I was fortunate enough to obtain a grant to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Instead of booking direct flights and a hotel, I used that same amount of money (and actually, quite a bit less) to go on a little overland East Canada road trip. I travelled Halifax to Québec City to Montréal to Ottawa to Toronto to Halifax. I have one blog post for each location, plus one about the road trip experience itself.
A Montréal adventure
Montréal was stop number three for me in Canada. The overall
feeling or vibe in Montréal was that it seemed like a big city. The port area
seemed almost add odds with the city. There seemed to be quite a clear divide
to me between the touristy parts and the city parts. There was plenty to eat
and do but it could sometimes be very far away so I would take public transport
next time instead of just walking.
Some things to do:
La Grande Roue de Montréal was pretty cool, with great views
of the port and of the city. You got to go in the carriage with just your group
and did two full cycles in the wheel so I feel like it was great views and
great value for money too.
Mont Royal for some great views of the city. The Kondiaronk Belvedere is known to have the best views but beware it is a hike up a lot of steps!
Go for a walk around the Old Port, including the Clock Tower.
The Montréal Convention Centre really surprised me! It’s a beautiful rainbow coloured building. I recommend seeing the light come through the windows on the inside for the full effect.
Have a day at the beach in the city at the Old Port.
Somethings to miss:
I didn’t think the markets were very impressive but potentially that’s because I’m used to the big markets we have in Europe. I visited Atwater Market which had a pretty outside but was just a few shops selling tourist souvenirs (the same as you see in other gift shops).
I also visited Jean-Talon Market. This food market was a long walk from tourist attractions and I’m not sure if that walk was really justified with it just being food.
Saying that though, the maple sugar pies from Succeries de L’erable were lovely! I recommend them if you're at the market.
Eating a proper bagel! I visited Fairmont Bagels because the queues at Viateur Bagels put me off but both are said to be excellent! For me though, I just felt like they were normal bagels? I didn’t really understand the hype.
I was recommended to go and visit some pretty and colourful houses at Square Saint-Louis. They were OK but similar to other houses elsewhere in Canada I had seen and were quite far away from other attractions.
Things for if I had more time next time:
To spend more times hiking the different paths of Mont Royal, including reaching the summit with the cross on.
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| Image Credit: The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange |
To rent a bike and cycle from the Old Port to the Lachine Canal, which is said to be beautiful.
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| Image Credit: TripSavvy |
The Biosphere Environment Museum, which is saw from a distance and looks really cool.
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| Image Credit: ResearchGate |
Have a thrill-seeking jet boating trip (just got to remember to bring a coat!).
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| Image Credit: Go Montreal |
