We are thinking of visiting Montreal either at Thanksgiving or after Christmas. Having been there once before and seen the beautiful holiday decorations (which were still up in March) I'm wondering if anyone can tell me when those decorations typically go up in the old part of Montreal where the galleries are located. It might be more festive after Christmas, but the Thanksgiving time-frame works well too. There's also a neat exhibit on Provencal art at the main museum in Montreal which runs through Jan. 8th, for anyone who might be thinking of venturing there.

Merci bien!

Bonjour Letour,

The Christmas decorations are starting to show up in Montreal. There will certainly be more by the time you visit our city.

I saw the Impressionist exhibition at the Musée des Beaux Arts last week-end and it is fantastic. The focus is on scenes of Provence, mostly Marseille, Avignon and surrounding areas seen through the eyes of Monet, Manet, Van Gogh and so many others.

Bon séjour à Montréal !

Ginny

I think you would get a pretty complete xmas decorated city around the 24th, which is your thanksgiving. Old Montreal is the same as the core downtown, just less glitzy.
The nicest gallery strip, imo, starts at St. Sulpice & St. Paul, near the Nelligan hotel, going east. 2 new ones are opening soon actually, I pass them on my way to work.

I have yet to see the Provençal exhibit; I definitely have to fit it in....
And I live 4 blocks from the museum, go figure, lol....

Thanks for the replies! We also really enjoyed some of the restaurants in the old part of Montreal. Sounds like it will be pleasant either at (our)Thanksgiving or after Christmas. Is there much made of New Year's Eve in Montreal? I can imagine that we might find ourselves there the week between Christmas and New Year's. Also, we might try to get in a bit of skiing for our children. Any recommendations for family resorts? We went last time to Mt. Tremblant.
Thanks for any other thoughts!

Hi letour,

You can celebrate New Year's Eve as much or as little as you want in Montreal. It depends on what you like to do. Most restaurants offer special/festive meals with balloons, etc.

Your children's age is not mentioned. If they're medium-skilled skiers, St-Sauveur might be interesting for them and for you. The hills are not as high as at Tremblant, but some can be challenging. St-Sauveur is a pretty, small town in the Laurentians, with great après-ski and night life. It's only an hour's drive from Montreal.

Ginny

Merci bien, Ginny.
That's an excellent suggestion! My kids are 10 and 15 and have skied at Mt. Tremblant. I'll check St-Sauveur out.