See This, Skip That: Quebec

— -- On charm alone, Quebec tops almost any other Canadian city. Fortress walls and cobblestone streets tell the story of a city steeped in history – it’s one of the oldest European settlements in North America – while new development and a thriving arts and culinary scene give it cosmopolitan flair. For many, Quebec City is as close to Europe as you can get on this side of the Atlantic.

Travelzoo has put Canada on its top-five value destinations list for 2016. Here are a few of the wonderful things to do and see in Quebec.

Skip the Goose Down Pillows, Sleep on Ice

A chance to stay at the famous Hotel De Glace comes once a year. Located just 15 minutes outside Quebec City, North America’s only ice hotel is erected when the weather permits – when it gets chilly enough to turn 30,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice into a frozen spectacle. It takes dozens of workers close to six weeks to build this icy inn, which features more than 50 beds – all made of ice, plus mattress and sleeping bag – and a chapel that’s become a very popular nuptials spot. You can find some heat here: the bathrooms, in a separate insulated structure, are heated, and the Nordic relaxation area features an outdoor sauna. Stays include breakfast and there’s cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dogsledding nearby. For 2016, reservations are available only between Jan. 4 and March 17; after that, the warmth of spring will melt it all away.

Skip Your Own Hotel, Visit the Frontenac

Even if you’re staying somewhere else, be sure to check out the Le Chateau Frontenac. And bring your camera. This 5-star castle, part of the luxe Fairmont brand and a National Historic Site of Canada, is so stunning that it’s known as the most photographed hotel in the world. Its locale dates back more than 400 years and was once the residence and seat of power of French and British governors. Inspired by the architectural styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the property was christened a hotel in the 1890s and underwent its most recent revamp – to the tune of $75 million – in 2014. If you stay here, you’ll be in good company: over the decades, the Frontenac has hosted political dignitaries like Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill and celebs like Charlie Chaplin, Paul McCartney and Angelina Jolie.

Skip the Inn, Stay Holistic

Quebec’s newest hotel may offer the city’s most introspective stay. Le Monastere des Augustines opened in the summer of 2015 inside what was once a monastery run by nuns. The order of sisters, who were also nurses, once operated this property as North America’s first ever hospital north of Mexico. Now, after a $40 million renovation, it’s a 65-room hotel centered on holistic programs, wellness classes and sustainable cuisine. This is not a stay for everyone: breakfast is served in silence and rooms have no TVs. Then again, who couldn’t use a daily meditation session?

After Mass, Visit the Door