Montreal in Mid April
 

We are considering a visit to Montreal in mid April. My dh will be on leave from the military so the dates can not be changed. I was curious whether the botanical outside gardens will have anything blooming at that time...or should I expect snow and little to no growth. Also, I am leaning towards Springhill Suites Old Montreal. Any opinions on this hotel or that area in general? My dd will be 10...I'm thinking Notre-Dame, the Insectarium, the gardens, the Biodome....any other suggestions? We have been to Paris and we loved it...I think we would enjoy the "French influence" of Montreal...esp. the cafes, food and architecture. I really appreciate any and all advice. Thank you!

The catch-phrse April showers bring May flowers applies in Montreal, and we in central / southern Canada believe that there will be no more frost after the 24th of May.

So, it may be cool, but it will still be a great city to visit, and the inside gardens will be wonderful.

For the girl, make sure you buy a pretty good magnifying glass for her visit to the insectarium. The displays are fine without one, but with the magnifier, their really are special. Look for display cabinets with air holes to find the most interesting exhibits.

To me, fun for kids (and the parents enjoy it) is making a list of various kinds of foods that may be different from home, and going places to try them.

In Montreal, this meals a smoked meat sandwich, perhaps at Swartz' on Saint Laurent Blvd, which looks like a dump, but has fans all across Canada.

Beaver Tails (which are not made from real beavers) is another thing to try. And Crepes.

BAK

In the Olympic Park, also take a ride up the funicular.

You might look into a museum pass: http://tinyurl.com/7xvu84

It will give you access to 33 museums in a 3 day period - you can add in a pass for public transportation for those 3 days for $5 more. Even if you don't do all the museums, you will likely save money.

In Old Montreal, add the Centre d'histoire de Montreal and do the the underground part. Also, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel. The Chapel is truly gorgeous and Marguerite Bourgeoys was a fascinating woman who showed more strength, courage and character than most men of her time.

Thanks to both of you...I have made note of your suggestions. :0)

Bring lots of warm clothes, scarf, wool hat, gloves, umbrealla. It could be wicked cold and extremely windy or you may have a nice weather. Be prepared and enjoy your visit

I highly recommend the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History (this is different from the Centre d'histoire de Montreal mentioned in another post. Both are good but I would choose this especially with a child.)

The Montreal tourist office offers a "sweet deals" promotion through the end of May where many hotels offer a good rate for the first night and 50% off for the second
www.tourisme-montreal.org/Offers/Winter

The same website has a good listing of events listing and also a description of different neighborhoods

Thank you Vttraveler. That's the museum I meant. It has a great underground portion that is really wonderful (I wish Sacramento would take note and do something similar with their underground tunnels).

knoel998--the underground portion of the Pointe à Callière museum that toedtoes is describing is an actual archeological site
http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/pages/hist...spx?lang=EN-CA

It really is fascinating, and the rest of the museum has great exhibits, too.

Another place your family might enjoy is the Biosphère which is an environmental museum out on the Île Ste Helene in the geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller for the 1967 Expo. Personally I like it a lot more than the Biodome
www.biosphere.ec.gc.ca/Home-WS3C2E8507-1_En.htm

I would also recommend taking her daughter to the Montreal Chinatown especially if she has not been to other cities with similar neighborhoods. It has a lot of Vietnamese restaurants, too, and is a short walk from Old Montreal

Mid-april weather can be either way, but if you're lucky, you could be in Montreal for the first warm days of the year and see the city come alive before your eyes. These are my favorite days of the year.