Exploring Montreal in 3 Days

Published on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Leave your thoughts »

In my mind, I always picture Montreal as that glowing and permanently snow-covered city I saw the first time I was there early last January. It had that beautiful and cozy wintery vibe with lots of undulating roads and hills. This time around, I almost could not recognize it without the holiday lights and gleaming white snow covering nearly everything in sight.

Thankfully, visiting Montreal this year during labour day weekend means that I didn't have to trudge through snowbanks while climbing slippery hills! There was no frigid wind stinging my cheeks and blowing snowflakes in my eyes. (Winter in Toronto is enough of an igloo as it is; plus I seem to turn into a grumpy silent person when I'm not able to feel my fingers and toes.) It was a very different vibe with nice balmy weather and I liked it!

Highlights:
VIEUX-MONTRÉAL

Wandering through the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, I had a craving for every restaurant and café we passed by. I will be writing a separate post on my food obsessions and discoveries. It's typically my biggest expense on trips.

There is such a quaint and busy-yet-not-overcrowded atmosphere, I feel like it would be an ideal place to relax, cheer up, or get inspiration. We passed by small contemporary art galleries, souvenir shops, cafés, cafés, and more cafés.

A small and charming collection of vendors/shops embedded within one of these narrow streets. There was jewelry with various ecclectic stones and shapes, some of which appeared to be handcrafted. There were also many other accessories and little knickknacks.

Everything from paintings to photographs to watches to stuffed animals. A couple of the shops resemble what you would find at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. There was also an artist painting and selling cityscapes along one of the "hidden" streets.

After a bit of trekking and map-studying (S gets sole credit for the latter part), we made it down to the pier. It was a fairly quiet and comfortable place to walk around. Definitely a nice change of pace from the touristy and congested areas that we had been roaming around. There were also some peddle-boats for rent.

Then there was a strip along the pier with more miscellaneous vendors - toys, sunglasses, beach clothes, etc. Nothing too extraordinary but still worth taking a stroll through. Later on, we had a look at Bonsecours Market which consists of indoor shops/exhibitions.

BIODÔME
Great place for families with kids or just simple animal/nature enthusiasts. There are birds, monkeys, an aquarium, an insectarium, fossils, and much more. I liked the fact that there was no overwhelming smell, one of the reasons I tend to avoid the zoo.

I'd say I spent the most time observing the penguin feeding time. Nearly had my face pressed up against the glass alongside some excited young children. There was also an adorable otter who reminded me of this video.

SHOPPING
rue Sainte-Catherine

A vibrant street with lots of bustling shoppers. It has many large chain stores that you would find in a typical city. A good mix of different price ranges from BCBGMaxazria to Banana Republic to Bedo, Forever21. There's also an Apple Store, Futureshop, and Chapters/Indigo.

boulevard Saint-Laurent
Assortment of restaurants, lounges, boutiques, and vintage stores. Maybe it was the time of day (late Thursday afternoon), but I was surprised again at the lack of people out and about.

avenue du Mont-Royal Est
Coming out of Mont-Royal station, we were on the hunt for poutine at Au Pied de Cochon. We stumbled upon this outdoor market filled with discount clothing, jewelry vendors, cafés.

NIGHTLIFE

This is Friday night on Bishop St. I loved the noisy atmosphere with students milling about; the place was so animated and full of life. Loud cheers and shrieks reminded us that once again Frosh Week has rolled around again. I'm simultaneously sad and grateful that those days are behind us!

I would say that the excitement was contagious except after a full day of hiking about, we could not muster the energy beyond grabbing a couple martinis (tasted like triples, it was pretty ghastly) at a small bar/lounge. The place was supposed to offer shisha as well but alas, no such luck.