Arrived in Montreal during noon and as all previous days had been very much full of steps and kilometres, decided to take a rest day. Got some food and chilled in the sun on the hostels rooftop.
I was staying in the M Montreal hostel and it’s absolutely lovely, especially the roof! It has hammocks and jacuzzis!
In the evening met up with a friend of a friend and went exploring Montreals nightlife. Had a lovely dinner at a microbrewery, did some bar-hopping and in the end met with her friends and went to a super-cool karaoke bar called Taverne Cobra In the Little Italy district. Sang some karaoke and chilled until early morning.
On Sunday went back to Little Italy to the Jean-Talon market. It’s mainly a local food market, but they also sell other products and have some lovely food stalls and cafes. They had a fermented foods mini-festival going on this day. Definitely interesting!
Explored Mount Royal Park area and forest and hiked Mount Royal. Easy hike and beautiful views. Unexpectedly met a raccoon. We gave each other a little scare.
Mont Royal is a volcanic-related hill in the middle of Montreal, and it’s where Montreal gets its name. There are both paved paths and natural trails. It's not the highest hill there is, but the panoramic views from the top are definitely worth it.
From May to September every Sunday drummesrs, musicians and dancers gather at the base of the mountain and jam until sunset. It's fun to watch, join in, or just have a picnic on the lawn.
Montreal has a really cool vibe about it. It’s also said to be the most European city in Canada. It's the second-most populous city in Canada (after Toronto) and the biggest francophone city in the Americas, although both French and English are widely spoken. Montreal was created by the French ca 375 years ago, although the First Nations inhabited the land long before that.
Poutine - a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. Every local probably recommends you a different place for best poutine. I tried a couple (Chez Claudette and La Banquise), they were both good (wanted to try a Portuguese place - Ma Poule Mouillee - but sadly it was closed that day). Many places have added plenty of flavors to the dish, so there are options! Will I miss it? Not so much. Would I eat it again? Sure, a lovely guilty pleasure.
Mile End area, drift stores, dive bars and street art.
The Olympic Park (home to the 1976 Summer Olympics) with its stadiums, botanical gardens, biodrome and a planetarium. Did you know Montreal has the highest inclining tower in the world? The tower is at the moment under renovations and is set to re-open in 2025.
As in most big cities there is always good food in Chinatown!
Notre-Dame Basilica / Basilique Notre-Dame (a picture of half of it, as the other side was under construction).
Met a friend and walked around the cobblestone streets of the old town and visited the Old Port. Well, that’s where you definitely get the European feels. The cobblestone streets and historic charm... Also, although the weather was warm and lovely it gave huge Christmas feels. Wanted to pop into every cafe and have hot chocolate!
Bonsecours Market - once a city hall, now home to the largest public market in Montreal, dating back 150 years.
Start of Artist Alley on Rue Saint-Amable - full of lovely jewellery and souvenir stores.
The Old Port is a historic 2 km stretch along the St. Lawrence River. It has beautiful views over the city, and you can also go ziplining.
On the last day, it was a pretty foggy morning, still wanted to walk the Jacques Cartier bridge over to St. Helen's island and walk around the Jean-Drapeau park. There’s also the Biosphere environmental museum, the F1 track, a casino and a 6 flags amusement park on the island. It started raining at some point so took the metro back into town and explored a bit of Montreals underground city. It’s supposed to be the biggest of its kind. 33 km of tunnels under the city connecting metro stations and shopping centres. As it was still a bit damp outside, met a friend, took advantage of Cinq-à-sept (happy hour) and enjoyed a couple of pints at a downtown pub.
Biosphere - built for Expo 67 to house the United States pavilion. Today, it’s a museum devoted to the environment addressing climate change, sustainability, biodiversity, water, marine life etc.
Mary, Queen of the World cathedral.
Good bye Montreal and Canada in general, a quick (read 9 hours) night bus towards NYC ahead!
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