La Citadelle

Lonely Planet review

This massive star-shaped fort towers above the St Lawrence River on Cap Diamant. The excellent hour-long guided tours give you the low-down on the spectacular architecture and covers exhibits on military life from colonial times to today. The changing of the guard takes place daily at 10:00 in summer. The beating of the retreat, with soldiers banging on their drums at shift's end, happens every Friday at 19:00 from July 6 until early September.

French forces started construction here in the late 1750s leaving a gunpowder building and a redoubt. The actual Citadelle was built by the British, who feared two things: an American invasion and a revolt by the local French-speaking population (the cannons point at the river, and at Québec City). However, by the time the Citadelle was completed (construction took 30 years) things were calming down. The Treaty of Washington (1871) between the United States and the new Dominion of Canada ended the threat of American invasion.

The Citadelle houses about 200 members of the Royal 22e Régiment (the rest live with their families at Valcartier base nearby). The Vandoos, a nickname taken from the French for 22 (vingt-deux), is the only entirely French speaking battalion in the Canadian Forces. They have a reputation amongst the Forces as the toughest (ie most badass) regiment in the army.