Your 5 favorite "things to do in Montreal and Quebec City

If you're heading there this winter...

QC: Getting in from the cold and having wonderful hot chocolate at the Chocolate Museum! (It's on the main street outside the Old City.) And then, heading out again...shoe shopping!

Enjoy-la!

Should have mentioned, we are planning on being there in July 2006

I'm sure others can advise much better about Montreal. But here are five experiences we really enjoyed in Quebec last October:
l. Montmorency Falls (not far from town and very scenic)
2. St. Ann de Beaupre Basilica (not far beyond the falls and just a gorgeous church)
3. Dinner at L'Ecoute (near the New Town area and Rue St. Paul
4. Walking the ramp from Chateau Frontenac to the Plains of Abraham (great views)
5. Touring the old Catholic hospital between old town and the railroad station (you have to ring the bell to get in, but it is fascinating)
Enjoy!

This is a great little walking city , and the perfect place to follow your nose . Wander around " Haute-Ville " , making sure to explore all those little side streets . Go down below the wall to to Place Royale and look into the many galleries , get to Rue St.Paul if you like antiques . Amazing city , you would almost think you were in Montmarte .

Thanks everyone. Anybody else? I assume you are all talking about Quebec City. How about Montreal?

Hi John,

I used to live in Montreal, and in my Top 5 things to do is walk the way of the cross in the gardens of the St. Joseph Oratory, at night. A unique place which offers beautiful views on the city.

In Quebec City the Musee de la civilisation would definitely be in my Top 5, as well as Place Royale in the old city. And I second klam chowder on Erico's small chocolate museum... Divine!

The first thing you should do for ideas is get a copy of the free travel guide book for Montreal, and for QC. Both of them can be ordred from the Bonjourquebec website. These books are better than any you can buy.
Here are some ideas for Montreal:
1. Take a walking tour of various neighborhoods. The guide book lays out several good routes, including the Plateau, the downtown, old city, little Italy, etc.
2. Visit the Botanical Gardens. These are some of the largest and most extensive in the world, and are a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.
3. Visit the Olympic Park and Biodome. This is right across the street from the Botanical Gardens.
4. Take a boat ride on the St. Lawrence. There are tour boats, jet boats and rapids rides.
5. Rent Bicycles. Montreal is very bike friendly, and there are many well layed out bike trails criss crossing the city.
Of course there are beautiful churches, a great art musueum, and world class shopping and dining in this city.

Summer in Montreal is exciting and there is much to see and do. Since we Montrealers are slaves to the weather, we spend most of the winter freezing our butts off (although we try to make the best of it through lots of winter sports and outdoor activity) the summer is a pure party in the city.

First of all, July is the height of festival season. We have some of the best festivals around in the summer, most notably the Jazz Festival and Just for Laughs (comedy) festival. There are all kinds of outdoor shows and concerts. I'm not sure what the dates are for these festivals in 2006 but I am sure that a quick Google search will bring plenty of answers.

Another great place to visit in the summer in Old Montreal (and the Old Port). Take a ride in a caleche (horse-drawn carriage), check out the architechture and museums and down in the Old Port, there are always street shows and fun activities taking place.

Aside from this, shopping is fantastic in Montreal. Tons of terrific restaurants. Lots of great museums (Museum of Fine Arts, Pointe-a-Calliere museum, others).

Zootsi had some good suggestions for interesting neighborhoods to visit.

Just walking around Montreal in the summer is a great experience. Have dinner on an outdoor patio at one of the many restaurants that offer them.

The nighlife is also great in the summer.

ttt for research

Favourite thing to do in Quebec City (from which I returned 2 hours ago)?

Linger over breakfast at the Hotel Dominion 1912: croissants, rillettes de porc, home-made jams, a variety of coffees.

Station yourself in front of the roaring fire (December, not July) in a black marble grate -- before heading out to the local Antiques Row, 2 minutes away.....

Already planning a return....

I recommenend the "tam-tams" on Mont Royal. Bring yr "bongo" drums or a porcelain tea-cup with chopsticks or popsicle sticks to make a noise.

Top 3 in Quebec City:
1. Montmorency Falls
2. Driving around the Isle d'Orleans, sampling sweets from the chocolaterie, shopping at the quality gift shops on the island, and buying scrumpdelicious berries from the roadside stands that the farmers maintain in the summer.
3. Taking the ferry (either free or very inexpensive) to Levis, so you can get beautiful shots of Chateau Frontenac.

When in Québec City, dont miss a tour of La Citadelle and the changing of the guard by le Royal Vingt-Deuxième Régiment (the Van Doos). They parade with their goat mascot "Batisse."

Thanks all for the replies.
Further planning in progress!

Montreal: Walk the streets of the old city. Visit Notre Dame church (breathtaking). Go off the beaten path and find a residential neighborhood to walk around. Enjoy the beautiful wrought iron staircases on the old stone apartments and lace curtains everyone seems to have on their windows.

Quebec City: A horse and buggy ride. Walk down by the river. Walk every little street in the upper and lower section of the walled city.

......and everything that everyone else said!

I'm jealous! Have a great time.

Also forgot to mention check out St. Joseph's Oratory while in Montreal. Beautiful, huge church that can be seen from anywhere in town. You'll have a wonderful view of the city from there.

Mount-Royal is also nice in the summer, take a walk up to the
"chalet" and take in the view of the city from there as well. Mount-Royal park was designed by the same guy who designed Central Park in NYC, so it's a fun place to visit.

Favorite Things to Do in Montreal:

1) EAT!!! My husband and I think Montreal is a better eating town than Paris. Two of our best meals of all time were in Montreal. One at TOQUE; the other at BRUNOISE.

2) DANCE -- Lots of fun clubs in the city. We really enjoyed Electric Avenue because we love dancing to 80s music. This place was a blast. But there are MANY choices of places to go depending on age, music, neighborhood, size of club....endless!

3) WALK -- Like NYC where I'm from, Montreal is a true walking city. Don't miss the hike through the park to Belvedere lookout point. Amazing views of the city skyline. We brought a picnic for the sunset...sigh! I would encourage you to do a walking tour of Old Montreal. Wonderful!

4) SHOP -- Lots of fun boutiques to explore. I'm a huge fan of clothing designer DUBUC. Gorgeous clothes that would probably cost double in NYC. Don't forget to get your foreign tax refund!

5) HIGH-SPEED JET BOATING -- At the port of Old Montreal. A blast, no matter what age you are. To do only in warm weather as you truly get soaked.

Cheers!

Hi,

I've been to both, but why do I suddenly feel less qualified than others to answer?

Montreal:

Walk the streets around "Old Montreal" and explore the shops there.

Walk the larger boulevards both downtown and on the outskirts while exploring the different shops, eateries, and all of the french signage (but if you spot an english sign that is the larger of the two, the sign police are sure to be on top of it [and perhaps you too] any moment)

Mount Royal is O-kaaaaaaaaaay... but best suited to those who live in relatively "flat" areas. I mean, I'd go there again.

Quebec City, I was particularly drawn to the narrow, brick roads of an older part of the city (not the walled-off area up on the hill) that is probably a couple of miles due north (??) of the big hotel (and down the hill). And yes, there is one significant "BIG hotel" (aka - "the most photographed hotel in the world").

I would also suggest that you drive east of QC along the St. Lawrence... some of those peaceful areas are just gorgeous, and every town has a church that seems fairly spendy for the surrounding community. (I was impressed despite not being religious)

In July you'll be able to spend more comfortable time outdoors than I could in March... so I think that both cities are the sorts where you just just explore on foot if you're up to it.

(Montreal is far more flat, much larger, and probably the place where you should exhaust yourself on foot if you had to pick one or the other)

One final thing... when going from Montreal to QC, I strongly recommend taking the extra time and driving on the slow highway near the shore of the St. Lawrence and through all of the small towns, vs. the more rapid freeway that parallels the river a few hundred yards to the north.