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My first visit to Montreal(Canada in general), going solo!

My first visit to Montreal(Canada in general), going solo!

Old Dec 24th, 2014, 12:56 PM
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My first visit to Montreal(Canada in general), going solo!

Hi everyone! I'm planning a trip to Montreal and I'd love to hear some suggestions. I'm especially interested in any suggestions for single travelers. I've read a few forums on this site already and I've been browsing the web but I thought I'd post a fresh forum and see if anyone has more info. This will be the first time I've ever been to Canada, or been out of the US, so I'm pretty excited. I'm a girl in my early 20s from Vermont. I took French for 3 yrs in Highschool so I have a limited understanding of the language. I'll be taking a bus from Burlington to Montreal, so I won't have my own transportation- but I'm willing to walk as much as possible- its the best way to get a feel for the city anyways! I have no idea what time of year I want to visit, (probably not during the winter season since I'll probably be walking around a lot) I do know that I want to plan ahead as much as possible so I get the most out of my trip. I'm thinking of renting a hotel for 1-2 nights... I definitely am planning on checking out Old Quebec, and really interested visiting in the Botanical Gardens. I was also considering renting a bicycle but I don't know much about that process... I'm not huge into the club/partying scene but I think it would be pretty fun to check a club out- but I'll be alone so I'm not sure what to expect and I don't want to feel awkward. It would be cool to meet some people since I'll be alone. Any tips or places that I should avoid? What other places should I check out?
Thanks so much for reading all this rambling!
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 01:17 PM
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"I definitely am planning on checking out Old Quebec..."

To clarify, do you really mean Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) or Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal)? In other words, are you asking about a night or 2 in Montreal and on to Quebec City, or just Montreal?
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 01:52 PM
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Well that shows how much I have to learn. I'll probably stick around the immediate Montreal area for this trip.
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 01:26 PM
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You will fnd lots of Montreal info on this site. Ys, Montreal is more fun in warm weather, when you can walk, bike, and dine outdoors. Also the summer months bring all kinds of festivals - jazz fest, just for laughs, international fireworks competition, etc, etc. I think of Montreal as made up of three interesting areas for tourists - Old Montreal and the old port which is very charming and touristy, the downtown with its skyscrapers and lots of shopping, and the Platea the most French part of the city with ots of small restaurants, cafes, funky shops,etc. Any one of these neighborhoods would be fine. For a young solo traveller, I would recommend staying at a b&b, where you can chat with fellow travellers from around the globe. As for bicycling, there are bike rental kiosks every few blocks on the bike friendly streets, and you can easily see most of the city this way. If you want a more high tech bike with helmet, you can go to one of many bike rental shops. All parts of the above 3 neighborhoods are perfectly safe. Perhaps the liveliest (sidewalk cafes, bars, shops, etc) streets are St Dennis & St Laurent (plateau area), Crescent St (downtown), and the entire Old Montreal area which is wall to wall tourists night and day.
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 01:28 PM
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Oops, I see my keyboard messed up - it's the Plateau area.
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 03:56 PM
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Thank you for the information zootsi!
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Old Jan 3rd, 2015, 02:02 PM
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I am sure you will enjoy visiting Montreal. I am always surprised that so few people go when it is so close to Vermont. Our family has always visited regularly from north central VT, and our older son went to McGill 2004-2008.

You should have no trouble with public transportation. The metro is easy to use.

The main tourist web site has lots of very good information including an excellent tourism guide with walking tours of different neighborhoods.
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/

Not sure what your budget is, but a nice B & B in the Plateau area near lots of good restaurants is the Auberge de La Fontaine. It is right on a bike path if you want to try biking.

If you get closer to your trip and want to ask more specific questions, be sure to come back.
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