5 or 6 days in Montreal

[missing]

I'll be going in a week or so to stay with my brother and sister-in-law at their Montreal condo in preparation for using it during Skate Canada (and yes, my brother and sister-in-law are very nice hospitable people).

Everyone loves Montreal but I don't know which sights to make a point of seeing. One day there I know will be spent with family, and at least some of the time I'll explore the neighborhood and gain confidence with the subway system, which Bookseller and I will be using for SC.

I'm eager for suggestions about what to see and how best to spend my tourist days. And who better to ask than people at FSU!

 

[Sylvia]

Relevant Montreal excerpts from thread from a thread 2 years ago here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/toronto-or-montreal-help-me-decide.98349/

The best nature in Montreal is probably the biodome.

http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/biodome

Montreal has better restaurants [than Toronto] IMHO and its downtown is more compact and interesting to walk around. Rue St Denis is great fun, and for history there is the Old Port part of the city which dates from the 1600s. Montreal also has Mont-Royal park which is excellent for walking and sightseeing. Speaking French, or not speaking it, has never been an issue for me in Montreal - I have functional French and usually get kind-hearted clerks switching to English for my sake You might get some Francophones giving you the stink eye for speaking in English, but pretty much everyone in a customer service role has at least some English.

[Montreal is] more compact, less spread out than Toronto, safer and has a more European less American feel to it than Toronto. Montreal has Mount Royal park and is a much older city than Toronto in terms of History, plus Quebec City or even Ottawa The capital of Canada, is just a hop skip and a short train ride away, if history is really what you are looking for... in Montreal and there is great shopping, neither city will disappoint. It is really what interests you more and there are good museums, as well as the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, all kinds of things to do in Montreal too and if you have a rental car and have some extra time then either Granby Zoo and water park and Parc Safari in Hemingford are good choices for fun day trips out into the countryside...

Ive only been to Montreal once, but it was wonderful. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. if you like visiting cathedrals at all, there are 2 big Catholic cathedrals there--Notre Dame and another one, which I think is called Queen Mary of the World. The Notre Dame cathedral is particularly interesting. Also, the botanical garden and Mont Royal park are lovely.

Perhaps you might like Notre Dame Island in Montreal, if you like nature. You can get a nice view of the city from there.

Unless you are vegetarian, you absolutely must go to Schwartz's Deli. There is always a lineup out the door, so be prepared to wait, and if you're going to sit in instead of takeout, expect crammed tables in a very small space. But it is worth it because they make the best smoked meat sandwiches in the world, on amazing rye bread, with kosher pickles and awesome fries. (Heart attack on a plate, but you only live once!)

I am a Toronto girl through and through and I snark at Montreal all the time, and I would argue with anyone who tried to say Montreal had anything to offer that Toronto couldn't match... but the one thing we can't match is real Montreal smoked meat, Schwartz's style.

If you're coming from a place where Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food of the shawarma and falafel variety isn't commonplace, Montreal also has a lot of good places of that type. Even the big chains (Basha and Amir's are two of them) are reliable. However, if you're used to that kind of food and live in a city where shawarma can be had on every block (like in Toronto), there's nothing extraordinary about Montreal's versions.

Oh, and I don't know where the best can be found (and people's likes and dislikes on this dish tend to vary widely), but when you're in Quebec, you have to eat poutine. (For those not in the Canuck know, it's fries with gravy and cheese curds.)

 

[missing]

Relevant Montreal excerpts from thread from a thread 2 years ago here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/toronto-or-montreal-help-me-decide.98349/

Thank you Sylvia!

 

[snowbird]

Bar B Barn on Rue Guy is nice on a chilly fall night. It;s a barbecue restaurant.

 

[snowbird]

There's an Eskimo section in Montreal. I've never been there. Maybe they don't like being a tourist destination. I've seen them around town,though.

 

[snowbird]

Wilensky's in the Mile End section if you want to get down with the people. Their menu doesn't sound very appealing to me , though.

 

[snowbird]

Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel in Old Montreal. I'm not much of a church buff but this one was memorable to me.









notre Dame de Bon secours chapel

 

[snowbird]

Best to leave the driving to your brother and sister-in-law.The Montreal
drivers are maniacs.

 

[missing]

Best to leave the driving to your brother and sister-in-law.The Montreal
drivers are maniacs.

So my sister-in-law tells me. And since their primary home is in New Jersey, she knows a maniac driver when she sees one.

 

[dramagrrl]

For people who are visiting Montreal this summer, the Biodome is closed for renovations until 2019, but the adjacent planetarium, insectarium and botanical gardens are still open.

 

[Twilight1]

I remember great shops along Saint-Catherine's street.

I went purposefully to see Cirque du Soleil and stayed in old Montreal where there were cobblestone streets.

Wish I had more to offer other than shopping on a specific street lol.

Hope you enjoy your visit!!