Quebec City's enticing tableau beyond the wall

QUEBEC CITY - It's what's inside the historic wall of Quebec City that makes people want to visit. It's what's outside that makes people want to stay.

To visit without venturing outside the 17th century fortification is to miss the outdoor concerts, vistas and history of the hilltop Plains of Abraham, the up-and-coming Limoilou neighborhood where young chefs ply their trade and acrobats learn their craft, or the buzz of Saint-Roch district just outside Old Quebec. On the outskirts, higher-than-Niagara Montmorency Falls roar from a cliff where zip liners screech across the canyon.

It's a diverse tableau of communities, architecture, public markets, museums and nature, much of it accessible by foot from Old Quebec and all of it stitched together by the city's extensive network of bicycle trails or a quick drive.