Originally Posted by
Tripping William
Mrs. Tripping, the boy (age 11) and I will be paying our first-ever visit to Montreal in late'ish July. We are flying in and will be there four days & three nights, with two full days relatively free of obligations. Seeking always-stellar DBR input on what to see, do, avoid, etc. To guide the discussion a little:
- Have accommodations in Old Montreal
- Poutine? Why, yes!
- Bagels? Of course!
- Smoked meats? Absolutely!
- Early to bed, early to rise? That's us.
- Nightlife? That's not us.
Many thanks in advance.
Originally Posted by
Mal
- Joe Beef (call now for a reservation)
- Au Pied de Cochon is one of my five favorite restaurants
- For bagels, you can try both Fairmont and St-Viateur. If you stay long enough at one of those places for breakfast, it'll be late enough to go to Schwartz's for lunch (smoked meat)
- Generally speaking, I'd hang out in Old Montreal and Plateau Mont Royal the majority of my time
- Mont Royal itself is a pretty good hike and worth it to walk off all the food
Have fun!
I agree with what Mal posted. Vieux Montreal is quite nice and a great place to be. Montreal in the summer is fantastic. There are some huge events in the city in the summer. Grand Prix is in June. I've never been, but it is supposed to be a great event. Just for Laughs and Jazz festival are two of the biggies and I believe both are at least in part in July. I was just reading that Place des Beaux Arts is the most visited museum in Canada. I have never been inside, but it is beautiful outside and a typically the centre of the big festivals and a great summer outdoor space.
I don't know if they still do it or not, but a local friend of mine had told me about the Tam tams? A gathering of drummers up on Mont Royal on Sunday afternoons. It was an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time.
Schwartz's is the classic place for smoked meat and is an institution (definitely not fancy) and I would recommend it, but you can get good smoked meat several places in town.
I would recommend a walk down rue St. Catherine's for a good sampling of Montreal with potential stops just below there at the Atwater market, starting from the traditionally more English east and heading west. I'm a breakfast fan and really enjoy Eggspectations, one of which is in the old Montreal Forum at Atwater and Rene Levesque and/or Sherbrooke, (other major east-west arteries.). Cora's is another good breakfast chain. Of course, there are lots of places to get a nice Montreal bagel.
There are nice pubs on Crescent Street and Bishop street that you may find well worth exploring. St. Laurent is a fun North-south artery that I believe used to be the separator between English and French. St. Denis is another great north/ south street with great patios and people watching.
Hope you have a great time in a fantastic city.
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