Travel: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

By donyaluzee May 25, 2020

We've travelled to Montreal, Quebec a couple of times and its charm continues to draw us back.

The first time we had a glimpse of Montreal, this was a literal quick-stop. Our friends at that time wanted to take home some smoked meat and they were raving about it like it was gold. So coming home from our trip, we passed by Montreal and did an extraction (drop off, taking what you need, and dashing out as quickly as possible). We bought a few pounds of smoked meat, Portuguese roasted chicken, and potatoes (the shop beside had roasted chicken). The glorious smell in the car was just too much. We pulled over and ate. That sounded too refined. WE ATE! And that brisket? I'm drooling now just thinking about it. It was like butter. Thank you, Schwartz (You've literally changed us and our palate. Yes, you are gold.)

So now, every time we make a trip to Montreal or pass it on our way home, no doubt we take home a few pounds of this buttery-should-be-illegal-yummsies.

First of all, when you enter anywhere in Quebec, be ready because everything's in French. If you know some basic French words, you'll be fine. If not, learn it or have a translate app with you. Don't worry, you can always ask the locals in English and most often they speak it too. When Carl and I first ventured here on our own, we sort of panicked internally because the road signs were also in French with no translation. And to all the drivers out there, we have no idea why, but for some reason the Quebecois seem to always drive soooo much faster. It's cray-cray.

Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec and I looooove the fact that we can just drive there on a whim (yes, a day-trip is possible and I'm pretty sure we've done this at one point). It's a 5-6 hour drive from where we live. It's beautiful all throughout the year and especially in autumn. It just brings out that European magical-romantic vibe when you're walking the cobbled-stone streets, going in and out of the quaint shops, and sipping a hot chocolate in a park full of orange leaves. How pretty. If this feels like Europe, then make sure to make a trip to Old Quebec City. That's a 10-hour drive away but still definitely worth it (I'll save this for another post).

Most of our visits are either overnight trips or sometimes we stay for 2 nights. There are so many places to visit. And for some reason no matter how many times we've gone there, we still have so many other new places to discover. These are a few places we've visited in Montreal: Notre-Dame Basilica, La Ronde, Old Port of Montreal, Old Montreal, Downtown Montreal, Place Jacque-Cartier, Jean Talon Market, Mount Royal Park, Place d'Armes, St. Laurent Boulevard, Montreal City Hall, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, and the Mile End neighbourhood. And these are the must try food while you're there: St-Viateur Bagels, Schwartz Smoked Meats, Coco Rico, and Gibeau Orange Julep.

Here are some photos to take you to Montreal, Quebec.