NFDI Travels: Montreal
We visited Quebec City a few years ago and loved it. With the opportunity to visit Montreal this year, I was excited to return to the Province and experience something new. If French is not your forté, do not hesitate to visit. Within the city, everyone speaks English and have no errs in doing so. With Montreal a large city, there are many areas of interest and I'm sure we barely scratched the surface. Our four days in the city consisted of lots of walking, delicious food and wonderful scenery. If you'd like a quick getaway within Canada that has the feel of Europe, head to either of these two great cities. Here are my recommendations based on our visit.
STAY
Hotel St. Paul was perfectly situated walking distance from Old Montreal and on a main thoroughfare for über pick ups. The Hambar restaurant (their charcuterie is fabulous by the way), attached however not affiliated to the hotel, was the perfect late afternoon nosh spot before dinner and the overall decor of the hotel was classic and colourful. 355 RUE MCGILL
Whether you stay here or not it's worth a visit to William Gray. It's a stunning hotel from a design perspective and has an amazing rooftop patio. We visited mid afternoon for appies and drinks and ended up staying almost through to dinner time. 421 RUE SAINT VINCENT
OLD MONTREAL
SHOP
Espace Pepin is one of many boutiques worth checking out in Old Montreal. There’s something for everyone here, women’s wear, menswear, home goods and even fun items for pets. 350 SAINT-PAUL ST. W
EAT
Le Petit Dep Ice cream; cookies, candy and old school music. Enough said. 179 SAINT-PAUL ST. W
Olive & Gourmando is a café with all the fixings; deliciously healthy food, friendly service and a cool vibe. Grab and go, or sit and eat if you're good to wait through the line. It's worth it! 351 SAINT-PAUL W.
Crew Café is inconspicuous and easy to pass by if you don't know about it. Hidden in an old bank, the architecture in this cafe/ work space is beautiful. 360 ST-JACQUES
LOV is botanical cuisine, vegan, vegetarian and all things pure. The design of the space is so pretty and fresh. Worth going if you're good with the meatless fare. 464 RUE MCGILL
No. 900 Pizzeria is a great place for authentic Italian pizza, yummy appetizers and a cool vibe. 444 RUE MCGILL
SEE
Notre Dame Basilica: Although a high traffic tourist destination it is still worth venturing inside to take in the beauty and detail of the church. There is a light show daily called Aura that we did not have time to attend, however I've heard good things about if you wish to add that to your experience. 110 NOTRE-DAME STREET WEST
Mont-Royal | Mile End
EAT
Fairmont Bagel a staple to Montreal, a queue down the street and people exiting this small establishment with bags and bags of bagels is reason enough to make your way over. They have this place moving like a well oiled machine so don’t let the line deter you from picking up a fresh warm bagel. 74 AVENUE FAIRMONT WEST
Boulangerie Guillaume, the petit cake Reine Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth small cake) was one of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever eaten. 5134 SAINT LAURENT BLVD
Schwartz’s Montreal is famous for it’s smoked meat and this is the place to have it since 1928. Prepare for a long line, community seating, and being in and out within 20 minutes of sitting down. It’s packed with people, serves simple food and has an err of the “soup nazi” diner from Seinfeld. 3895 SAINT LAURENT BLVD
SHOP
There are several fun stores and boutiques to shop and explore in this neighbourhood. Here are just a few...
Lambert Gratton - 4051 RUE DE BULLION
SEE
Zoë Pawlak ; In a city of 4 million, what are the chances you'll run into someone you know? Pretty good I guess! Zoe was kind enough to give us all sorts of suggestions in Montreal and it was by pure happenstance that we ran into each other on the street. What a wonderful surprise! If you don’t know Zoë’s work, take advantage of an in person introduction to her art studio close to the mile end neighbourhood. See current work and get a behind the scenes look at new work, inspirations and also a great city view from her space. *appointments necessary 5333 CASGRAIN AVE
OTHER HOT SPOTS
EAT
Grumman '78 is a little off the beaten path but well worth the drive. The restaurant is built in an old service centre which had our über driver wondering if we had the right spot. The menu is Mexican and the vibe is very cool. 630, DE COURCELLE, ST-HENRI
Located on the 44th floor of 1 PLACE VILLE MARIE, Les Enfants Terribles is a wonderful dining experience offering a beautiful view (almost 360 degrees!) of downtown Montreal and the St. Lawrence River. The food is delicious and the decor super fun. Check out their "cheeky" chairs!
SEE
In the Old Port of Montreal is the brand new Observation Wheel. It was not quite up and running during our stay however it is scheduled to open in August 2017. I expect it will provide spectacular views of the city and is likely to be a popular venue so arrive early for tickets.
Transportation
There's no need to rent a car in Montreal if you're staying within the city limits. Walking, the METRO and Über are the best ways to get around and experience the city.
While this captures our weekend in a nutshell, I would love to go back for repeat visits and to experience other things we just didn't have time for. Thank you Montreal for an amazing weekend! I can't wait to visit you again.
💛
Special thank you to my friends Aly, Zoe and Marie for some great recommendations!
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