Things to Do
1. Walking tour of Old Montréal (East & West areas). We did this and seriously had the best time. The walking tour is 4 hours long, plus a 1 hour break after 2 hours where you can break off from the group to get lunch. We booked the walking tour through TripAdvisor and it was excellent! The tour guide was highly knowledgeable and let us know that tour guides are required to take a 2 year course in order to become an official guide. During their coursework, they learn about the history of Montreal, it's architecture, etc. You can find more information about the tour here. Here are some sights we saw during our tour:
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| The tour started near Notre Dame Basilica. |
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| This Church burned down and the only piece left standing was the Virgin Mary statue. |
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| City Hall |
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| The most expensive hotel in Montreal. Celine Dion has stayed at the penthouse. |
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| This historic bank building was converted into a café. |
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| A piece of the Berlin wall that was brought over from Germany. |
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| Old and new architecture collide. |
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| The oldest hospital in Montreal. |
2. Aura at Notre Dame Basilica. I was blown away by this performance. It's a light show with music inside the Basilica at night. It. Was. Amazing. It's a must see if you are in Montréal. For information or tickets, click here. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the show, but I did capture some images of the basilica prior. Fun fact: Celine Dion was married at the basilica.
3. Touring the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Although we didn't have that much time to spend here, it was still amazing. The best time to go is probably spring (we were there in October and didn't see too many blooming flowers), we were still able to see a lot of the Asian gardens which were beautiful.
4. Olympic Park (Parc Olympique). Did you know Montreal hosted the summer Olympics in 1976? What's interesting is the Montreal Tower of the stadium was not finished being constructed in time for the games. It was actually completed after. Pretty interesting.
5. The Underground City. Did you know there is a 26-mile underground city in Montréal? I was blown away by this fact. It's built so that in Winter when it's below zero and freezing, life can go on for the citizens. You can access the underground city from various subway points throughout the city.
Places to Eat
1. Montreal Poutine
Poutine is a specialty in Montréal, so we knew we had to try it. It's essentially French fries with cheese curds and gravy (that's the original recipe-- you can also order it with different meats). We stuck with the original one and it was SO GOOD! We had at Montreal Poutine, which is one of the highest rated places for poutine.
2. Le Robin Square
This little gem had THE BEST truffle mac and cheese with brisket. Their entire menu looked amazing, so I highly recommend it.
3. Universel
I was craving French onion soup, and this place did not disappoint. It's a café that offers a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, and soups, and is in the heart of downtown.
4. La Finca Cafe
I am obsessed with good coffee, so I knew I had to try this place after the hotel concierge recommended it. I had their cold brew which came with coffee ice cubes. They also serve simply yet delicious sandwiches and pastries.
5. L'Entrecote Saint Jean
Steak frites is another French specialty that you have to try when you're in Montreal. We darted into the restaurant because it was snowing outside and we were hungry. It was such a good find! They have a very limited menu of Steak Frites and a few other items, and that's it, since that's what they specialize in.
6. Delices Erable & Cie
This place is not a restaurant, but more of a café/gift shop to pick up specialty items from Montreal, such as maple syrup, honey, chocolates, candies, etc. I tried the maple latte there and it was AMAZING! The maple syrup from Canada is very pure and isn't overly sweet like the syrup you find in the states that have ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup added. I also did some damage at this store and brought home honey and maple syrup for fiends and family. If you're looking for a good souvenir shop, this is it!
This patisserie was recommended by our tour guide, so of course we went there. This place has amazing handmade pastries, macaroons, cakes, etc. I was in dessert heaven! This place is a bit pricy, but I highly recommend it. It's also another place where you can pick up some gifts (I bought some specialty tea from here).
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot Montreal Downtown and it was the perfect location! Plus, the room they gave me had the most amazing view and lots of windows. The hotel itself is walking distance to the old city and is close to many shops and restaurants. Montreal is also a very safe city so we felt fine walking around at night.
Thank you for this tour, I've always wondered what Montreal was like. I would love to go one day xx Maria
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