Montreal
Montreal came onto my radar when a friend celebrated his bachelor's party there. That was probably 5 years ago. Since then, it was always on the back of my mind as someplace I'd like to visit. I finally made that happen over the July 4th weekend. I thought I'd miss the fireworks, but turns out Canada has its own holiday, Canada Day, on July 1st!
So if you've also decided to check out Montreal, but want to know where to stay, your best bet would be either old town or downtown. While I was there, my thoughts about my favorite kept bouncing back and forth. It probably won't matter too much since both are easily accessible by subway!
After landing at Trudeau International (fancy that the current P.M. shares the name of the former whom this airport was named after), you can board the 747 express bus right outside the airport for $10 Canadian straight to downtown! There are machines inside the airport to purchase this ticket, and the $10 is good for all public transportation the entire day. You can also take an Uber, but the Uber fares were $50 one-way when I checked. The 747 makes various stops throughout downtown, and ours happened to be the third stop. It took about 30 minutes. Highly recommended if you'd like to spend your money elsewhere than on transportation.
Lobby of our AirBnB
We ultimately stayed at an AirBnB in downtown Montreal Bell Center, near Rue de St. Catherine and Crescent street, the happening area with street shopping, malls, restaurants, bar hopping, and other nightlife. This area is ultra modern, so expect sky scrapers, big accounting firms, and expensive stores. *By the way, erotic massage shops are a thing here, and apparently quite a few of them act as brothels. While it's not supposed to be legal, there does not seem to be heavy enforcement of the matter - or any enforcement.*
If you're going to stay downtown, I would recommend AirBnB, as you get way more bang for your buck than a stay at a hotel. For the same price or less, you get an entire condo! This came in handy as we often cooked our own breakfast. We stayed in a very modern unit with beautiful city views.
Beautiful church a block from our modern skyscraper airbnb. Old meets new here.
Stroll through old town Montreal, with the Saint Lawrence River and ferris wheel pictured behind.
Bonsecours Market, which is right by the Saint Lawrence River. A bunch of vendors sell their wares inside the market.
Buildings in old town Montreal
If you prefer to be in the old part of Montreal, this is where some of the more boutique hotels reside, and you'll definitely get more of a tourist crowd, along with the charming cobblestone streets, the older buildings, the French atmosphere, and the nearby Notre Dame basilica!
Beautiful Notre Dame! Pictures never do things justice.
Word to the wise: If you are planning to visit Notre Dame on a weekend, be prepared for really long lines and an entrance fee. Best to go on an off day, like a week day.
Interesting building a block from Notre Dame. Looks like it was chopped in half!
The lamp posts have character!
How are the people here? I found them to be quite friendly, and a bit friendlier than my hometown of Los Angeles.
Standing next to street art during our walk around the city.
Downtown Montreal felt more like home, with its looming skyscrapers, modern buildings, and chain stores.
I found old town Montreal to be charming and what I came to Montreal to experience. Because old town is so small, you really don't need more than 2 days to peruse it.
I would also suggest taking the subway and checking out Plateau Mont Royal, which is a quaint area with colorful houses, plenty of trees and foliage, and blossoming trendy cafes and restaurants. This area too can be done in less than 1 day.
We also took the subway straight to the BIodome, which is located at the site of the 1976 summer Olympics. The Biodome has 4 ecosystem replicas for you to visit: the Biodome (aquarium), Botanical Gardens, Insectarium, and Planetarium. The Botanical Gardens and Insectarium share one ticket price, and the rest have their own separate entrance fees. I would only recommend coming here if you happen to have extra time to kill, like we did, or unless you don't happen to have these facilities available where you live.
I found a store here I love called Dynamite. It's a chain, and similar to the Express stores in the U.S. They also have a website https://www.dynamiteclothing.com/us/.
What is the point of being in French Canada if you don't partake in the food? Naturally, I had to try their crepes.
And here's another crepe. Personally, I liked the savory one above more than the extra creamy shrimp one below, but I feel like really there's nothing I should be complaining about!
