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jensjammery-blog · 6 years ago

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Montreal in Quebec, Canada is a thriving city that continues to embrace its rich history which is evident in that majority of Québecois are French speaking. You can easily spend a week in Montreal as there is so much to see and do but even if you only have a long weekend you can still get a good feel for the city.

I recently had the chance to do just that with my good friend and amazing travel companion Law. Here’s our jam-packed itinerary with a combo of hidden gems, local favorites and popular attractions you should be sure not to miss. I include some fantastic places to eat and drink. You can also check out my Instagram story “Montreal” @jensjammery for the highlights.

When to visit: Year round

Montreal is a year round destination and features four distinct seasons. Most people prefer summer, especially if you do not enjoy the cold weather. The winter will reach below freezing temperature with unreliable weather conditions, however with the appropriate attire, it is not only doable but even enjoyable. In this case, we had arrived just days after the Polar Vortex landed in Montreal. Many locals we spoke with did say that the summer can be uncomfortably hot but there are many festivals and activities happening all around the city, making it a fun time to visit.

Winter attire essentials: ear muffs, gloves, thick scarf

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Accommodation

Where we stayed: Sofitel Montreal Le Carré Doré (Golden Mile)

This is luxury hotel is conveniently located in downtown Montreal with a metro station within a stone’s throw away and 5 minutes walk to St. Catherine Street W where many shops and restaurants are located. McGill University is just a few block down from the hotel and is a beautiful campus to walk through.

Window view from Sofitel Golden Mile

Alternate recommendation: Fairmont Le Rein Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth)

This iconic property is most famous for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-Ins for Peace. The hotel recently reopened after being closed for a year of renovation. We only walked through the beautiful lobby which included a market place with local goods, treats and souvenirs as well as a cafe (the coffee was delicious). The lower level has a fun interactive video that projects onto the walkway. See how it works on my Instagram story “Montreal”.

Transportation

We mostly walked in Montreal as it is the best way to see the city. Uber is widely used, taxis are easily accessible in addition to the metro – STM. I recommend doing a rough calculation to determine the number of times you plan to ride the metro to see if the unlimited day pass is worth it. The STM ticket allows unlimited usage within 2 hr timeframe, however within that 2 hr timeframe, you can only ride the metro once. Weekend evenings also offer a lower priced unlimited evening pass that could be worthwhile. The metro is fairly straight forward and gets you to many popular destinations. You can easily spot a metro stop entrance by a blue downward arrow.

Communication

As noted, most Quebecois speak French as their primary language, therefore, I recommend learning a few basics such as hello (bonjour), thank you (merci) etc..before your visit. Most times you will be greeted in French before English and locals will appreciate your attempt to communicate with them in French.

Tip: Duo Lingo is a fantastic free app to help you learn a new language.

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Long Weekend Itinerary in Montreal

Day 1: Arrival / Golden Mile (Downtown)

Getting to the hotel

You can take a taxi or Uber to downtown Montreal. Depending on traffic condition, you can get to downtown in about 25 minutes or so.

Dinner and live music: House of Jazz

We absolutely loved House of Jazz from the moment we walked in. From the outside, the establishment looked questionable with gold statues out front but the inside was a different story. It is reminiscent of the roaring twenties (or thirties) with mercury glass, chandeliers, even the staff were in 20’s attires. Every seat in the restaurant has a view of the stage up front. The performance on our night was spectacular and we stayed until the very end. There is a mandatory coat check of $2 and a cover charge of $10/person. The cover charge applies regardless of food/drink order, which we still thought was worth it. You can check out the line up on their website.

House of Jazz – reminiscent of roaring 20’s

The only thing we would do differently is get dinner somewhere else beforehand. The food at House of Jazz was just ok especially for the price.

Tip: the latest reservation they take is 7:30 but we didn’t see anyone coming in after 8pm having to wait for a table.

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DAY 2: Old Montreal / St. Catherine Street West / Notre-Dame Basilica + AURA

Brunch: Olive et Gourmando

This popular local spot in Old Montreal was recommended to us by the hotel’s concierge. We along with many others waited 45+ minutes for a table. Lucky for us, the starving masses they have a coffee bar with to go pastries. I got a Sticky Bun with Valrhona Chocolate – yes it’s as good as it sounds. When we finally got our food, it did not disappoint! I had the menu staple of O+G Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Raclette and Gouda cheese. Law had the Oeuf Coquette from the weekend brunch menu. It is poached eggs served with tomato, chickpeas, homemade Toulouse sausage, avocado and a few more ingredients plus grilled flat bread. The restaurant has a rustic, homey feel to it. We had a window seat and watched the horse drawn carriage go by several times.

Window seat at Olive et Gourmando

Walk Around Old Montreal

After lunch we walked around Old Montreal taking in the architecture and cobblestone streets. Between the buildings and the francophone (French speaking) that surrounded us, it felt as though we have been transported to a European city. One of my personal favorite store was Le Petit Dep – Dépanneur & Café. It has the most stunning store front I have ever seen. The word “dépanneur” means a small shop/convenience shop. It was a small space with a captivating set up that is inviting. This store was both a cafe and a shop featuring a range of products from candies, to craft beer to local jams and honey. It was really fun walking through Le Petit Dep and discovering unique and local products.

Shopping at St. Catherine St. W

After walking around Old Montreal, we headed back up to St. Catherine Street West*. This is a shopping paradise with stores upon stores upon stores. Being a Canadian living in the US now, I miss seeing Canada born retailers like The Hudson Bay, Indigo and Roots. Another one is La Maison Simons, aka Simons, a well known fashion retailer in Quebec. I specifically had this store on my list as it’s only available in Quebec. They offer simple, classic yet fashionable pieces at an affordable price.

If you only have time for a few stores, I recommend checking out the ones noted earlier. All three have stores across Canada. The Hudson Bay company is a large department store featuring home goods, clothing, beauty etc.. Indigo is a big book store with the addition of home décor, stationery and unique gift items. Indigo was always my go-to for gifts when I lived in Vancouver. Roots Canada features quality women’s, men’s and children apparel as well as leather goods. One of my favorite travel boots is from roots and it has lasted me years.

*A note here about St. Catherine Street. This is a really long street in Montreal and it is divided into West and East. St. Catherine Street West is where the shopping is with many well known stores on this strip. St. Catherine Street East on the other hand is the Gay Village with many restaurants, bars and night clubs. The two areas are distinctively different. We learned the hard way when we thought we were going to St. Catherine Street EAST only to end up in St. Catherine Street WEST

Notre-Dame Basilica + AURA

This is the first church of the Gothic Revival in Canada. Located in Old Montreal and rich in history, visiting Notre-Dame Basilica is a must. Since it was located in Old Montreal, we could have included as part of our walk through Old Montreal earlier in the day, however, we got tickets for “AURA” in the evening so we saved it for then. AURA is a multimedia light show in the Notre-Dame Basilica and is broken down into two parts. First 20mins is a self guided walk through to look at several paintings that come “alive”. Second part is a seated show of lights and music which highlights the intricate craftsmanship of the basilica. It was a fun way to see and experience the basilica. This is suitable for visitors of all ages. For more information or for tickets, click here.

Dinner: Portus 360

This Portuguese restaurant is walking distance from Notre-Dame Basilica. Located at the top of the EVO Montreal building, the restaurant offers a spectacular 360 view of Montreal. The restaurant rotates slowly through the evening so that you get a full panoramic view. They do serve lunch and dinner and I’d imagine the view during the day would be just as spectacular if not more. Reservations recommended. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

DAY 3: Fairmont Le Rein Elizabeth / Marche Jean-Talon / St. Laurent Bvld / Gay Village

Breakfast at Fairmont Le Rein Elizabeth

Both Law and I work in the hotel industry, therefore, we had to check out the iconic Fairmont Le Rein Elizabeth. We walked through the public spaces, checked out the interactive video walkway, the market place and got breakfast at the lobby cafe. The market place had some exquisite treats such as marzipan expertly shaped into a variety of beautiful fruits, preserved candie pears etc. I really enjoyed my cappuccino from the lobby café. They also serve pastries and sandwiches.

Newly renovated lobby at Fairmont Le Rein Elizabeth

Marche Jean-Talon (Jean-Talon Market)

There are several public markets in Montreal and Marche Jean-Talon is one of them. Established back in 1933, this market is one of the oldest in Montreal. The market features a wide range of fresh produce alongside a diverse list of vendors from the butcher shop to a tea shop to a flower shop to a cheese stand. This is a great place to pick up maple syrup, maple butter (we got ours at Ferme Lussier) or other local artisan products. The market also houses food vendors making it a true one stop shop.

Montreal bagels and Mile End

Mile End is a hip local neighborhood with boutique shops, restaurants as well as home of the two oldest bagel shops in Montreal. Montreal bagels are unique in that they are sweeter and smaller. The sweetness comes from the dough being poached in honey water. St-Viateur and Fairmount Bagels are the two most well known (and oldest) bagels shops and are open 24/7. St-Viateur have other locations available in Montreal in addition to the flagship in Mile End.

We went to Fairmount Bagel and it is a small, old school shop with standing room only for less than 10 people. Locals bought bagels by the DOZENS! I tried the sesame bagel and it certainly lived up to its reputation.

I would also recommend checking out Drogheria Fine next door. It’s a small shop that sells only gnocchi with tomato sauce in to go boxes. It was pipping hot and delicious, perfect on a cold winter day!

Drogheria Fine serving pipping hot gnocchi with tomato sauce

Tip: Fairmount Bagel is cash only!

St. Laurent Bvld.

After we got our bagels and gnocchi, we worked our way up St. Laurent Bvld towards Sherbrooke. St. Laurent is one of the main streets in Montreal and has many restaurants and shops along the way. Our favorite was Un Monde de M which has an eclectic collection of home decor and furniture. If you need a break (or a place to warm up), Boulangerie Hof Kelsten, adjacent to Un Monde de M, have really delicious pastries and coffee.

Dinner: Imadake Izakaya

Imadake on St. Catherine Street W is delicious. They serves Japanese Izakaya and ramen alongside a expansive sake menu. The restaurant is conveniently located in downtown. I had Takoyaki and Grilled Miso Black Cod with rice and it was perfection!

Law enjoying some hot sake at Imadake Izakaya

Drinks in Gay Village

Our last stop of the day was checking out the Gay Village (St. Catherine Street East). Being that it was Sunday, not much was happening. We did have plans to check out the drag show at Cabaret Mado but ended up getting drinks at a bar instead. The locals were very friendly and welcoming.

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DAY 4: Cafe Parvis / Parc du Mont-Royal / Au Revoir

Breakfast at Cafe Parvis

Located in downtown, Café Parvis embodies a cool, bohemian vibe filled with greeneries. This was by far my favorite meal in Montreal. Not only did I love the space but I also fell in love with the food! We arrived in the nick of time to order from the breakfast menu. I got the Sourdough toast with whipped ricotta, served with sunflower seeds, apple butter and drizzled with sage honey. Café Parvis services Kittel Coffee which is a local Montreal coffee roaster.

Parc du Mont-Royal

We saved the best for last! Located on a hilltop in the heart of Montreal, Parc du Mont Royal is a large park with a lookout point offering a panoramic view of Montreal. From the Mont Royal Chalet, you would take a short walk to the lookout point. In the winter, you see people cross country skiing, jogging and biking in the park. The key is to dress warm and wear snow boots!

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Au Revoir – it’s time to say goodbye!

Taxis from downtown to the airport is a set rate of $40. Leaving in the mid-afternoon, it took us about 30 minutes to get to the airport.

Even though our time in Montreal was short, we had an amazing time. The city is full of character and everywhere you turn you are surrounded by history. I hope this will inspire you to visit Montreal, be it for the first time or a subsequent visit. I am already thinking of a return visit in the summer with Mr. Jam. I would love to hear your favorites in Montreal, let me know below or reach out via the contact form. You can also follow me on Instagram @jensjammery for updates.

Bon Voyage!

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Montreal is a vibrant city with rich history. If it's not on your bucket list yet, you need to add it. Check out my travel guide and itinerary for the perfect long weekend in Montreal. Montreal in Quebec, Canada is a thriving city that continues to embrace its rich history which is evident in that majority of Québecois are French speaking.

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