Vermont to Montreal for 2 days?

Old May 27th, 2017, 04:31 PM
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Vermont to Montreal for 2 days?

Travel and overnight stay info requested. Will be flying solo into Burlington in 3 weeks for family event in Bristol, Vermont. Will pick up rental car to drive around/in Vermont and thinking of driving to Montreal on June 26 for brief visit before June 28 flight out of Burlington. Is this doable? What is best route? Recommended places to stay? Most wonderful things to see/experience as a solo senior traveler? Flight from Burlington is at 5 pm on Wednesday so wonder when I'd need to depart Montreal given drive and going through customs. Thanks for any/all feedback.
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Old May 29th, 2017, 04:55 AM
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Driving from Burlington to Montreal is a piece of cake - about 90 minutes, mostly rural drive. Just head up I-89 to the border. Then pick up rte 133 to rte 35 to rte 10 into Montreal. The border crossing typically takes less than 15 minutes - you'll need a passport. Don't attempt to drive into or out of Montreal during rush hour. I don't know about taking a rental car across the border.
Montreal is one of my favorite cities - almost feels European.Hundreds of fun restaurants (many byob), cafes, great shopping, street festivals, museums, bike trails, botanical gardens, etc. The most picturesque area is Old Montreal, the best neighborhood for staying in and eating is the Plateau. As a single traveller, I would recommend staying at a b&b on the Plateau. Lots of info on the Canada forum.
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Old Jun 8th, 2017, 11:35 AM
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That you Zootsi! Does return trip (Montreal to Burlington) go as quickly through customs? I have 5 pm flight from Burlington, so hoping that leaving Montreal about 2 pm would get me back in time to return rental car and do airport check in. Or should I head out earlier? Also what times are rush hours in Montreal?
Appreciate your help.
Sylvia
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Old Jun 10th, 2017, 05:40 AM
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I just did this yesterday - I went thru customs coming back into the USA at 3:00 pm. There were 2 lines open, with about 4 cars in each line. It took about 10 minutes to get thru. This is quite typical for most of the crossings I've done. However, there have been times (usually Sunday and Friday evenings,) when the wait ran almost an hour. Leaving Montreal at 2:00 should be fine, but I would do 1:30 just to be safe.
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Old Jun 10th, 2017, 01:07 PM
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Thanks again zootsi! I'll be staying at Hotel Le Dauphin, which appears to be walking distance to Old Montreal. Hope so. Any particular restaurant recommendations for best local foods (poutine, smoked meat, bagels, etc.)? I plan to just park rental car once I arrive and leave it until I depart, using public transport during my stay, hoping my lack of French won't be a problem.
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Old Jun 10th, 2017, 02:00 PM
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The classic restaurant for smoked meat is Schwartz's
https://schwartzsdeli.com/ca/en/
There are two places for bagels--Fairmount and St-Viateur in the neighborhood known as Miles End.
I am not a poutine fan so hope others can recommend a good place for that.

Hotel Le Dauphin is very close to Old Montreal. Also to Chinatown if that interests you. Using public transit--which is very good--makes sense. You should be fine w/o speaking French although a phrase book could be useful.

The archeological museum and Château Ramezay in Old Montreal are good places to visit for a sense of history. You could find maps and self-guided walking tour information at the tourist office.

the Miles End and Plateau neighborhoods are easily reachable by metro.

The worst times at the border crossing heading back to the US are evenings after big concerts and hockey games but afternoon travel should not be too bad.
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Old Jun 10th, 2017, 06:39 PM
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You are a sweetheart for giving me so much info. Let me know if you head to San Diego and I'll reciprocate.

Of course I have another question! Since I volunteer at the San Diego Zoo, a visit to the Biodome seemed like a fun choice, but I read somewhere that it is under construction. Do you know if it is open and, if so, is it a fun, unique place to visit for a couple hours? So many possible things to see/do wish I had more time.
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Old Jun 11th, 2017, 04:17 AM
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I am afraid I don't know anything about construction at the Biodome. From the website it looks as though it is open. We have not been there for years since we went with our (now young adult) kids. The concept of different ecosystems is interesting but I am not much of a zoo person. If you do go, the Botanical gardens are nearby.
You could always stay flexible and check when you are there. There are many other things to do if you change your mind.

The city is celebrating its 375th "birthday" this year.
There is a new open air exhibit called La Balade pour la Paix on Sherbrooke Street (downtown--also walkable from your hotel)
https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/exhibition...en-air-museum/

I like the city tourism website. It describes different neighborhoods here
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/Dis...Neighbourhoods
The biodome is in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district.

As you can undoubtedly tell, I agree with zootsi that Montreal is a great city.
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Old Jun 11th, 2017, 06:35 AM
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If you enjoy gardens and such, the Botanical Gardens are world class, and across the road from the Biodome. For fun, interesting dining options, the Plateau area is our choice. there are many small ethnic BYOB places with terraces clustered around Duluth & St Denis. The Jean Talon market is another fun spot early in the day. it's a sprawling indoor/outdoor farmers market with lots of free tastings, local ciders, wines, cheeses, etc.
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Old Jun 11th, 2017, 07:30 AM
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This really isn't on topic for this thread but I just discovered that in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Confederation, Canada is offering free admission to all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada with a Parks pass. A great deal
http://www.commandesparcs-parksorder...et/en/parksb2c
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Old Jun 11th, 2017, 01:00 PM
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The biome is wonderful; go if you can. Although it has animals it is more like a huge conservancy than a zoo.
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Old Jun 12th, 2017, 08:51 PM
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Wow! Thank you all for information and links to help me plan my visit. I've emailed Biodome and learned construction has been delayed till March 2018, so I'm planning on a two-hour visit there sometime on Tuesday, which is my only full day in Montreal. Walking old Montreal is my main focus, and plan to spend time there when I arrive on Monday, and on Tuesday. I also plan to get to the Jean Talon market and the botanical gardens, either Tuesday or Wednesday morning before I have to leave at 1:30. I think I'll need to plan a return trip to see everything on my list, and all the above recommendations. All your input is very much appreciated!
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 09:34 AM
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Well I'm back and loved Montreal. Lots of walking and use of subways. Loved old city and botanical gardens (roses all blooming!) and Jean Talon market. Biodome was interesting though only one-time-visit worthy for me. Much construction on roads caused confusion when driving into and out of city, so time to return to Burlington took almost 2 hours, including getting lost and 30 minutes at border crossing. Found 90% of folks speak fluent English so almost no language barrier. Hope to return for a longer visit in the future. Thanks to all for your insight.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 03:02 AM
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Glad to hear you had a good visit. We have to plan a trip to Montreal soon but first are going to Quebec City in a few weeks to see the tall ships!
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