I just got back from a lovely weekend in Montreal. I drove up from Boston, MA on Friday morning (10-ish), stopping in Montpelier, VT (a sweet little capital city) for lunch and made it up to Canada by 5pm (a little traffic at Pont Champlain, however). We spent our first night walking down Rue Ste. Catherine which is so exciting and fun (awesome shopping)—tons of restaurants and cafes, and for the slightly naughty: a few girlie bars down the west end (away from the family places). We stayed in Vieux Port (old Montreal) at the Auberge Bonaparte (a beautiful inn not far from the waterfront and only a walk to the downtown area). Vieux Port itself is like a small taste of Paris: cobblestone streets lined with little shops and cafes punctuated by quaint streetlights and hanging flowered plants. Montreal is a great city for walkers with Rue Ste. Catherine not far away from the cultural sections of the city. For those who don’t walk, there’s always the subway system (Le Metro) which is always reliable (the best way to get to Olympic Park). If you’re a lover of great architecture, you will have died and gone to heaven (forgive the pun). Beautiful European-influenced buildings keep Montreal grounded in its classic roots in the more modern parts of the city and add to the atmosphere of the older areas. We checked out some of the churches, countless amounts of which there are in Montreal. One you definitely should check out is the Basilique Notre Dame. The inside is exquisite and well worth the $2CD admission price. The waterfront (Rue Commune) is a great walk—wish I brought my rollerblades. There’s a great path here to bike/blade in front of the huge barges and other ships. We left Montreal a little early on Sunday to check out upstate New York, which I recommend to anyone driving back to New England. We stopped at High Falls Gorge (700 feet of gorgeous waterfalls) and proceeded onto Lake Placid (home of the 1976 Winter Olympics). We then took the Ferry from Port Kent (not far from Route 87) across Lake Champlain to Burlington, VT before heading home. This was my first trip to Montreal and I would go back in a second. The city is positively enchanting and ideal for you romantics! Worry not about the language barrier. In the city itself, everyone speaks both English and French and are extremely friendly and patient.<BR><BR>Bon voyage!

<BR>Thanks for the great report! I totally agree with your assessment of Montreal. It is by far the best location in Canada, and one of our favorite destinations. <BR><BR>That other city on the opposite coast that starts with "V" could learn a few things from Montreal.<BR><BR>God Bless American, and Canada, too.

Rene, great report! We drive to Montreal from Boston too and just love the drive and the city. <BR><BR>Your suggestion for the return drive sounds interesting; we'll probably try it on our next trip. <BR><BR>Can you share approximately how long your drive back was taking that route? <BR><BR>Do you need reservations for the ferry? <BR><BR>Any other specific tips on the drive back (good places to stop, etc.)?

For those who are interested in architecture & history, Heritage Montreal conducts walks in various neighborhoods every Saturday & Sunday afternoons. Heritage Montreal is a non-profit organization promoting the preservation of historic buildings and urban landsacpe.<BR><BR>Walks are given by top-notch urban planners & architects and are most informative. There is $5 fee.<BR><BR>See schedule & details at:<BR><BR>www.heritagemontreal.qc.ca/hm_en/arc99_en.htm

I'm very happy you enjoyed Montreal. I have lived here for 29 years and can honestly say that I think mine is one of the best cities in the world. Where else can you find so many different restaurants all with great food. Where else can you find prices affordable (whether it is for living, dining or anything). Where else can you find a nice mix of North American and European cultures? Where else can you find a nice mix of the English and French languages in a large cosmopolitan city? I love Montreal.

I love Montreal also. I do not, however, like the winters there.

I too just returned from a weekend in Montreal. What a great city - Paris without the attitude! My wife and I stayed at the Inter-Continental, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Its location on the edge of Vieux Montreal and connection to the underground make it ideal for exploring any part of the city. It's very quiet, but only a few minutes' walk to the sights and nightlife of the Old City. Our room was lovely (especially liked the large marble bathroom), the service was superb, and because we'd booked one of their packages, I thought the cost (ca. $150US/night) was reasonable for what we got (I've gotten less for more in the US). Unfortunately, a sudden illness forced us to cut our weekend short. But we'll definitely return, if only to see another entry in the Fireworks Competition - we saw Italy's on Sunday and it was spectacular! <BR><BR>Thanks, Canada!<BR><BR>BAM

"I need to know more about the naughty places"

I didn't really plan on writing this but here goes.<BR><BR>I am a former Montrealer. I left 9 years ago. I return every couple of years for various functions. This year it happened to be the wedding of a friend's daughter.<BR><BR>We noticed something was up when we saw all the kids arriving at the airport on Thursday evening. World Youth day festivities (and the Pope) in Toronto were the reason. I saw thousands of kids all weekend.<BR><BR>We stayed with my wife's niece whose house overlooks the city.<BR><BR>We ate at my favorite restaurants: Bar B Barn (although it has deteriorated in decor somewhat), Moe's on the West Island for smoked meat (it could have been Schwartz) and Moishe's on the Main for a steak dinner.<BR><BR>We met my brother (drove in from Ottawa) and had lunch outdoors at Quatre Saison (or is it Cinq Saisons) on Greene Ave then walked down St Catherine St.<BR><BR>On Saturday night we drove over to Old Montreal and somehow found a parking space. We walked around Place Jacques Cartier with all the tourists. It was great.<BR><BR>Returned Monday night.

Ben - I read somewhere that the Inter Continental was close to a construction site this summer and that it was very noisy. Did you have any problems with this? That was one of the reasons we booked the Hotel Vogue instead.

Donna-Sue: Yeah, there's still a lot of construction around the whole area, but noise was never a problem for us. Of course, we were there over the weekend, so the break may have had something to do with it. Granted, the site's not pretty because of the construction, but we overlooked it (as Robert Moses was fond of saying, "You can't make an omelet without breaking the eggs"). When we wanted to avoid it, we just used the hotel's other entrance on Rue St.-Jacques.<BR><BR>I too had looked into the Vogue, but they had nothing at a price that I could afford. My wife and I loved the Intercontinental and its location. Since it was our anniversary, we opted for one of their "Deluxe" rooms. For $30/night more, we got a larger and even more attractive room on an upper floor away from street noise. The location on the edge of Vieux Montreal made it an easy walk to just about anything. And their service was superior. I think it's safe to say we'd go back there in an instant.<BR><BR>BAM