Quebec or Montreal
Jan 23rd, 2008, 04:39 PM
#3
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Also, I stayed at this very nice hotel in Quebec City.
www.fairmont.com/frontenac/
They have a nice slideshow on their website.
www.fairmont.com/frontenac/
They have a nice slideshow on their website.
Jan 23rd, 2008, 09:40 PM
#4
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Give us a bit more information. What are you looking for? When will you be there? What do you enjoy doing? What's your demographic?
Montreal's a big city (3.6 million people). It's cosmopolitan and multicultural. It's more bilingual. It's both modern and historic. The historic part of Montreal (the Old Port) is only one of many focal points for tourists but it is not the only part of Montreal. Montreal has excellent nightlife and a strong arts scene. It's all about eating and drinking and strolling around enjoying the sights and the neighbourhoods. It's a city that can be explored on foot and also by subway. In the summer Montreal hosts dozens of festivals and the streets and patios are full people.
Quebec City's smaller (700,000 people) and it's much more compact. It's also much less multicultural than Montreal and its residents tend to be less bilingual but more French speaking than those in Montreal. It's also very historic and the only walled city north of Mexico so feels very old world. It's the site of an important battle (the Battle of the Plains of Abraham) which determined the future of Canada back in the 18th century. The city was founded in 1608 so you have a lot of historic architecture, and most of the tourist attractions can be reached on foot within the city walls. The historic part of the city is the focal point for tourists.
There are museums and attractions in both cities. Both cities cater to tourists with excellent hotels and restaurants. 2 days would suffice in Quebec City. In Montreal, 3 days would suffice. Of course, you could spend more or less in either city, depending on what you're looking for. For example, I wouldn't recommend Quebec City for people looking for a vibrant cosmopolitan city, nor would I recommend Montreal for people looking for a quaint and charming city.
Of course this, year is Quebec City's 400th birthday, so there are going to be huge festivities all summer.
I like both cities, but they both have very different personalities, even though they're the two major Canadian French-speaking cities.
Montreal's a big city (3.6 million people). It's cosmopolitan and multicultural. It's more bilingual. It's both modern and historic. The historic part of Montreal (the Old Port) is only one of many focal points for tourists but it is not the only part of Montreal. Montreal has excellent nightlife and a strong arts scene. It's all about eating and drinking and strolling around enjoying the sights and the neighbourhoods. It's a city that can be explored on foot and also by subway. In the summer Montreal hosts dozens of festivals and the streets and patios are full people.
Quebec City's smaller (700,000 people) and it's much more compact. It's also much less multicultural than Montreal and its residents tend to be less bilingual but more French speaking than those in Montreal. It's also very historic and the only walled city north of Mexico so feels very old world. It's the site of an important battle (the Battle of the Plains of Abraham) which determined the future of Canada back in the 18th century. The city was founded in 1608 so you have a lot of historic architecture, and most of the tourist attractions can be reached on foot within the city walls. The historic part of the city is the focal point for tourists.
There are museums and attractions in both cities. Both cities cater to tourists with excellent hotels and restaurants. 2 days would suffice in Quebec City. In Montreal, 3 days would suffice. Of course, you could spend more or less in either city, depending on what you're looking for. For example, I wouldn't recommend Quebec City for people looking for a vibrant cosmopolitan city, nor would I recommend Montreal for people looking for a quaint and charming city.
Of course this, year is Quebec City's 400th birthday, so there are going to be huge festivities all summer.
I like both cities, but they both have very different personalities, even though they're the two major Canadian French-speaking cities.
Jan 24th, 2008, 07:04 AM
#5
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This question seems to come up every few weeks, so if you search back, you will find lots of feedback. Carmanah summed them up pretty well. Quebec City is more scenic and European looking, Montreal is considerably bigger, with much more in the way of interesting dining, nightlife, and shopping.
Jan 24th, 2008, 11:45 AM
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Hi hypatia,
Well...there are lots of differences between the two cities. Quebec city has a much quainter, old world feel and Montreal is much more hip and cosmopolitan.
Depending on how long you are looking to be away perhaps you could try to incorporate both into your trip as they are only a quick 3hr train ride apart.
If you are looking for big city fun...Montreal has it all. If you are looking for quaint cafe style, then I would look into Quebec.
However, while Quebec may be enjoyable and beautiful I was satisfied with only a weekend there to see it. You could spend more but I would get bored. Montreal on the other hand needs far more time to be explored so if you are here for a while, and only want to visit one city I would choose Montreal.
I'm a native Montrealer btw......
Layla
Well...there are lots of differences between the two cities. Quebec city has a much quainter, old world feel and Montreal is much more hip and cosmopolitan.
Depending on how long you are looking to be away perhaps you could try to incorporate both into your trip as they are only a quick 3hr train ride apart.
If you are looking for big city fun...Montreal has it all. If you are looking for quaint cafe style, then I would look into Quebec.
However, while Quebec may be enjoyable and beautiful I was satisfied with only a weekend there to see it. You could spend more but I would get bored. Montreal on the other hand needs far more time to be explored so if you are here for a while, and only want to visit one city I would choose Montreal.
I'm a native Montrealer btw......
Layla
