Some people say Montréal is one of the coolest cities in North America and others call it Canada’s Las Vegas. Well, Montréal is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’d agree with both of those statements, that’s why I keep coming back. Montréal is where I started my travel journey 12 years ago; I enrolled in the Explore Program, a 5-week summer language program. The program took place at the Université de Montréal and is open to Canadian university students. I learned a bit of French but mostly partied, made friends and explored the lively city daily. After that, I was hooked on travelling and haven’t stopped since. Fast forward to this summer, which was my fifth time back in Montréal, but this time with my family. Things have changed, a few of the old bars (Terrasse Bonsecours & Saint-Sulpice to name a few) are gone and the cheap drink specials aren’t like they used to be, but still Montréal is Montréal and it’s one hell of a city.
Where to Stay
Old Montréal is one of the most popular places to stay but it can get loud, busy and pricey. I’ve stayed there in the past and it was fun. This time we chose to stay downtown, which is a convenient location and easy to get around. We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown. The hotel had free breakfast, was located downtown and right next to Saint-Catherines; the hotel was perfect for transportation. It was a good stay for our 5 nights in Montréal.
Culture
Part of the reason Montréal is so cool is the culture. Quebec and Montréal are primarily French speaking places in the middle of Canada. In Montréal, most people speak English too, but a “bonjour” et “merci beaucoup” can go a long way. In addition to the French language, there is a European feel to the city. The bars are open late, people are always out and about, and you will find hundreds of people in local parks in the middle of the city having picnics. People play music, sports, games, drums and much more. And, if you’re having a “picnic” you’re allowed to drink in the park. So, it’s safe to say I’ve had my fair share of beers in the park. All you need to do is bring a bag of chips and you’re good to go. The parks often have statues, cannons, and other cool things to check out too.
Then there’s Tam-Tams. This past visit, I didn’t get a chance to go because of rain, but Tam-Tams happens on Sundays in Mount Royal Park. The park is packed with drum circles, dancing, music, socializing and vendors selling all sorts of trinkets. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve been every time in Montréal, minus this time. And to contend with Tam-Tams, on Sundays is Piknic Electronik, an electronic music festival on Parc-Jean Drapeau.
Like I said, people are out and about all the time, it’s a lot of fun, and part of this is due to the student culture of the city. It was different for me this time, as I was with my family, but you can appreciate the energy and culture. Montréal has a lot of universities, and the students are out and about and always having fun. That is part of the reason there are so many festivals like Jazz Fest, Italfest, Osheaga and iLESONIQ. Osheaga, which is a 3-day music festival, is probably the biggest. With numerous stages and hundreds of artists performing on Parc-Jean Drapeau.
Neighborhoods
The culture is one of the best parts of Montréal, and as you travel neighborhood to neighborhood you will experience all sorts of cultures. In the trendy Plateau-Mont Royal neighbourhood you’ll find plenty of students and young people, art, cafes and cool restaurants like La Banquise. Similar, to the Plateau neighbourhood and just steps away is another trendy neighbourhood to explore, Mile End. You’ll want to check out Mile End, especially if you’re looking to try a famous bagel from Fairmount Bagel.
And of course there’s Old Montréal, dating back to the 1600’s, for history, overpriced, but charming restaurants and the famous Notre-Dame Basilica. There’s also Old Port, right next to Old Montréal with plenty of food trucks, activities and the famous Ferris Wheel. Close to Old Montréal is the bustling downtown/Centre-Ville centered around Saint-Catherine Street which is famous for shopping. You’ll also find bars along Saint-Laurent and the Place des Arts which is used to host numerous events and festivals.
Those are the main neighbourhoods but there’s plenty more to check out like Chinatown and Little Italy. In Little Italy you can enjoy authentic Italian food, cool cafes and of course wood fired pizza.
Foods & Where to Eat
One of the best parts about Montréal is the food; and while going on a food tour, you’ll naturally explore many of Montréal’s cool neighbourhoods. Montréal is famous for poutine and you can find it at pretty much every restaurant you go to, but the most famous poutine is at La Banquise which is located in the Plateau neighbourhood. La Banquise is open 24 hours a day and has a ton of creative options to choose from like La Fred Calliou. The portions are massive and the flavours are excellent. It’s worth the wait in line.
Something that Montréal may even be more famous for than poutine is smoked meat. And you can get them both on one dish… a smoked meat poutine, it’s delicious. Schwartz is the most famous place for smoked meat but there are plenty of other iconic places to try it. I’ve been to Schwartz several times and the flavour of the smoked meat never disappoints. This previous visit, I really appreciated the smoked meat sandwich. The mustard, fresh rye bread and delicious smoked meat make for one hell of a sandwich. But beware, you’ll likely have to wait in line if you want to eat inside, but it’s worth it for the old school diner experience. Or if you want to take a sandwich to go, there’s a much smaller takeout line.
The next most famous Montréal food is the Montréal bagel. You can choose between St-Viateur and Fairmount Bagel which are the two most famous places. We tried Fairmount Bagel and it didn’t disappoint. We had the all-dressed, sesame and Cinnamon & Raisin bagels. They were excellent: crispy, flavourful and fresh from the oven.
In addition to the signature dishes, Montréal is a massive and diverse city. You can find all kinds of different foods from middle eastern, to Asian and Italian. The wood fired pizza in Montréal is excellent and I’d recommend heading to Little Italy to try some pizza or pasta. I ate at Posillipo and the pizza was excellent. But surprisingly, it was even better right next to our hotel at Pizzeria NO.900. And being a city of 4 million people, of course you’ll find high end (French/European style) restaurants. We tried Holder which was fancy and had some unique items on the menu.
Things to Do
There are plenty of neighbourhoods to explore and plenty of foods to try, so that will eat up a lot of your time but make sure you have enough time to explore some of Montréal’s many attractions.
Montréal has several professional sports including hockey, Canadian Football and the Major League Soccer (MLS). We went to a CF Montréal game; tickets were affordable and it was a lot of fun. The game was good and the atmosphere was lively.
If you like nature and animals, you can explore the Biodome or the Botanical Gardens. Both places are interesting and a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Or for wicked views of the city, take a hike up Mount Royal. It’s not too difficult and a nice hike for great views of the city. Close by is Saint Joseph’s Oratory, one of the largest dome churches in the world.
For kids there’s La Ronde which is a Six Flags Amusement Park located on Saint Helen’s island. There are a few thrilling roller coasters and plenty of fun rides for kids. I went years ago and spent a lot of time waiting in lines for some of the roller coasters. They were fun, but the long lines are brutal. This past trip to Montréal, I went on a roller coaster, but the rest of the day was spent going on kids rides with my daughter. She had a blast and there were plenty of rides for her to choose from. The lines weren’t too bad for the kids’ rides and seeing the fun she had was worth the price of the tickets and overpriced food.
And while you’re walking around Montréal there are plenty of parks to stop at and relax. But some of the main parks are Mount Royal Park and La Fontaine Park. Remember, if you’re having a picnic, you can drink in the park, and the parks are always lively and fun to relax at. There are plenty of benches and there are often water refilling stations. But even better than those two parks is Parc-Jean Drapeau which is on the island. You can explore the flower sculptures at the Jardin des Floralies, rent a paddle boat, bike on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve which is used for Formula 1 or relax on the beach. And, while Parc-Jean Drapeau is on the Saint Helen’s island, it is easily accessible via the metro.
Transportation
If you’re planning on driving in Montréal… don’t. Traffic is horrendous. We drove from Mont Tremblant and just getting to the hotel and the car rental return (which was only supposed to be a 5-minute drive) was brutal. But there’s a solution, the metro.
The Montréal metro is one of the best in Canada and if it had more rural coverage, it’d probably be ranked one of the best in the world. It’s clean, nice; some stations have their own distinct themes and décor too. And if you’re a tourist, pretty much everywhere you’re going is covered. For the urban areas, the metro is extremely efficient, quick and easy to use. Trains usually come every 5-6 minutes. And, like I said, it even goes underwater to Saint Helen’s island.
Another “Montréal thing” to do is bike. There are BIXI Bikes everywhere and with a credit card, you can pick them up and drop them off pretty much anywhere across the city. There are designated biking lanes, so biking is usually pretty smooth. It’s also another awesome thing to do in Montréal. You can bike through Parc Jean-Drapeau, by the St. Lawrence, etc. I biked around Montréal my first couple times travelling there and it was an awesome and fun experience.
Final Thoughts: Why Montréal is One of my Favourite Cities
With the ease of getting around, the sheer number of things to do, the food and the culture, it is no wonder Montréal is considered one of the coolest cities in North America. It feels like a mix between Europe and a major North American city. I’ve been to 26 countries and lots of cities and Montréal is in my top 10, and probably even top 5 favorite cities.
It was different coming with a family compared to when I was younger and single, but still we had a blast in Montréal. Our daughter had a lot of fun and there are a ton of things to do with kids. It wasn’t the same as partying when I was younger, but I still found some time to crush a few beers at the pub and meet an old bro who I first met in Montréal. We met in a La Fontaine Parc on a Tuesday night and the park was packed. There were people hanging out, drinking, listening to music and just enjoying life. We crushed some beers, even shot gunned one for old times’ sake and reminisced on the great times we’ve had in Montréal. I’ve been plenty of times and I plan to go back many more times. If you haven’t been, make sure you go to Montréal, you’ll have a blast!
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