lwinder

Traveling by train to Montreal with 3 teen girls. Have one evening and two full days. Does that give us enough time to experience the city? What is a good itinerary that would hit the city's highlights?

Daniel_Williams

Hi lwinder,

Where are you coming from? I live here and can keep out of town visitors busy for days, even repeat visits... two days will give you a short experience of the city; you certainly won't see it all, but you'll get a bit of a flavour of Montreal.

Here are some ideas for a first visit (you may not be able to do them all):

*see Old (Vieux) Montreal
*hike up Mont Royal to the Chalet view point
*stroll through the Plateau Mont-Royal district, stopping at a bakery (boulangerie) somewhere, perhaps passing through Parc Lafontaine if it's a nice day
*visit (bike out to?) Parc Jean Drapeau, go to Biosphere Museum
*visit the Botanical Gardens/Insectarium

Enjoy! Daniel

zootsi

Here are a few more ideas:
Visit the Old Port, where there is always something going on. There is a long pedestrian promenade that is great for strolling, roller blading or biking (there are rental shops). There are also boat rides, and a labrynth.
If they like to shop, St. Catherine Street downtown is lined with large department stores, interesting shops and huge underground malls.
The plateau area centered around St. Denis, St. Laurent, and Mt. Royal streets is wall to wall funky shops, cafes, restaurants, etc. This may be the most interesting part of the city for them - very French.
If it's a pleasant evening, dine out on Prince Arthur Street, a lively pedestrian street of outdoor restaurants where street entertainers entertain the crowds. The old city has a similar scene of outdoor dining and street entertainment.
Montreal is extremely bike friendly, with rental stands every few blocks. There are miles of safe, easy, bike trails throughout the city.
You'll wish you had more time!