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Travel Guide to Montreal

Travel Guide to Montreal

Travel Guide to Montreal

At last, I finally created the travel guide to Montreal! SO sorry it took me so long to post this. The truth is, I lost the photos after I posted my outfits from Montreal (Day 1 outfit, Day 2 outfit, Day 3 outfit, Day 4 outfit, and Day 5 outfit)! I accidentally deleted everything on our external hard drive. Luckily, when it comes to technology, it doesn’t mean it is lost forever. We were able to revive the photos and it took a bit longer to sort through them. But yes, here it is!

European Getaway

If you are craving a European vacation but lets say time & money (or one or the other) is stopping you from going to Europe, going to Montreal is a great alternative. Montreal is the Paris of North America. Seriously, everything is so Parisian and I loved it! It really does feel like I am in Europe. The best part is that the flight from Chicago is only an hour and a half and round trip plane tickets were relatively affordable. We went in May so the weather was still chilly- like around mid 40s. However, there was a day that the weather went up to the mid 70s.

Travel Guide to Montreal

 

We mostly stayed in Old Montreal and we were there for 5 days and it was more than enough time to stay! Everything in Old Montreal was walkable! Without further ado, here is the travel guide to Montreal.

Travel Guide to Montreal

Place to Stay

We stayed at the Auberge du Vieux-Port, and we loved it! This hotel has a rustic feel to it. So much character and the staff was very friendly! We love the location too. It is a short walk to the Notre Dame Basilica of  Montreal and to the infamous Clock Tower.

Travel Guide to Montreal

Places to See

  • Clock Tower
    It is a memorial site to honor the lost sailors during wartime and to mark the entrance of the port. It is like the Big Ben of Montreal. It is such a pretty tower with a gorgeous view overlooking the river. During the summer months, they have a manmade beach at the Clock Tower.

Travel Guide to Montreal

  • Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal
    It is their most well known church and where Celine Dion got married. The church is beautiful and has so much history behind it. When we were there, we were fortunate that it was during the Light Show. It was an AMAZING experience. Here is a YouTube video of the Light Show.
    Travel Guide to Montreal Travel Guide to Montreal
  • China Town
    It is a short walk just outside of Old Montreal. It is about a 10 minute walk from the Notre Dame Basilica.
  • Walk Around Old Montreal
    There’s so much to see in Old Montreal. SO many different shops and it is just fun walking through their streets. So much character and beautiful architecture. Most of our time spent there was just walking and eating 🙂
  • Delices
    This is the place to go if you want to get some Canadian Maple Syrup. They have quite the variety and in so many different forms. They also have a cafe in the back so you can order beverages and gelato.
  • Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal
    Love this boutique. They have the cutest stuff. They have jewelry, accessories, and home goods. A lot of their stuff you can find at Anthropologie, except at the boutique it is half the cost 😉 I’m Anthro-obsessed, so I was loving everything about this store. It is also attached to a bistro so you can shop and dine after!
  • Le Petit Dep
    It is a convenience store but it is the cutest convenient store I’ve ever been to. Seriously puts 7-11 to shame. Basically, if Anthropologie could be a convenience store, it would be Le Petit Dep. They also have homemade pastries, salads, sandwiches and a coffee bar.

Travel Guide to Montreal

  • Noel Eternal
    If you love Christmas, then this store is for you. This store is open throughout the year and it is filled with Christmas decor and ornaments. My husband is Christmas obsessed and really enjoyed this store.

 

Places to Eat/Drink Coffee/Snack

  • Brit & Chips
    They are known for their fish and chips and I can see why! So good!! It does get crowded at lunch time so we went slightly off hours to avoid the long lines.
  • Tommy Cafe
    It is a coffee shop and I just love its bright and airy ambiance. We probably went there 3 times because we love their lattes and pastries.

Travel Guide to Montreal

  • et Bistro Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal
    This is the bistro connected to the shop Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal. We loved this place! It is a farm-to-table kind of place. The ambiance is quirky and rustic, and the staff was so nice. They also have a pianist play during certain times of the day.
  • Patisserie Harmonie
    This one is located in Chinatown and their bao buns are the cutest and delicious! Plus, it is so inexpensive!

Travel Guide to Montreal

  • Bocata
    Farm-to-table restaurant and every food we had taste fresh and scrumptious!
  • Creperie Chez Suzette
    They are known for their crepes. They have a large variety of sweet and savory crepes.
  • Aloha Espresso Bar
    This is another favorite coffee shop of ours and it is Polynesian themed. They have Hawaiian coffee and it is just a great spot! It is also a couple short blocks from Auburge du Vieux-Port. We love the Eggaholic! So good!

Travel Guide to Montreal

  • The Keg
    This is more of an upscale restaurant and they are known for their steak. My husband got the filet mignon and loved it!
  • John Michael’s Pub
    A regular pub with a French twist. So you will find your usual pub food but a little bit of French flair to it.
  • La Fabrique de Bagel 
    When you are in Montreal, you have to have Montreal bagels. It is their signature! The Plateau Mont Royal is the more popular neighborhood to get authentic Montreal bagels. Since we were too cold to explore outside of Old Montreal, we found La Fabrique de Bagel as another popular Montreal bagel place and this one was located in the train station just outside of Old Montreal.

Travel Guide to Montreal

A Quick Recap of Our Montreal Itinerary

Day One

  • Lunch at Brit & Chips
  • Clock Tower
  • Walked Around Old Montreal
  • Dinner at John Michael’s Pub

Travel Guide to MontrealTravel Guide to Montreal

Day Two

  • Brunch at et Bistro Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal
  • Shopped at Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal
  • Walked around Old Montreal
  • Snack and Coffee at Tommy Cafe
  • Shopped at Noel Eternal
  • Notre Dame Basilica to watch the Light Show.
  • Dinner at the Keg

Day Three

  • Breakfast and Coffee at Aloha Espresso Bar
  • Walk around Old Montreal
  • Lunch at et Bistro Le Magasin General du Vieux-Montreal
  • Snacked at La Fabrique de Bagel
  • Went to Chinatown
  • Snacked at Patisserie Harmonie
  • Le Petit Dep

Day Four

  • Brunch at Bocata
  • Shopped at Delices
  • Coffee at Aloha Espresso Bar
  • Walked around Old Montreal again
  • Dinner at Creperie Chez Suzette

Day Five

We had an early flight back to Chicago!

Travel Guide to Montreal

Next Time

Hope you found this travel guide to Montreal helpful. Again, so sorry it took me so long to post it! We definitely would love to come back especially since it was so easy to fly to. We would probably like to come back when the weather is a bit warmer and stay 4 days max. Next time we definitely want to explore the beautiful neighborhood of Plateau Mont Royal and go to the Mount Royal Park. We have heard the view from there is incredible!

xo RD

Keep on reading...
Montreal Day One: Wear a Neck Scarf
Montreal Day 3: Where to Buy High-Quality, Affordable Clothes
48 Hours in Oakland: A Weekend Travel Guide

Comments

  6. Oh my gosh now I totally want to go here! I have heard such great things about Montreal. Love the place with the hanging plants and the Christmas store! AHHH wanderlust.

    Reply

  20. So glad you were able to recover the photos, it’s always so frustrating when technology gets in the way, but it’s good you could recover them and make your post 🙂

    Seems like you had a great time too! I’ve never been to Montreal but it looks amazing!

    Hope that you are having a lovely weekend 🙂 We are having a relaxing one, much needed after a hectic week!

    Away From The Blue Blog

    Reply

    • I know, I was in panic mode when I thought I lost them forever! We definitely had a great time and glad to hear you had a relaxing weekend!

      Reply

  21. What a great travel guide! Montreal has been added to my long wish list of places to visit 🙂

    xo, Natasha
    PALM+PINE | A style blog
    palmandpineblog.com

    Reply

  27. My friends like to laugh at me because every time I talk about traveling to a new place, I always get most excited about the food I’ll try while I’m there. It sounds like Montreal has delicious food-a-plenty! I need to start doing some more traveling this year!

    Reply

    • It is such a charming place! In my post I mentioned we stayed 4 nights 5 days. Honestly, you can probably see all the highlights in less than 4 days.

      Reply

    • I would recommend Auberge du Vieux-Port, which was the hotel we stayed at. It was affordable, the staff was friendly, love their service, and there was so much charm!

      Reply

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