Canada's grande dame is the provincial capital and the seat of New France. But don't let her history fool you. With her 400th birthday only months away, the city is lifting her skirts and showing that she's got legs

Ça va tu bien? That's "How are you?" in joual, the traditional working-class patois of francophone Quebec. It's a phrase worth remembering in a city with a strong personality all her own. More closely related to the French of the Middle Ages than to standard French, and unique to the people of Quebec, joual—the word derives from the local pronunciation of cheval (horse)—became a symbol of the province's identity when politicians in the 1960s labeled it one of society's evils. Keep your ears open, and you may still hear it spoken—just one of the surprises that gives this city its unique flavor.

Les Hôtels
The ten industrial-chic rooms at the nine-month-old L'Auberge Le Vincent have brick walls, glassed-in showers, and froufrou-free bed linens. In keeping with the inn's Van Gogh theme, a sunflower several stories high curves along one side of the building, and the floor of the lobby bar and breakfast nook is painted with a rendering of Starry Night. Local artisans have crafted lamps and furniture as well as metalwork art (523-5000*; aubergelevincent.com; doubles, $112–$155). The Auberge Saint-Antoine, a 94-room hotel in Old Port, gracefully combines seventeenth-century local artifacts and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century structures with modern architecture. Panache, its new restaurant, serves French-Canadian cuisine with a contemporary twist: a shepherd's pie made with braised lamb or hare, celeriac puree, and fresh goat's-milk cheese. Chef François Blais is so devoted to fresh food that he won't even allow a freezer in the building (888-692-2211; saint-antoine.com; doubles, $138–$330; entrées, $30–$45). A castle of copper turrets and curved stone towers, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has impeccable service and plush rooms with great views of the St. Lawrence River. Even if you don't stay here, don't leave without peeking inside (1 rue des Carrières; 692-3861; fairmont.com; doubles, $215–$410).

Les Restaurants
Start the day at La Boîte à Pain, with the regulars who come for the apple-filled croissants, or stop by at lunchtime, when workers wait in line for sandwiches stuffed with sauerkraut and merguez sausage or ham and cheese. In the afternoon, patrons linger over tea-time tisanes and fresh fruit muffins. Order your food to go and head to the nearby Jardin de St-Roch for a picnic by the fountain, at the corner of de la Couronne and St-Vallier (289 St-Joseph Est; 647-3666). Rumor has it that the macaroons at the year-old Paillard Café-Boulangerie beat those at Paris's Ladurée. The bakers were trained by Dominique Saibron of Le Boulanger de Monge, in the City of Light, and the organic flour is from France. The café serves soups, sandwiches, coffee, and perfect mille-feuilles (1097 rue St-Jean; 692-1221; entrées, $5–$8).