier
Breakfast delivered to your room and C$18 parking across the street, on rue Saint-Paul in the Old Port.
Hold a room →
538/100
Hôtel Champlain
A hot and cold buffet breakfast when you book direct, and suites with kitchens, on rue Sainte-Anne inside the walls.
Hold a room →
638/100
Monastère des Augustines
A wellness hotel in a heritage monastery on the ramparts, with breakfast included and Le Vivoir on site.
Hold a room →

Airport to hotel, from YQB

These are the rides our twenty list from the airport.

YQBQuébec City Jean Lesage International
Hotels with a ride from here
Airport ride and a ride to the ship
  • None of the twenty does both from here.

Every hotel, side by side: the Getting There table.

Where to stay
The 20 best hotels for the night before
Ranked on the walk or ride, cruise parking, breakfast and distance, from what each hotel publishes.
Driving instead?
Québec City cruise parking
The Port’s own lots, and what they charge.
FAQ

Québec City cruise airport FAQ

What is the closest airport to the Québec City cruise terminals?

Québec City Jean Lesage International (YQB). The Port of Québec puts it 20 minutes from its docks; the tourism office says about 20 km, and Holland America about 17 km and 25 minutes, depending on traffic.

How do I get from YQB to the cruise terminal?

A taxi, a rideshare or the bus. The Port lists a flat daytime taxi fare of C$41.40 between the airport and its docks, with a higher night rate at the airport from 11 PM to 5 AM, Uber and Lyft pick up at YQB, and RTC route 80 runs to Saint-Roch for C$4.00, exact change. Princess and Holland America sell transfers without printing a Québec price, and Viator's Québec port transfers started at $72 when we checked.

How much is a taxi from YQB to the Old Port?

The Port of Québec lists C$41.40 flat between the airport and its docks, subject to change, and the tourism office gives the same flat fare to the city centre. That's the daytime fare: YQB posts a separate, higher night rate from 11 PM to 5 AM. Its cruise page says around $45 by day and $50 at night, and Holland America says about C$40, so check the fare before you get in.

Can I fly into Montréal instead?

You can, but it's the long way round. VIA Rail takes about 3h15 to 3h26 from Montréal's Central Station to Gare du Palais, which the Port says is a 15-minute walk from both terminals. Orléans Express buses take about 3 hours from downtown Montréal, and the drive is about 250 km. One plus for the trip home: YUL has US preclearance, so you clear US customs before you fly.

How early should I land on sail day?

Princess, on sailings that overnight in Québec and leave the next day at 5 PM, asks for flights that land by 10 PM the night before. The other lines didn't publish a Québec rule on the pages we read, so the day before is the calm plan.

Is there a lounge at YQB?

Plaza Premium lists the Air Canada Café at YQB, open 4 AM to 8 PM, from C$90.85. The airport's own Boréal Lounge, after security by gate 29, is listed as opening in fall 2026, sold by the visit on the airport's site, with no price printed yet.

Can I store my bags on the last day?

The Port checks bags for disembarking passengers from 8 AM to 5 PM for C$10, card only; Holland America says C$10 or US$7. Bounce lists storage around Québec City from C$2.50 a day.

Sources, read September 26, 2026: portquebec.ca — cruises from Québec Cityportquebec.ca — customer serviceportquebec.ca — parkingquebec-cite.com — getting aroundquebec-cite.com — plan a cruisequebec-cite.com — Montréal to Québec Cityaeroportdequebec.com — Uber and Lyftaeroportdequebec.com — public transportationviarail.ca — Montréal–Québec Cityorleansexpress.com — Montréal to Québecadmtl.com — YUL US preclearancehollandamerica.com — Québec Cityprincess.com — flight guidelinesplazapremiumlounge.com — YQBaeroportdequebec.com — loungesaeroportdequebec.com — taxisviator.com — Québec port transfersbounce.com — Québec City

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