MSheinberg

I had previously posted October Trip to Toronto and Montreal. Thank you for you help as I have now finalized that portion of our trip by booking the Hilton Toronto on Richmond Avenue.

Now it is time to fine tune Montreal. We plan on being there for seven days as follows:

Days 1 & 2--Walking tour through Vieux Montreal with visits to:

Basilique Notre Dame
Hotel Deville
Chateau Ramezay
Hostellerie Pierre Du Calvet for a look through
Chapelle Notre Dame De Bon Secours
La Tour De L'Horloge to climb tower
Marche Bon Secours
Center Des Sciences De Montreal
Pointe-A-Calliere
Lachine Canal & Atwater Market

Days 3 & 4--Walking tour through Downtown Montreal with visits to:

Basilique Catherine Marie Rein Du Monde
St Patricks Basilique
Cathedrale Christ Church
Musee McCord
Musee Redpath at McGill University
Musee Des Beaux Arts
We will probably break up these days as we are visiting lots of churches and museums during these four days.

Day 5--Jardin Botanique

Day 6--Parc Du Mont Royal

Enter park via steps at Rue Peel & Rue Sherbrooke
Chalet Du Mont Royal for the city views
Lac Aux Sasters (Beaver Lake)
Parc Summit
Loratoire St Joseph
Have been in contact with Les amis de la montagne at Maison Smith who have provided me with details for this visit to Mont Royal.

Day 7--Plateau

Parc Fontaine
Walk on Boulevard St Laurent and St Denis
Marche Jean Talon
Little Italy

Again, please critique my itinerary and give me your feed back.

Daniel_Williams

MSheinberg,

I see potential for boredom if you stick too closely to this itinerary; a good visit to Montreal I think is aided by a certain willingness to be spontaneous. It's a fun city I'd like to see your itinerary reflect that with more entertainment options and restaurants, and fewer churches and museums (and I enjoy these latter two!); a more even mix of sites and nature would also be more enjoyable. Two days in Old Montreal and two days downtown for the first four days to me is excessive and it seems to me you'll be cloistering yourself unnecessarily. I'd try to spread out to the Plateau/Little Italy earlier, to discover which of all areas you mention that you enjoy most. Base things on the weather; if it's a nice day, hit Mont-Royal (or you could go out to Parc Jean Drapeau, unmentioned in your itinerary which is on metro-accessible Ile Ste. Helene, an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence, quite lovely with my favourite museum of the city, the Biosphere).

Days 1 & 2-- Old Montreal even at a slow pace I think can be nicely visited in a day, which leaves Atwater Market, which is really not close to Old Montreal at all. You might eat at the Atwater Market and get some fresh produce, but that won't really take all that long. Lachine Canal is huge extending 14 km on bike paths all the way from Old Montreal out to Old Lachine (this latter point is lovely, terrific views of the St. Lawrence); were you thinking of biking the distance? That's a nice way to spend a day actually (on a nice day).

Day 3 & 4-- Downtown is not my favourite part of the city, although I'll grant it has some merits. I think you'll find a day plenty, perhaps returning after exploring other areas to hit one of the museums you mentioned.

Day 5. Botanical Gardens are lovely, however, this is not going to take the full day. With Insectarium and Biodome, you'll fill up the day a bit more, but I'd maybe be on the eye out for other things to do that day, maybe dance/ musical entertainment (check out the local rags the Mirror or Hour (or Voir in French)) for events around the city).

Have fun deciding, Daniel

zootsi

I agree with Dan's comments. Your plan looks fine, but is quite tight and rigid. One of the joys of Montreal is the unexpected - a festival in a park, street entertainers, a fun outdoor cafe, etc. I would do one day downtown (don't forget Chinatown),and 2 days on the Plateau just wandering around experiencing the interesting neighborhoods that change from Portuguese to Italian to Jewish as you go from block to block.
If you do Jean Talon and or Atwater, try and get there before lunchtime as things wrap up by mid afternoon.
I don't believe a whole day is necessary for Parc Mt. Royal, but you can easily spend a full day at the botanical gardens if you also do the Insectarium and the Biodome. The Lachine Canal is more of a biking outing than a specific tourist destination.

MSheinberg

Thanks to both of you. This is good info. We basically try to stay flexible as we travel. We do like to wander about the cities we travel to while we see the sites. We spend whole days at botonical gardens, walking through parks or neighborhoods.

We do not bike so we will be walking, using public transportation or a taxi. We find the metro and the underground stations conecting the stations exciting. These are things we do not do where we come from.

Zootsi, I did forget Chinatown. We spend a lot of time in Asia and always visit the local Chinatown and you will find us in the ethnic neighborhoods also.

I do hope to hear from others who live or travel to Montreal with their ideas.

cdnyul

Unless there is an IMAX movie you absolutely have to see, forget the (so called) Science Center. It is a pathetic imitation of one, an absolute waste of time.

Mark

MSheinberg

Thanks Mark for the advice. Have removed it from the itinerary.

Does anyone else have any suggestions that we might want to consider adding or removing from our proposed schedule?

So far it looks like travelers and residents of Montreal are not into the forum. This is a great place to share our travel experiences. Let me hear from more of you. Again, thanks for your advice and expertise.

cdnyul

http://www.metrodemontreal.com/index-e.html
It is possible to spend a day exploring the metro system and its attractions
My favorite station is Square Victoria.

Chateau Dufresne is across the street from the Botanical Gardens
http://chateaudufresne.com/PagesFr/c...ne-english.htm

Up the hill from the Atwater Market is Greene Avenue and (if you are interested in Modern architecture) Westmount Square.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greene_...%28Montreal%29


Mark

Daniel_Williams

“So far it looks like travelers and residents of Montreal are not into the forum.”

So, what about those of us that have responded, do we not count? Seriously, I’ve noticed that there are only a few regular Montrealers on this site. Remember, for a majority of Montrealers, English is not their first language and even for those comfortable writing in English who might happen to check out Fodor’s as an English-language travel resource amongst many, giving free advice that requires time, analysis and thoughtful response to a travel itinerary may not be their expertise or interest. (Many of those advising on Montreal I’ve found are regular visitors from Ontario, nearby New York state or New England.) Also, your questions are very specific and as a Montrealer who loves exploring his city, even I’ve not been to some of the places on the list, so it requires a quite well-informed person. I think actually you’re doing pretty well with responses (I’ve asked questions of large American cities that get one response or worse, sink unanswered).

Two more suggestions: Since you’ll be in Montreal in October, you may wish to go to the Botanical Gardens around dusk, as the Chinese Garden will be beautifully lit up for the Chinese Lantern festival. Second, if you find you enjoy exploring the Plateau area, I’d recommend visiting the Mile-End area also.

With your openness to flexibility, I think you’ll have an enjoyable visit (plus the leaves should be near peak on Mont-Royal, should be gorgeous!) Best wishes, Daniel

Vttraveler

You are wise to take the Museum of Science off your list. Really only good for fairly young kids. On the other hand, I strongly endorse Daniel Williams' suggestion that you go out to see the Biosphere museum, built inside the old geodesic dome from Expo '67

Of the museums in Old Montreal/Port area you have listed, I think the Pointe-a-Calliere and Chateau Ramezay are the best.

Our family has been to many museums in Montreal over the years. One interesting place for history buffs is the The Écomusée du fier monde, built in a beautiful old public bath building on Rue Amherst. It focuses on the city's industrial history.

You should definitely adjust your schedule based on the weather, especially for the Lachine Canal and Mont Royal outings.

MSheinberg

Daniel, thanks for the comment. You make a good point, one that I did not think about. I will have to brush up on my high school French before my visit.

Again, thanks to all for your advice.