In the summer of 2022 when our twins were 12, we finally decided to take a road trip to Canada. Our story begins at Niagara Falls, then Toronto, and continues to Montreal and Quebec City. Here is what we did in Montreal Canada for 4 days.
Day 1
The drive from Toronto to Montreal is long and boring. Listening to great tunes and the Moth Radio Hour while munching on gas station snacks keeps us occupied for the 6+ hour journey. We stopped in Kingston for lunch at a sports bar called Jack Astor’s and tried the Canadian specialty poutine…it isn’t our thing (don’t hate me!!!!)
Le Mount Stephen Hotel
Wow is the only reaction possible when you see the outside of this hotel. It is a gorgeous, ornate mansion from the 1800s that is full of stained glass windows and beautiful art. The restaurant (which becomes a bar at night) is in this building. If you walk through the dimly lit wood-paneled hallway to the connecting building, you will find the gleamingly modern hotel lobby.
Our room is completely digital. There is a console to set the time of day so that the lights can accurately reflect it. This confuses and astounds me. The toilet lid is motion sensing (it opens as you approach) and the seat is heated (which I really don’t like). Also, it has a built in bidet and dryer for your nether regions. Lol.
Mirage Mediterranean Restaurant
A last minute search on the open table app leads us to this nearby middle eastern place. I love the decor here (although the magenta lighting ruined my photos) and the food is delicious.
Day 2
Bar George
We awake to pouring rain, eager to dine in the mansion portion of our hotel. Their Pain Perdu is out of this world!
Pointe-à-Caillière Museum (Archaeology Museum)
Housed in a series of 6 interconnected buildings in Old Port, this engaging museum tells the history of Montreal. The mix of antiquities and modern technology here is a masterpiece; it is really well done! Our favorite exhibits are Generations (a very cool movie about Montreal’s past and present) and Memory Collector (a walk through an old sewer).
Old Town
The rain stopped so the natural progression of the day is to walk along the cobblestoned streets of Old Town. Its kinda disappointing for us because most of the shops aren’t interesting; they all carry junky souvenirs.
Chez Suzette
Lunch turns our day around. It is completely random that we stumbled upon this place. Chez Suzette has the feel of Europe. The menu is extensive and the food is so awesome!
Grand Quay
Rue St Paul Est, The Main Street of Old Town, leads you to the Pier. Perhaps because of the hour, the day of the week, or maybe the inclement weather, there are no street performers, and most parts of this fun area are shuttered when we arrive. We witness the carnival come to life as the day moves on.
SOS Labyrinth
Found in an repurposed warehouse on the pier, this very cool maze and treasure hunt is its a great concept. I can totally imagine enjoying a winter day here with my kids if we were locals. Unfortunately for us, we don’t have an entire day to spare, so we abandon this time-consuming activity after finding just two “treasures”.
Grand Roue
This is a state-of-the-art Ferris Wheel that includes air conditioning (!) which feels really good on a hot summer day. We got to go around three times to see views of the city skyline, clock tower and the biodome.
Cout Bistro
Suddenly its 5:00. After a coffee and a rest at our hotel, we venture to the east side (near Parc la Fontaine) to eat at this highly rated Vietnamese restaurant. The food is great and the server didn’t make us feel stupid when we asked about how to use the lettuce leaf and mint with our Chả Giò /Nem Gánh (spring rolls) 😀
The Village (Gay neighborhood)
St. Catherine Street East starts the neighborhood where Moise Tellier launched the first openly gay-owned shop in North America in 1869. Tonight is a rainy Tuesday and what we find here is a very young crowd. University students are spilling out of bars sporting their school colors. They’re doing sports cheers and singing the 4 Non Blonds song What’s Up along with the blaring music that reaches the street. It sounds like college. Fond memories ❤️ .
For dessert, we indulge in ice cream and beignets at La Diperie.
Day 3: Montreal Canada for 4 days
Eggspectations
I believe this is a chain restaurant here in Canada, but I’m not positive. The decor is super cool and the service is great. The food is okay too.
BioSPHERE
So here’s the thing that wasn’t clear when I prepped for our excursion today: there are TWO “bio” places. That’s right people! TWO! The first one we tried is NOT the one I meant to go to. The bioSPHERE is an environmental museum in the pavilion constructed for a worlds fair (expo 67). This place has interactive exhibits about weather and pollution. There’s also a movie and a great view. “Underwhelming,” says Alex.
St Viature’s Montreal Bagels
Being New Yorkers, we are, by birthright, bagel snobs. We just HAD to try the famous Montreal bagels. The shop we visited today has no seats or tables. It is no nonsense and basic. We order the classic sesame, purchase a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese, and search for a bench around the corner. Sweeter and smaller than we are used to, the bagels are good. Our verdicts: Renato can’t tell the difference, Nina prefers this version and Alex and I agree that NY is better.
bioDOME
Ok so THIS is the place I wanted to see…NOT the biosphere! In 1976 when the Olympics were held here in Montreal, a beautiful area was erected for the games and athletes. In later years, the buildings were cleverly transformed into the “Space For Life” . Unfortunately, La Tour De Montreal, the tallest inclined tower in the world, is still closed for COVID. It is scheduled to open with a brand new restaurant sometime in 2023.
The Biodome is just a small part of the Space For Life. It is an indoor museum/zoo/aquarium/garden compilation organized into four ecosystems:
tropical rainforest
northern wilderness
sub-polar
marine setting
NOTE: If you want to go to the Planetarium, purchase a timed ticket before you do anything else because the shows do get sold out. Wish I would’ve known this yesterday!!!
Rue Saint Catherine Ouest
Nina has been asking to shop, so that is next on our agenda. On this wide boulevard of a street, you can find anything from Chanel to Forever 21. We went to Doc Marten, Urban Outfitters, Vans, etc. and were pretty lucky.
Graffiti alley
Having an alley dedicated to street art seems to be the new thing. Although this space is mostly full of tags, I love hunting for the fun cartoonish characters in the vibrant mix.
Little Italy
IMHO, Little Italy in Montreal doesn’t have the same charm and community feel as other Little Italy areas I have been to, like in San Francisco or Manhattan, for example. Dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Corneli however, was yummy. The food arrived quickly and without fuss. Especially of note is the pizza which has possibly the best crust I have ever eaten…delicious!
Day 4
Chez Cora
We continue to explore options for breakfast since our hotel package doesn’t include any meals. Chez Cora is just two blocks away and the host offered Nina some maple fudge upon entry. Way to win us over!!! Chez Cora is a huge space with delicious coffee and great food.
Mont Royal
Our first goal of the day is to see the mountain from which Montreal gets its name. We put Mount Royal into the GPS and ended up in a sleepy suburb. (You are now officially warned!) Oops. So try again. It is a lot more difficult than it should be due to the massive amount of work taking place throughout this city…Renato says that Canada is just one giant construction site lol.
We arrive at Belvedere Lookout to take some photos, and then drive through the remainder of this lush park. Sadly, we really don’t have time to linger and explore because at this point we are ready for lunch.
Eaton center, Time Out Market and RESO
First thing’s first…we are HUNGRY! We happily order Indian, Portuguese, American and Vietnamese eats at this upscale food court. Everyone is satisfied and ready to move on.
Next on my agenda is RESO, the underground city. I read that this mall is a good entry point. First I must say how pristine everything is. It’s just SO remarkably clean! From what I understand, RESO is a gift from the city to its people so they don’t need to brave inclement weather. It is a series of tunnels that connect main sites within the city to each other via the metro. IMHO, this is Brilliant….but complicated. It’s a whole different city to learn. They even sell maps for it online!!
La Raclette
Of course you know us Swiss American types require melty cheese despite the warm weather. We HAD to go here! Its amazing…everything we dreamed it would be! YUM!
The last morning
After being in Montreal Canada for 4 days, it is finally time to move on. I am sad to leave because I really like this vibrant city! Anyway, last night we spent a little bit of time before dinner walking on the pedestrian only Mount Royal Avenue. I love it there; its my new favorite neighborhood in Canada. If I had a do-over for this leg of the trip, I certainly would spend more time in this area.
For breakfast, we found a St. Viateur Bagel Cafe!
Blonde Biscuiterie: a happy ending 😀
I think it was our second night in Montreal when we googled for dessert and found this place. Alex immediately decides they have the best cookies on earth, so it becomes our mission to obtain them. Every night after dinner we try and fail, usually missing closing time by just a few moments. Finally, this morning, we make it! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! Phew!
Thank you for reading Montreal Canada for 4 days! ❤️
To read about the rest of our Canadian adventure, check out these posts:
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