Montreal – Where Europe meets North America!

The last time I visited Montreal, it was in November and it was freezing! This visit couldn’t have been more different as I saw another side of the city and the weather was perfect.

Montreal is the second largest city in Canada. A safe and friendly destination, it is easy to get around on foot, by bike, on the metro or through the underground city. It is a vibrant, multi-cultural city and everyone speaks excellent English. There is a large student population so there are many inexpensive bars, restaurants and cafes to try. There is also free wifi around the city.

They say Montreal is the city that never sleeps and life here is one year round festival! There is always something happening and major events include the Just for Laughs comedy festival and the Grand Prix which takes place the first weekend in June.

Our guide took us on a tour of the city, we tasted bagels at his favourite shop and saw some fabulous examples of street art. We walked through the cobbled streets of Old Montreal and the Old port area, lined with historical buildings housing art galleries, boutique shops, restaurants and cafes. On my last visit we went inside the stunning Notre-Dame Cathedral but sadly as the queues were so long, we didn’t have time on this trip. I would definitely recommend pre-booking a tour when you visit.

My favourite area was the Plateau District because of the beautiful historic buildings and so called ‘Ice Castles’ – houses with what looks like a turret on the top. Our guide showed us some examples of heritage houses with outdoor staircases. Lethal in the winter, he explained some of the reasons behind having the steps on the outside – the houses are small so it freed up space inside and as many generations often shared the same building, they had different entrances.

Our guide took us to see some ‘Green Alleyways’. An oasis of calm in the big city, the alleyways are projects organised by local residents to revitalise unused or unattractive areas and create green spaces between buildings. They are sponsored by the city boroughs and the aim is to improve air quality as well as provide habitat for birds and insects. They are beautiful to look at and walk through – a very different side to this busy city.

Our brief tour of the city was followed by a fabulous lunch at La Queue de Cheval Steakhouse after which we departed for Quebec City.