Escalier Casse-Cou

The Escalier Casse-Cou, or Breakneck Stairs, connects the Lower Town of Quebec City to the heights of the Upper Town. It is easily identified by its steep, iron-railed wooden steps that cut sharply into the cliffside. The staircase earned its nickname in the seventeenth century because the precipitous climb frequently caused residents to tumble down the icy path during winter months. While modern metal steps replaced the original wooden ones, the stairs maintain the same precarious link between the riverfront and the city walls.