Samantha Brown Calls This Winter Wonderland North American City 'A Snow Globe Come To Life'

Winter's nearly here, and it's the perfect time to plan a cold-weather escape. Some travelers head to the charming Christmas markets of Prague and Vienna. Others head to mountain destinations like Breckenridge, a Colorado ski town that transforms into a winter wonderland of snow sculptures in January. But for seasoned traveler Samantha Brown, the top choice for a winter getaway is a French-speaking city in Canada.

"If I had to choose one destination that feels like a snow globe come to life," the travel expert and television host wrote in a November 2025 Instagram caption, "it would have to be Québec City! When we filmed here for 'Places to Love,' I was struck by how alive the city felt in the middle of February!"

When it comes to precipitation, Brown's observations are correct. Along with Chamonix in the French Alps and Sapporo, an underrated Japanese destination that's comparable to Switzerland's Zermatt, Québec's capital is considered one of the snowiest cities in the world. Québec City sees an average annual snowfall of 124 inches. The snowy season typically lasts from early November through April, and for more than a third of the year, according to the Meteorological Service of Canada, there's usually snow on the ground.

Snowfall makes Old Québec's romantic architecture, from the European-inspired Château Frontenac to the French-style Maison Simon-Touchet to the Art Deco landmark known as the Price Building, look even prettier. Like scenes from a real-life snow globe, as Brown said — and her assertion that Québec City feels alive in the middle of winter is similarly on point. In her Instagram post, Brown recommends two particular experiences for visitors to enjoy in the coming months. 

One is the Carnaval de Québec, or the Québec Winter Carnival, an annual outdoor festival that takes place over ten days in February. Featuring winter sports competitions, nighttime parades, light shows, live music performances, and a display of intricate ice and snow sculptures, it's the world's largest winter carnival. All-access ten-day passes to the festival start at $35 per person (admission is free for kids 12 and under), with additional tickets required for certain events and activities. 

This season, the 72nd iteration of the Québec Winter Carnival is set to take place from February 6 to February 15, 2026. The opening day will bring open-air revelry to sites across the city, including at the Ice Palace of Bonhomme, a structure built entirely of ice, at the Place de l'Assemblée-Nationale. On Sunday, February 8, a major highlight of the festival is the iconic Gouvernement du Québec Canoe Race, when adventurous teams navigate their canoes across the icy St. Lawrence River. The event starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Port of Québec.

So, what's Samantha Brown's second recommendation for winter visitors? "Cozy dinners in sugar shacks," she wrote in her Instagram caption, adding, "enjoy all things maple syrup at [a] sugar shack." According to the Québec City website, cabane à sucre (sugar shacks where maple syrup is traditionally made and celebrated) are symbolic of the end of winter and the transition to spring. But with snow on the ground through March and April, the city's sugar shacks — some of which stay open year-round — are cozy indeed. 

The city lists a great selection of sugar shacks and related businesses in the area. Options range from La Petite cabane à Sucre de Québec, where you can sample treats like maple taffy on snow, to La Bûche Restaurant, serving classic Québécois dishes as well as traditional sugar shack specialties. Learn more about why Québec is called "the maple syrup capital of the world." Afterwards, if you're up for a chilly evening excursion, make time for the AU 1884, Québec City's high-speed sled ride, considered one of the oldest and best winter attractions in the country. 

Stay in the center of the action at the elegant, family-run Auberge Saint-Antoine (rooms from $329 per night), which doubles as an archaeological museum, or check into the low-key Chateau des Tourelles (rooms from $131 per night), set in a turn-of-the-century turreted manor. Québec City's international airport is about a 25-minute drive away, or just under an hour using public transportation.