I'm going to Montreal! What should I see/where should I go?

[Phillycat]

My husband and I have decided on the destination for our late May/early June vacation: Montreal, Canada. Because we're moving to France in September, Montreal will give me a chance to practice my French and submerse myself in an environment where I don't speak the language.

What do you recommend for two weeks in Montreal in early summer? We like museums, churches (for the architecture/art), walking in the outdoors, live music, and good food. All suggestions welcome!

[KitchenWitch]

1. Notre Dame, for sure.

The underground city is really cool (I have not been there since 1987 so much may have changed).

[Phillycat]

8. Huh! I thought that was in Paris!

:D

That is on our list. Thanks for the suggestion!

[KamaAina]

21. Funny, I thought it was in South Bend, Ind.

:P

[JeffR]

2. I lived there for 3 years, so I can suggest a few things.

1) Old Montreal is a beautiful area. Lots of tourist traps, but some nice bars and restaurants. Some gorgeous Old World architecture.

2) Boulevard St-Laurent (aka The Main). A little yuppified now, I understand, but some funky stores, great restaurants, and a nice ambience. Take a detour onto Prince Arthur, a pedestrian-friendly sidestreet with more great bars & restaurants. A couple of good Greek restos there where you can bring your own bottle of wine.

3) More bars and restaurants along Bishop and Crescent Streets downtown. Charlie's American Pub and Woody's were my favorites there. These are a short walk away from Ste-Catherine, the main street.

4) The art gallery is not world-class, but it is worth seeing.

5) The jazz and comedy festivals are a real highlight every summer, but you'll be there too early for them. Always something worth catching at Place des Arts.

6) Head for the top of Mount Royal with a camera. Great views of downtown and the mountains south of the city. It's a short haul to McGill University from there, also worth seeing.

7) Westmount and Outremont are two upscale neighborhoods on the mountainside. Quite scenic.

8) Head to the western tip of the island to spend some time in Ste-Anne de Bellevue. Charming area on the water.

9) The markets (I think there are 4 of them) offer great prices on fresh food.

10) Terre des Hommes, the old site of Expo 67, is worth a trip. The ruins of Buckminster Fuller's US Pavilion are still breathtaking. I think there's also a casino there now.

Hope that helps. Enjoy it - it's a much better place to visit than to live in.

[Phillycat]

9. Great suggestions - thanks.

We are staying right in the area of town you say is good.

May I ask (curious) why you didn't enjoy living there?

[JeffR]

17. Lots of small reasons

adding up to disillusionment. I didn't like see the language wars close up - especially in a city where, as mentioned elsewhere on this thread, the vast majority are bilingual to some degree. The language issue was used as a political football to drum up nationalist sentiment.

The city was dirty and the infrastructure poorly maintained (as an American, I guess I should be used to that). That may have changed since the late 80s when I lived there, of course. The city was really suffering then from lingering effects of recession, and a massive brain-drain when thousands left after the Parti Quebecois took power.

Don't get me wrong, though. It was not all bad by any means.

[sakabatou]

3. Ghost Tour of Old Montreal

I did and it was pretty good.

[Phillycat]

10. Oh, cool!

I'm a dork, that sounds really fun. :D Thanks!

[KurtNYC]

4. My 2nd favorite city in the world...

In the downtown area locals are very accomodating and you may not get much practice with french since so many are fully bilingual. You might consider taking some lessons in french since you are there for 2 weeks. If you really want immersion go to the east end or the north end of the city/island. You won't get much french practice on Crescent Street. I found listening to music with french lyrics was very helpful in getting my ear around the language.

Anyway, here are some favorites:

Au Petit Extra -- great food, classic semi-upscale neighborhood atmoshere
http://www.aupetitextra.com/petitextra/fr/index.asp

La Patisserie Gascogne -- pastry and lunch foods on the palteau, tables in the sun, killer babau rhum. Go to the one on Laurier, not the Sherbrooke one.

Marche Jean Talon -- fresh produce market surrounded by artisan food vendors. Try the gelato. In the little Italy section of the city. Atwater market is interesting too but Jean Talon is the best.
http://www.wizgoboutique.com/WWP_JeanTalon/

St Louis Square and Prince Arthur
Go around dinner time. Musicians and singers take turns on the west end of St. Louis. Saw a guy doing great Andrea Bocelli followed by 2 women playing harps. Prince Arthur is a pedestrian only street lined with outdoor restaurants.

Enjoy!

[Phillycat]

11. Oh yes, I do take French already.

And I use an audiobook program as well. We hope to spend as much time in the Latin Quarter as possible so I can hear as much French as possible. But I know it's no substitute for proper instruction in the language.

Thank you so much for the Montreal suggestions!

[dolo amber]

5. All I know for sure is that there is a telephone booth inside a theater you should avoid

Ask hedges. :shrug:

[Magrittes Pipe]

6. That was in Cleveland, jackass.

:eyes:

[dolo amber]

7. Are you sure? I thought that was Montreal

Oh well, I'm sure you got up to some douchebaggery up there as well.

:P

[Phillycat]

12. You guys let me know if you want me to jump into this conversation at any point.

:D

[dolo amber]

14. Apparantly there was drunken "mistaken" peeing in a phone booth

But as my loving husband pointed out, that was in Cleveland and not Montreal, and I am thusly a jackass. :eyes:

He could tell you fun things to do if you were a 18 year-old virgin in Montreal. :D

[Phillycat]

15. My husband probably wouldn't approve. :)

You guys crack me up. :D

[kedrys]

13. I'd say "me", but we just got here

:P Actually found a Starbucks a few blocks away this past weekend.

The Notre Dame Basilica is an absolute must. Even G*d likes it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_Basilica

The St Joseph's Oratory on top of the hill is another mandatory stop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Oratory

There are tons of music venues - you should be able to fairly trip over them by late spring.

:hi:

[Phillycat]

16. "Even G*d likes it." LOL!

Thanks for all the suggestions! :hi:

[KatyaR]

Too bad you're not going a little later in the summer,

you could attend the Fireworks Festival--http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/

I love Montreal, and I've always wanted to go back for a couple of months in the summer and go to the fireworks competition and the Juste Pour Rire Comedy Festival.

Montreal's a great place in the summer . . . have a wonderful time!

[KatyaR]

18. Delete :<)

[seemunkee]

19. My wife and I went there last September

Notre Dame was fantastic and so were the Chinese lanterns in he Botanical Gardens. The Biodome was interesting and the food was great.
Here are some pictures
http://www.freewebs.com/seemunkee/Montreal/index.html

[redwitch]

20. The architecture museum, McCord Museum, Mont Royal, Botanical Gardens

Old Montreal has a great Archaeological Museum, I forget what it is called. Jazz Festival, International Fireworks Competition, Fine Arts Museum, Notre Dame, The Sailor's Chapel (Old Montreal). The Latin Quarter/St. Denis has great restaurants and bars, shopping, people watching. Good Thai food at Red, St Laurent Street. I love Montreal!

[RadiationTherapy]

22. Go to the Montreal Biodome!

It's like walking outside, inside!!

It is very cool.

[PassingFair]

23. We just got back from Montreal on Saturday!

Yes to all of the above. With two weeks, you should have time
to see everything listed.

In addition, St. Denis street has the craziest restaurant
offerings I've ever seen. HUNDREDS! And cool shops. It
was absolutely breathtaking at night.

The area of "Old Montreal" is my favorite place in
North America.

...BUT, look into B&B locations before you leave, because
lodging is EXPENSIVE!

You will have a wonderful time. A trip to Burlington,
Vermont will only takes a little over an hour.....

[Phillycat]

24. Thanks, everyone, for all the great suggestions!

I have this thread bookmarked and will keep checking it, if anyone has anything to add. :hi: