Montreal/Quebec City Vacation (1 Viewer)

[northern exposure]

Heading to Montreal and Quebec City in a few weeks for vacation. It will be my wife and I and our two sons (18 and 20).
I have been to Montreal a few times, but my more recent trips have included landing at the airport and travelling outside the city to Mont Tremblant or another destination. When I was in Montreal and stayed there it was usually for the Grand Prix.

Any must see places or restaurants,etc. in either city?

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Heading to Montreal and Quebec City in a few weeks for vacation. It will be my wife and I and our two sons (18 and 20).
I have been to Montreal a few times, but my more recent trips have included landing at the airport and travelling outside the city to Mont Tremblant or another destination. When I was in Montreal and stayed there it was usually for the Grand Prix.

Any must see places or restaurants,etc. in either city?

The old port part of Montreal is beautiful. Saint catherine street is also great- lots of shopping, restaurants..etc. The plateau part of town features great French dining- and you can find some great restaurants that are priced well there. Crescent street is a short- but features a lot of nightlife and bars condensed in a tight area. Notre Dame is also a great place to see

 

[Ilov80s]

I will look back for restaurant reservations in Quebec. I love it there. The falls are totally worth checking out.

 

[Ilov80s]

Ok Quebec City food:

-La Buche- perfect for brunch, its a sugar shack which is just a thing up there, google it. It's casual, great food and service.

- Chez Rioux & Pettigrew- great place for dinner, lots of seafood, still pretty casual (though isn't everything these days you could be in shorts, sandals and a polo or a suit and feel fine there) I think we ordered damn near the whole menu with our party last time

- Le Projet: a collection of great local craft beer with good high quality bar food, good poutine

- Le Lapin Sauté super cute and quaint, like stepping back in time and the food is very good, more traditional

- Bleu Marine we had an incredible meal here, we let the kitchen just prepare is whatever they wanted with wine paitings, 5 courses I think. We got dishes we have never had before and even at least one totally unique wine that my SIL who has sold wine for 20 years had never had. That said, some of it was very different and the menu is always changing so this is a risk. You might get something too weird.

 

[Major]

Love Montreal. One of my favorite cities in North America. I normally stayed at the Opus which is now called Hotel 10 - great location and value for a modern hotel. For dinner Le Mousso is can't miss if you want a top notch dining experience. Lots of great strip clubs as well which may peak the interest of your two boys

 

[Atomic Punk]

Just got back from and eastern road trip, with a three day jaunt to Quebec City and Montreal, sandwiched between two stops in Ottawa for their Bluesfest.

Loved both cities and definitely need more time than what I invested. For restaurants, we did l’affaire est ketchup and la buche in QC and Modavie in Montreal. L’affaire est ketchup was the stand out. Dive looking place on the outside but served up an amazing meal in a very unpretentious setting. Chefs work right next to you in a very basic kitchen. The Mrs had octopus as an appetizer, followed by duck. I had sweetbreads, followed by the beef.

La buche gave me the vibe that it use to be good, but they are now trying to do volume and quality is suffering a bit. I’d still say it was a solid meal, but nothing I would say you need to experience.

Modavie is somewhere in the middle of the other two. Nice place, good food, jazz trio playing all night, but it was missing that “je ne sais quoi”. Still an enjoyable experience. In Montreal, we also did the Montreal trinity of bagels, poutine and smoked meat sandwiches. I’m not much of a poutine guy but the smoked meat sandwiches (Schwartz) and bagels (St. Viateur) met all expectations and better than any I’ve had anywhere.

As for activities, we did a lot of neighborhood wandering, old Montreal, ole port, Jewish, Italian and Portuguese areas, and rue St. Catherine in Montreal. In QC, we stuck to the touristy section but if you love the European feel, you’ll get it there.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Montréal is my favorite city. I used to go once per year for hockey. There’s good food & drink all around, I’d send you to Au Pied des Cochins & Bily Kun. Plateau & Rue St. Paul & you’re off.

 

[Osaurus]

Loved seeing Montreal and Quebec City in the late Fall a couple of years ago.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I've never been there but I am the proud owner of a Montreal Expos baseball cap.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

I've never been there but I am the proud owner of a Montreal Expos baseball cap.

Nice! Just show it to the guards at the city gates and it should gain you entry.

 

[brun]

Quebec City
I know it doesn't help you for this trip. Last time I was there (Nordiques were still playing there) was for Winter Carnival which is a lot of fun and I highly recommend.

Montreal
Used to go fairly regularly but haven't been in about 20 years. Things I remember being fun to do/see, in no particular order.
Biodome - Allows you to walk through 4 different ecosystems.
Olympic Stadium - Better if there is something going on but going up the tower provides great views.
Notre-Dame Basilica - Absolutely stunning. If there is a concert (no matter what kind) definitely worth the price of a ticket.
Montreal Casino - Not outstanding but if you got the itch.
Mont-Royal - Relax.
Old Montreal - Places to eat, drink, watch people, see galleries, etc. You could almost spend all your time here.
L’Oratoire Saint-Joseph - Supposedly Brother Andre healed many here and you will see canes, crutches, wheelchairs etc., that are said to be left by the healed. Last time I was there I saw pilgrims actually climbing the 283 steps on their knees, stopping to pray on each one. While I'm not a believer, it is still amazing to see.
Adult Entertainment - Maybe not for a family trip. Probably better than what you'll find in a lot of places. Back in the day, my cousin claimed to know every stripper in Montreal. Probably why his wife spent so much time at the casino.