Montreal and Quebec
 

Hi, there,

My wife and I are planning a trip this summer to Montreal and Quebec. We live in Chicago. I wanted to drive up there, but my wife thought the trip would be too long to drive. Anyway, we are thinking to stay Montreal for 3-4 nights and 2 nights in Quebec. Do you think whether we should rent a car to drive around? If so, where to go? I heard that it is very beautiful outside Quebec. Thanks.

Another question, is it true that it will be hard to get around in Quebec if we don't speak French:( thanks again!

Hey jyx,

I wouldn't recommend renting a car while in Montreal. It will be somewhat of waste as the public transport here is very efficient, and driving in downtown Montreal is not always the most fun! :)

To get between the two cities I would book a train ticket, the train ride is quick and comfy.

In regards to the language thing DON'T WORRY :) You will be fine. While french is spoken by the majority of people here, English is spoken by the majority as well. You will have no issues with a language barrier, but out of courtesy you might wanna practice "bonjour" "merci" "comment ca va?" "au revoir" etc etc.

Layla %%-

merci, Layla!

How about around Quebec? We plan to stay there for 2-3 nights. Is a rental car needed? Thanks

Hi, jyx428 -

You would not need a car to see either Montreal or Quebec City. You might, however, need a car if you want to visit parts of Quebec outside Quebec City.

I don't speak French and had no trouble in either city.

Hope that helps!

Hi jyx,

Bienvenue :) As the other poster mentioned the only time you will need a car is if you plan to venture outside of Quebec city, however with only 2 days you might want to focus on staying within Quebec city itself.

Layla %%-

I agree with other posters that to see the two cities a car rental is not necessary or particularly helpful. Also agree with Layla that you probably want to concentrate on Quebec City rather than the surrounding area if you only have two days there.

We drive to Montreal quite often and almost never use our car while there. Public transportation is much more convenient.

"While french is spoken by the majority of people here, English is spoken by the majority as well. You will have no issues with a language barrier, "

No, not really. You will be surprised that outside the toursity areas, a fair amount of people do NOT speak English. Its not that they are being rude or refuse to speak English, it merely the fact that many dont know how. They live in a region that is French speaking not English speaking and simply lack the opportunity to speak English. They might be nervous or self-conscious about speaking English. For them its like you might have studied Spanish or French in school but never really used it or learned enough to have a real converstaion or even enough to understand a native speaker. Having said that, if you are at a store and ask information in English and the clerk doesn't understand you, he or she will find someone that will. Just dont expect everyone to speak in English outside of Montreal which is pretty bilingual.

It's the Quebec City 400th Anniversary this year, to which there will be lots of events planned. You may want to check out the website to tie something into your vacation. http://monquebec2008.sympatico.msn.ca

Remember also that if you do plan to drive in the Province of Quebec (which includes both Montreal and Quebec City), all road signs are unilingually in French. This may pose a problem if you don't know your Ouest from your Est.

smac - I tried to pull up the site you recommended about Quebec City's 400 yr. anniversary. However, the site is in French. Wonder if there is an English version of that site?

kippy6,

Click on the "English Version" in the upper right corner.

JQ