gogoboots99

I need help from my fellow Fodorites. I am planning a trip to Montreal (my first trip to Canada) in mid-October via Amtrak, departing from New York City's Penn Station. I cannot afford to stay at The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, which is above the Amtrak station. I want to stay at an affordable yet quaint (non-chain) hotel within five blocks to the Amtrak station. I do not drive, and I do not mind taking the metro after departing from Amtrak in order to reach my hotel. I am thinking of the Hotel XIX Siecle at 262 rue St-Jacques, but on the map in my book, I cannot tell how far the nearest metro station (Square Victoria) is from the Amtrak station. I also need the hotel to be one that accepts debit cards as payment. I will use a credit card to guarantee the reservation. If the affordable hotels are too far from Amtrak, are the taxi fares high or reasonable ($15-$20)?

MargrietVanderBanck

A minor point, perhaps, but the passenger rail system in Canada is VIA Rail, not Amtrak. I'm afraid I can't help with hotels.

ron

Amtrak does not have its own station in Montreal. It uses Central Station, Gare centrale, which name you should use when asking directions.

It is about a 10 minute walk from Central Station to 262 rue St-Jacques.

travginny

This Old Montreal hotel is well located. You'll find a lot of shops and restaurants in the area. The old port nearby is really charming.

As previously mentioned, the hotel is within walking distance of the station.

Montreal taxi fares are considered reasonable.

Daniel_Williams

$15-$20 is much more than you'll have to pay to get to any hotel that you'll want to stay at in Montreal. You'll probably be looking at circa CAN$10 or under. The train from NYC will put you at the Gare Centrale, which is about 7 minutes and a few escalators away from Bonaventure station on the Orange Line. The orange line will give you easy access to plenty of locally-run hotels in the Plateau Mont-Royal district (metros: Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal) or Old Montreal (metro: Place d'Armes or Champ de Mars). There are some affordable places also near Berri-UQAM metro.

Hope you have a great time in Montreal!

DAN

gogoboots99

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I have been out of commission with the flu for the past week. Now I am really happy that I will be able to extend my trip to five days, considering the money I will save not having to take expensive taxis the way one does in Manhattan.

I also thank you for correcting me on the name of the Montreal station where I will arrive from NYC: Gare Centrale.

I think I will concentrate on Hotel XIXe Siecle for now. A travel agent was trying to push Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth on me because of the proximity to (well, way above ground from) Gare Centrale. If any of you would like to steer me away from spending the kind of money that Le Reine will cost me, please post your comments. Thanks!

hsbhandbags

I just got back from a three-night stay at the Fairmont Reine Elizabeth (my second stay there). I love it! It's so convenient being just above the train station and attached to the extensive underground pathway. We had great service and ordered room service twice. You can get really affordable rates if you call them instead of checking online. Our room was $139 a night.

Good luck planning your trip!

gogoboots99

Hsbhandbags -- Thanks for the positive report on Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. For my second trip to Montreal (next year), I will stay there a few nights as well as a few nights in Quebec City (it'll be its 400th anniversary-- gotta be there!). However, for this coming October, I will be staying in Le Vieux. I have booked four nights at the Hotel XIXe Siecle (I don't know how to add diacritical marks, sorry), October 19-23.

Dan -- Thank you for your encouragement, too! I definitely am planning to have a great time in Montreal! Guess what? I also will take a day trip via coach to Quebec City on Day 3 or 4. I called Gray Line Canada and feel that CAN$70 is a good deal. Oh yes, and I WILL be enjoying les caleches, especially since I will have Le Vieux as my home base.

I would love to know if it might be safe to walk around Le Vieux around 9, 10, 11 p.m. (but no later than 11) particularly along the Vieux-Port. I am magnetically drawn to rivers, albeit without being suicidal. I guess taking those strolls evokes being in the womb, you know, an amniotic experience. LOL.

Also, I am curious about dressing appropriately for the weather in Montreal and Quebec City in mid-October. I found some good information on weather.com and hello.montreal, with the former providing average temperatures and the latter actually detailing the weather by date -- that is, Oct. 19-23, 2006! Anyway, I just want to bring suitable outerwear so as to avoid purchasing a more-appropriate coat when I arrive in Montreal. I know to layer underneath. As for my outerwear, should I wear a long, or 3/4-length, wool coat, a down coat, a quilted coat or a trench coat. Before you respond, please keep in mind that I will be riding in a horse and buggy (don't know if doing that will get me dirty), visiting a few museums, riding the Metro, dining at mostly casual restaurants, and strolling a lot.

Last question: Is the walk from Hotel XIXe Siecle to Jardin Nelson (gotta have my crepes) an easy one. Is it a straight route or are there lots of turns? Is it a five minute walk or a 15-minute walk? I walk fast, but if there's a Metro to get me there closer, I prefer that.

I also booked my Amtrak tickets already and am very thrilled that I will see gorgeous fall foliage, albeit over a 10-hour ride to Gare Centrale.

Again, to everyone who responded to my first post: Merci.

Gogoboots99

Daniel_Williams

Hi again Gogoboots,

It's definitely more like 15 minutes walk from your hotel to Jardin Nelson; it's going to be a pretty easy, nearly straight walk and you can always meander the side streets of Old Montreal, which can be fun. I'd walk the distance rather than take the metro... I think all told you might end up walking as much getting to Square Victoria metro and walking from Champ de Mars metro to the restaurant. BTW you may wish to check out Boris Bistro which is right by your hotel.

In summer in Old Montreal and the Old Port, I would say don't hesitate even in the wee hours of the morning as it's quite busy. October will be quieter, a bit more deserted in Old Montreal; I've biked through at that time of year at that time... it's not what I would call a dangerous neighbourhood.

I hope you enjoy the Adirondack train; I've taken it a number of times myself and some of the views are quite lovely.

Cheers, DAN

mitchdesj

Daytime temps can be quite nice, even in mid october;
the old port is still busy at night, specially from thursday to sunday.
I hope you enjoy your trip and tell us about it.

traintraveler

You may also want to check out Chateau Versailles on Sherbrooke Street. It's a nice boutique property less than a mile from the train station.

Vacations By Rail gave me a price of $290 per person for a two night package in October but that included the Amtrak ticket and buffet breakfast.

http://www.vacationsbyrail.com

DennyO

Since you are looking at getting around by the Metro, I suggest doing a bit of work ahead and checking out the environs of the stations you will stop at. The Montreal transit (STCUM) website is the best I have seen at mapping. If you click on any of the stops on the Metro map, you can in turn click on a map for the area around the station, which even shows buildings in 3D relief. Kudos to them, its the best.

See their website at:
http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm

mitchdesj

mid october: no need for a down coat or a heavy coat;
a trench coat with layers under it should be fine.
by layers I mean a blazer, with long sleeve tshirt for example, worn under a trench coat, should be fine.
You could even luck out at that time of year and have warm weather, where only a blazer would suffice at night.

gogoboots99

Wow! I've been away for a while, but I'm so happy to see additional replies to my post, especially now that I've booked the hotel (Hotel XIXe Siecle) and train (Amtrak's Adirondack).

Thank you Dan for the good vibe about the Adirondack; that long but scenic ride I consider an important part of the journey. And, thank you, thank you, thank you, for the head's up about Jardin Nelson. I will relish the 15-20 min. walk there from Hotel XIXe Siecle, which will give me a headstart on the one pound I will need to shed after the humongous savory and dessert crepes I plan to consume at Jardin Nelson. Now, Boris Bistro seems too expensive, from what I read in my Frommer's guidebook. Then again, perhaps I'll make that my one dining splurge in Montreal.

And mitchdesj, thank you for the 411 about the weather in October. I will wear my trench, with the layers beneath just as you advised. I was starting to freak out about freezing up north. I'll be in Montreal from October 19 to October 25 (leaving on the 25th), so it might begin to turn cold toward the end of my visit. Hey, if it does, I can think of one word: shopping! For a new coat, that is. I also am set to take a day trip to Quebec City via Gray Line Canada, which has an arrangement with the hotel. It's about US$60-US$70.

DennyO, you've inspired me to check out the STCUM website so that I can start getting oriented now. Thanks! Doing my homework in advance surely worked in Paris; Montreal should be no different. OK, true, Paris boasts more metro lines and, hence, has more metro stations. I'm going to take your great advice, too, to learn more about the areas around the metro stops so that I don't make one of the Top Ten of novice travelers' mistakes: walking past something major and then finding out about it after one returns home.

Traintraveler, you don't know how close I came to selecting Chateau Versailles. I think the description of the staircases scared me. Maybe a future trip to Montreal will find me there, however, because I like the idea of staying in a boutique-style, family-run establishment.

Hsbhandbags, thank you for the info on La Reine Elizabeth. After changing the trip duration from four nights to six nights, I realized that, despite the 10% discount on Hotels.com, I simply wasn't willing to pay that much money. The location is a high selling point, though, and I think that I will stay at the hotel when I use it as a departure-return point of next year's trip to Quebec City for the 400th anniversary of its founding.

The first part of planning this trip has been a joyful experience. I've booked the hotel and train, and so my trip feels real now. I am reminded of why traveling -- as opposed to just touring or passing through on business -- is so much fun. First, there's the inspiration in selecting a particular place on our planet. Then, there's the research, and wonderful fora such as Fodor's is a significant part of that research, not to mention it continues the positive energy flow of inspiration that the person to conceive of the trip idea. Then there's the journey itself, and reflections afterward.

You know, this might sound corny, especially with Mother's Day approaching -- and I'm not even a mom -- but traveling reminds me of conception, gestation and birth. So right about now, my trip is in its second trimester, but it's my mind and not my belly that is bursting with the fantasies and dreams of what I expect to do and become -- how I expect to be transformed -- while traveling to and within Montreal. I warned you that it might sound corny.

Thanks again, to all of you, for continuing to pump me with communal inspiration! Trip report(s)? You betcha.

gogoboots99