Montréal

Introduction

Visiting Montreal was on the top of my bucket list, so I was dying to visit! I was finally able to make it by planning to come here after my cousin's wedding in Vancouver. I really liked the city and how many parks there were!

You can get around with only knowing English, but I highly recommend at least picking up some rudimentary French. Everyone will know English, but some French will get you far. Getting around the city is pretty intuitive.

To get around, I also recommend getting Montreal's version of a transportation card called a OPUS card. You can get one at the airport by just following the signs that say "747 bus". The 747 is an express bus that goes right from the airport to downtown. It typically costs $10 CAD. So when you're getting your card, I recommend selecting one of the 1/3/7 day passes that are also offered. Chances are you'll use it and it covers this particular bus, along with all metro and bus rides. Getting the typical one-way fare will NOT be enough to cover the cost of the 747 bus. Also, if you are getting a weekly pass, it only covers Mon-Sun (I think). For example, if you get it on Thursday, then you're essentially losing Monday-Wednesday.

For each section, bolded places are the one I recommend. To make an itinerary out of this, you can pick one thing from each section to structure a “day”.

Nature

Parc La Fontaine
Parc Jarry
Parc Maisonneuve - The park feels really big but it actually isn’t. You feel like you’re totally alone even when other people walk around! Maybe it was just the time that I went.
Parc du Mont-Royal - This was my favorite part of Montreal! Mont Royal has a lot of trails, so sometimes it feels like it’s just you and nature. I would start at the stairs near Peel Road & Pine Avenue, and work your way up to Kondiaronk Belvedere. Then, I would walk down towards Beaver Lake. If you have time, I would recommend hiking at the north side of the park too! I would budget maybe around half a day.
- Grand Staircase of Mount Royal
- Kondiaronk Belvedere
- Mount Royal Chalet
- Beaver Lake
- Sunset lookout
- Mt Royal Cross
- Camilien-Houde Belvedere
Jeanne-Mance Park
Parc Jean-Drapeau - Great park to walk around in!
Jean-Doré Beach - Admission costs $9 CAD. which wasn’t terrible but I thought the seagulls were overally aggressive. Otherwise, a great way to spend the day!

food

La Banquise - I got the classic poutine and realized that I wasn’t a fan of poutine as a whole. But, overall expect a line.
Ma Poule Mouillée - Holy moly, this place gives you huge portions of chicken and it tastes so good. I got the #3 chicken breast with fries & salad and it was actually too much food for me!
St. Viateur Bagel - To me, the bagel was slightly pricey (also cash only) but I got a traditional bagel with poppy which was actually very tasty.
Dragon Beard Candy - The candy here is really good (cash only).
Schwartz's Deli - I got the smoked meat sandwich which had more meat than I was expecting! The sandwich is somewhat small, but the meat was the perfect amount of tenderness. The takeaway line is separate from dine-in.
Nouilles de Lan Zhou - The noodles here are really good and flavorful. You can pick different sizes but the large is honestly really big (and what I got). I probably would had been good with a medium.
La Finca Cafe - The beef sandwich was unexpectly good and the chai latte had a nice strong taste, but for the price it was so-so.
Chez Chili - I got the vegetable fried rice for takeaway which was tasty.
Le Majestique Montréal - I ordered the smoked mackerel spread not realizing it was kind of more like a dip vs. mackerel itself but it would had been really good with bread. The fries were the best though!
CA LEM Crèmerie - They have a swirl ice cream that is different every week (I think) that hit the spot! Also, a great photo opp.
Sam Cha - I got the chicken katsu bibimbap and a side of bulgogi, which was pretty flavorful. I got this spot for takeaway as well and I wished I had dined in.
OSMO X MARUSAN Café-Terrasse - This cafe is incredibly cute and a great place to just do some work. No password for the WiFi and it reminded me of a cross between a plant store and a quick-serve Japanese restaurant. The hojicha latte was good!