I love a road trip! The anticipation of what's to come mixed with the excitement of the sites to see along the way. The drive through the Southern part of Canada's only solely French speaking province is no exception. There's a reason they casually call it "La Belle Province", with it's rolling hills in small towns like La Patrie, to its views of the St Lawrence leading to Canadian fjords, to the seemingly out of place Mont St Hilaire cropping up, steep sided, out of the flat lands just outside of Montreal. I intend to spend much more time in this province, but this weekend, the focus was on its two beautiful, largest cities. So, naturally I’ve created the perfect Montreal and Quebec City itinerary to share with you. 

These two cities have a lot more in common than one would believe given their size difference (Montreal roughly 4 million, Quebec City just over 800,000).

They both have historic districts kept meticulously restored by the province. They are incredibly clean for their sizes in comparison to other cities we've visited. They both have a decidedly European vibe you just don't get anywhere else in North America. And they also both house some of the most amazingly detailed churches I have come across.

A quick stop in Quebec City

As we were heading over from the East Coast, we first came across Quebec City. This was a very quick stop, just for one evening. This itinerary is heavy on Montreal, light on Quebec, though our other adventures in Quebec City have all been fantastic. If you would like to fill more than one day with activities, check out my posts on Hôtel de Glace and Christmas in Quebec City for additional inspiration.

There were a few places I’d recommend visiting if you have one day in Quebec City in the summertime.

St. Anne de Beaupre

The first is the Basilica of St. Anne De Beaupre, a Catholic sanctuary whose bright facade simply takes your breath away. The doors were open, so we helped ourselves to a view of the inside.

Montmorency Falls

We then headed over to Montmorency Falls (Chutes Montmorency) as I cannot resist a massive waterfall. These falls are visible from the road while driving along the St Lawrence River and are remarkably close to the city itself. Just off the highway is a dedicated park where you can venture down into the falls via cable car. 

If you are an adventurous type (and have more time than we did), the park offers many outdoor activities such as zip lining and rock climbing. We took it easy and sat by the waterfall until quite late, then made our way back into the city. 

Stroll the streets of the Old City

We spent the evening wandering the streets of Quebec, watching performers in the street (lots of Cirque de Soleil hopefuls here) and got a much needed night's rest.

A Long weekend in Montreal

The drive from Quebec City to Montreal is only about 2.5 hours. We took our time, had some breakfast and headed out for the next destination. 

I have to confess, I usually try not to play favourites when it comes to seeing the world and its beautiful places, but as a person who has been in 10 North American cities in just the past 3 years, Montreal ranks pretty close to the top. I absolutely love this place.

There's just something about it. Maybe it's the artistic, European feel. Maybe it's the ridiculously delicious restaurants and specialty food shops around every corner. Maybe it's Old Montreal and its gorgeous, original architecture. Maybe it's the bilingual nature of it, because let's address this first…

While Quebec is a completely monolingual province whose first language is officially French, if your first language is English, you will be fine getting around Montreal. A large percentage of locals are bilingual and as my French is very basic to non-existent, I have never had any trouble getting the things that I need. So don't be intimidated by the language. I'm always hoping to improve my French while I'm here and I always get that opportunity. Anyway, I'm not sure what it is I love best about this place, but it's probably a mix of all of the above.

So, what is there to do? It's a big city, where do you start? I have some suggestions that certainly won't disappoint.    

Visit a cafe

Montreal has no shortage of small cafes with specialty coffees, teas and delicious pastries (you will see the word delicious in this post too many times). Each one has its own atmosphere. We visited Cafe Nocturne, Cafe Osmo and Cafe Origine on this particular long weekend. All were fantastic. Below is Cafe Nocturne. 

Take a food tour

Food tours are offered all over the city. Two popular places to tour are Mile End and Old Montreal. As we always spend a lot of time in Old Montreal (click here for food tour options), we chose to try something different this trip and took our tour in Mile End.

This area is best described as a home for artists and techies. It is a charming neighbourhood, not so well-kept as downtown, but with its own character.

The best part of Mile End is the abundance of true specialty shops. For instance, we visited a small shop selling only tomato sauce. There are chocolatiers, butchers, homemade ice cream shops, and of course, Montreal bagels. Both of the "original" Montreal bagel makers can be found in this area. 

I am told what makes a Montreal Bagel different from a classic New York Style bagel is the process of boiling it in water infused with honey. They have a touch of sweetness. They are amazingly flavourful and served hot from these specialty shops. You can actually watch them pulling them out of the oven in front of you.

The shops operate 24 hours per day so as not to have to turn off the large wood ovens that can take some time to reach the perfect temperature. My bagel below came from St Viateur Bagel Shop.

Hike at Parc du Mont Royal

Let's take a short break from food. 

Parc du Mont Royal can be found in the centre of the city. It is a large treed park that is great for escaping summertime heat (we were there in a heat wave) or just getting some exercise. At the top of the mountain there is a lookout. It resembles a European plaza overlooking the city. The view of downtown from here is outstanding.

Search for murals on Boulevard St Laurent

Montreal is an artistic city. They host a yearly mural festival, welcoming artists to paint giant murals around the city. This festival had just finished when we were visiting, and there were fresh paintings all over the side alleys, parking lots and backyards. 

Many can be seen on Boulevard St Laurent, a popular place for shopping, restaurants and bars. This place is worth a stroll if you have some spare time.   

Wander the streets of Old Montreal

Old Montreal is my favourite part of the city.  It is just what it sounds like, the original part of the city that has been preserved. Some of its buildings date back to the 17th Century. You'll know you're there when the street signs suddenly turn red. 

The streets are made of cobblestone. The buildings are architectural wonders. Rue St. Paul is the most popular street to wander, but don't forget to "get lost" down the quieter side roads where you can really appreciate the architecture. 

There are many shops, galleries and some wonderful restaurants in this area. I would recommend Vieux-port Steakhouse (for its amazing food but also the most beautiful terrace I came across) and Gaspar (pictured just beyond Auberge du Vieux-port below) as two in particular that I really enjoyed this visit. Gaspar has a Mac-n-Cheese that is to die for. It is the best I've ever had.  

Relax at a floating spa in the Old Port

You read that right, it's a spa on a boat! As I mentioned above, we were in Montreal during some uncharacteristically high temperatures (37-40 degrees Celsius, in case you think Canada is cold all of the time). Bota Bota Spa was a welcome respite from the heat.

This boat is located in the Old Port (also part of Old Montreal), and has been completely converted into a fully functioning day spa where you can relax while taking in views of the St Lawrence River. I took no photos inside in order to respect others privacy, but it was a dream come true.

This could arguably be one of the more romantic things to do in Montreal if you sign up with someone you love.

I would recommend booking treatments, such as massage, in advance. However, you can walk in to buy a pass for the water circuit, which gives you full access to the boat and its many saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, ice plunges, hammocks and sun bathing chairs for lounging around. 

There's no more perfect way to finish a day at the spa than walking along the streets of the Old Port, looking for a patio for drinks and delicious foods.

Visit Place d'Armes and the Notre Dame Basilica

Somehow I end up at the Notre Dame Basilica most evenings when I'm visiting Montreal. This visit was no different. Place d'Armes is a large, European-inspired, cobblestone square in Old Montreal. The Basilica overlooks it. There are often people busking, milling around, and just enjoying the view of the church and other buildings around the square.

Tours of the inside are given during the day, but we normally just walk in without doing a tour. There is a charge to enter, but it is so worth it. The detail, the colours, the lighting, it's all amazing. I usually find myself trying to figure out how we are capable of building something this beautiful. 

Honorable mentions

On this particular trip we explored the above, however, it wouldn't be fair to complete this write up without mentioning the following places...

Rue St Catherine - for downtown shopping and people watching. This is a very busy street downtown with many chain stores. 

Underground Mall - you can enter this from many places downtown. Another good respite from the heat of summer. Many chain stores, coffee shops, services. 

Gay Village - more shops. Beautiful outdoor decor, especially in summer. 

If you enjoyed this Montreal and Quebec City itinerary or if you’re looking for any more advice on visiting Montreal, feel free to drop a comment below or an email. I hope you find this helpful for planning your future travels!

Salut, 

Hill XO

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