Our first visit to Montreal surprised me with how much I would love the city.
The wonderful thing about being married to a researcher and planner is that adventure is always in the cards. An off-the-cuff remark from me, like “How have we never been to Montreal?” can turn into two train tickets, a hotel room, and a Matthew Good concert in under an hour.
Thirty-two years of marriage to Mike have never been dull, and this year, we celebrated all the excitement of travelling this life together with a four-day mini vacation to Montreal. Mike planned everything, from the charming boutique hotel to a personal guided tour of the Old Port. He didn’t miss a beat.
We travelled by train from Kitchener to Montreal on Thursday. I can’t applaud Mike enough for this move. We travelled comfortably with reclining seats and exceptional steward service, onboard Wi-Fi and ports for charging. I packed a picnic, and we purchased wine onboard to toast our anniversary. I finished a writing assignment, and we watched movies on our tablet. It was eight hours to Montreal, but we arrived rested and ready to explore. By contrast, travelling by car would have been six hours (without pit stops or traffic delays). We would have arrived mentally fatigued and physically crumpled. The train was a brilliant call. It also meant we could catch up on some sleep on the return leg home after the weekend. Point to VIA Rail
Our Hotel was a short 25-minute walk from the train station - this was perfect because walking is how we best enjoy exploring a city. With two broken toes between us, I wasn’t sure how well we would navigate Montreal on foot, but we were willing to try. Successfully, albeit with a lot of buddy-taping and gozz, we logged 20,000+ steps daily. I felt triumphant to hit our customary daily walking targets for vacation. Yes, there are countless other ways to get around a city, especially one the size of Montreal, but on foot, you encounter the greatest surprises - an 18-story mural of Leanard Cohen, Laurence Vallieres’ two bronze Chimpanzees and vintage vinyl stores like The Death of Vinyl and countess other wonderful finds. I was glad we were able to walk.
Hire a Guide - You won’t be disappointed.
On Friday, we met a local guide (hired through City Unscripted) for a two-hour walking tour of the Old Port. Moka, our guide, knew the area well and provided historical insight into the colonial settling of Montreal. He extolled its European architecture and pointed out influences of American design from New York. As we walked, Moka painted a picture of Montreal at the height of tourist season in the summer when the vibrant waterfront and meandering Saint Paul Street West are lively with festivities. One of the benefits of visiting any location during the shoulder season is avoiding lineups and overcrowding. One of the downfalls is missing out on the vibe of the full-blown touristic experience. Some activities and shops remain dormant in preparation, and the energy has yet to reach a festive pace. Through Moka’s account, it was easy to see how a city like Montreal can provide two completely different travel experiences depending on the timing of your visit.
We learned that over time, a vast majority of the early banking and businesses originally headquartered in Montreal migrated west and re-anchored themselves in Toronto, leaving Montreal with a glut of architectural splendour and a void that the city has filled brilliantly and beautifully with a vibrant arts and culture scene. Galleries abound in Montreal. Art is everywhere, and surrounding enterprises accompany the vibe like fine wine. Upscale dining is bountiful. Small cafes like Le Petit Dep, where we enjoyed breakfast on Friday morning, and restaurants like Le Butterfly, where we stopped to rest our feet, sip wine and enjoy lunch after our tour, are effortlessly accessible and affordable with top-notch food and service.
Where we stayed
Mike had a room for us at Chateau Versailles, a 1911 mansion converted into a tasteful 66-room boutique hotel in 1958. The hotel's location was ideal. It was central enough for our walking itinerary, but our stay in a bustling city felt peaceful for once. Chateau Versailles rests on the edge of a residential neighbourhood on the slopes of Mount Royal. Here, noise from the street was minimal, and we slept like a dream.
The property perfectly matched our fondness for out-of-the-ordinary stays. Our room was charming, with high ceilings, crown mouldings, a fireplace and a city view from a luxurious floor-to-ceiling bay window. It was clean and well-furnished with all of the expected comforts: toiletries, barware, a hairdryer, an ironing board and iron for pressing travel-packed clothing and a good supply of hangers (I love a good supply of hangers). True to its historic charm, the hotel has no elevators and all four stories and lobby are accessible only by stairs. To the hotel’s credit, they are explicitly clear on this when booking. Only one evening had me lamenting the climb from the sidewalk to our third-story room. The staff was courteous, helpful and attentive. If I were to offer one helpful caveat to anyone booking a stay here - remember to hang your ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign before retiring for the night. The maid service knocks early, often before nine otherwise.
Top Stops
I just had to see Notre Dame Basilica for myself, having watched the funeral of former Canadian Prime Minster Brian Mulroney in the lavish cathedral on TV weeks before. The Basilica is located in the Old Port area. If you visit, you must take the tour inside. Religion aside, any fan of opulence, architecture and artistry will be stunned. Outside, the basilica is fortress-like and demure in classic Gothic revival style with a facade of grey stone and plain plate glass windows that decorate its walls, arched entries and towers.
In contrast, the inside is cavernous and radiant. It glows with colourful light from countless stained glass panels and domes. The sanctuary is luminescent in hues of blue that lead one to believe that the basilica reaches straight into heaven. Every inch, from the pulpit to the choir loft cradling the 7,000-pipe organ, is ornately hand-carved. The whole building is a spectacle. I tried to envision it packed with 8,000 - 10,000 parishioners and got dizzy.
Hit the Main - otherwise known as Saint Laurent Boulevard.
Here, you’ll find iconic stops like Schwartz’s Deli and Fairmount Bagel and memorable neighbourhoods like Mile End, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and Quartier des Spectacles.
We spent an entire day here, meandering from Jean-Talon Market back to our hotel. We picked up apples and coffee at the market and continued breakfast with a visit to Fairmont Bagel. The century-old home-turned-bagel-bakery on Fairmont Avenue West swelled with the aromas of woodfire and toasted sesame seeds. If you’re ever looking for Fairmount Bagel, your nose will lead the way from Saint Laurent Boulevard. The bagels were classic Montreal style, chewy and dense, with a sweet snap to their woodfire-baked crusty exterior. I surveyed the neighbouring houses quickly for sale signs and contemplated if bagels were a reason to relocate our family.
Gallery gawking and admiring city murals padded some time between breakfast and lunch, and by the time we joined the lineup to visit the world-famous Schwartz’s Deli, I was confident that we had enough room for classic smoked meat on rye. We waited in line for just 30 minutes outside (thanks to a tip from our Uber driver George - “Go mid-afternoon,” he said, “when people are already done lunch.”) Once inside, we joined two other couples for a lightning-fast lunch at a tightly set table for six. Quickly, we learned that the goal of a meal at Schwartz’s is to say you’ve been - not to dine leisurely. After waiting upwards of 45 minutes in line outside, you have a full four and half minutes to make friends with your table mates and admire the celebrity endorsements and rave reviews plastering the walls of the crowded deli before your food arrives. The mission is understood - ‘eat and get out so the line-up around the block can advance.’ We left with a ‘been there, done that’ feeling reminiscent of a four-token amusement ride - worth every penny to have the experience, but having done it once, neither Mike nor I wouldn’t line up to dine in again. I would, however, absolutely slip in the take-out door like the locals to grab a couple of sandwiches and pickles for a picnic - because, yes - the sandwiches are worth every bit of their hype. Schwartz’s was an iconic stop I was thrilled we did not skip.
Rue Saint Catherine for shoppers
If you want the busy urban center brand-name shopping experience, head to Saint Catherine Street. Between Rue Guy and Rue de Bleury, you’ll find the height of activity - contemporary fashion boutiques, jewellery stores, and large department stores like the Eaton’s Centre and Hudson Bay line each side of the street. We aren’t big on shopping, but people-watching is fantastic in these centres!
Planning a Visit
I fully expected that we would nap our train ride home, having exhausted every minute we could squeeze into our weekend away. Instead, Mike began an eight-hour conversation simply by quipping, “When are we going again?”
I laughed in total agreement. In four days, we had merely scratched the surface.
Before you visit, you should do a little research to decide what you most want to see and plan your stay and days around the core adventures you want to take in. We did exactly that and didn’t waste a minute or miss anything we wanted to experience, but so much remains unexplored -
The BioShpere and Botanical Gardens, the 1976 Olympic Stadium, a hike in Mount Royal (without broken toes), La Fontaine Park, Expo 67, modern and fine art museums, and a long list of must-try dining are all waiting. Our tour guide, Moka, tipped that the grand tent of Cirque de Soliel is erected on the waterfront each year, which is reason enough to return in the summer. Montreal hosts endless festivals and events, and many streets become pedestrian-only during the tourist season.
I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Montreal in the summer. Spring was a good time to visit the city. We got a real taste of Montreal while the competition for elbow room was low and the queues were short. However, I can’t erase the image of sunny skies, filled flower boxes, open-air markets, and a lively sea of tourists strolling avenues along the pier. It’s easy to imagine patios bustling and live music spilling into the streets. What is impossible to believe is how long it has taken us to discover this playground for ourselves.
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