Canada - Montreal - Layover

I have a 5.5 hour layover in Montreal coming up. I'm an American citizen. Would I have enough time to leave the airport and go downtown and then come back and catch my connecting flight (to BRU)

Thanks,

Paul

I have a 5.5 hour layover in Montreal coming up. I'm an American citizen. Would I have enough time to leave the airport and go downtown and then come back and catch my connecting flight (to BRU)

Thanks,

Paul

What do you want to do downtown? Anything specific and quick?

What do you want to do downtown? Anything specific and quick?

Thanks for the reply!

I am hoping to at least see the Notre-Dame Basilica and just walk around Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal)

I think you probably could do that, if you take a cab from the airport. There's a bus-bus-subway connection to downtown, but that's a pain and can take around an hour. I'm not sure how much a cab to/from the airport would cost, but it's not likely to be terribly cheap - Dorval is a fair hike from the city center.

If you're in Old Montreal you could also get lunch in Chinatown if you're so inclined. The neighborhoods are very close together, and although small Chinatown has a bunch of tasty places to eat. There's a place called Hong Kong that I quite like - massive amounts of food and reasonable prices.

I think you probably could do that, if you take a cab from the airport. There's a bus-bus-subway connection to downtown, but that's a pain and can take around an hour. I'm not sure how much a cab to/from the airport would cost, but it's not likely to be terribly cheap - Dorval is a fair hike from the city center.

If you're in Old Montreal you could also get lunch in Chinatown if you're so inclined. The neighborhoods are very close together, and although small Chinatown has a bunch of tasty places to eat. There's a place called Hong Kong that I quite like - massive amounts of food and reasonable prices.

Thanks, great info. If will see how things go (flight landing time etc..) I'll check out Hong Kong restaurant.

As a side question, would you suggest getting Canadian $ or can I use US?

As a side question, would you suggest getting Canadian $ or can I use US?

Oh god, don't be that guy - pull some CAD out of an ATM and save everybody the hassle ;)

Seriously, while some larger or more tourist-oriented merchants will take USD, they'll generally give you an awful exchange rate. For small businesses like a restaurant or a regular old store, taking USD will be a huge inconvenience for them, as they'll have to make a special trip to the bank to change the currency, and the bank will in turn give them a bad exchange rate.

Also, some Americans give everybody a bad name by showing up in Canada and just assuming they're in another state, so everyone will take their money. Not so much. I was once on a public bus in Montreal where an American guy (wearing a floppy safari hat, too, for added comic effect) got on and tried to pay in USD - not with coins, mind you, but actual bills, which Canadian buses do not take - and in English. The driver gave him the look of death and basically told him, in French, to get some useful money. The American kept resisting, in English, and got the same reply, in French, and this went on for a good couple of minutes as the rest of us sat there, delayed. I so wanted to get up and yell at him.

Oh god, don't be that guy - pull some CAD out of an ATM and save everybody the hassle ;)

Seriously, while some larger or more tourist-oriented merchants will take USD, they'll generally give you an awful exchange rate. For small businesses like a restaurant or a regular old store, taking USD will be a huge inconvenience for them, as they'll have to make a special trip to the bank to change the currency, and the bank will in turn give them a bad exchange rate.

Also, some Americans give everybody a bad name by showing up in Canada and just assuming they're in another state, so everyone will take their money. Not so much. I was once on a public bus in Montreal where an American guy (wearing a floppy safari hat, too, for added comic effect) got on and tried to pay in USD - not with coins, mind you, but actual bills, which Canadian buses do not take - and in English. The driver gave him the look of death and basically told him, in French, to get some useful money. The American kept resisting, in English, and got the same reply, in French, and this went on for a good couple of minutes as the rest of us sat there, delayed. I so wanted to get up and yell at him.

I definitely don't want to be the guy in the safari hat! lol I appreciate the advice. I will grab some CAD. As you can probably tell I don't travel to Canada much so this will be a good experience for me.

I definitely don't want to be the guy in the safari hat! lol I appreciate the advice. I will grab some CAD. As you can probably tell I don't travel to Canada much so this will be a good experience for me.

Sorry for not being around since you answered my question. You`ve made a good choice in choosing the Basilica.

I can add a second option as to getting downtown. You could use the 747 Express bus (discussed in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/1065793-yul-new-express-bus-2.html))

For $8 (good for 24 hours, so that's all you'll pay) you'll take exactly the same route that the cab would take to get you into the downtown core. You can hop onto the Metro at the first stop to get near the Basilica, or continue on with the bus to get dropped off at the northern gate of Chinatown (St. Laurent and Rene-Levesque) if you want to eat first.

Here's a link to the 747 routemap: 747 Planibus (http://www.stm.info/English/bus/Planibus/747.pdf).

Please DO HOWEVER be cognizant of the fact that the security lines as well as traffic to the airport can be, well, unpredictable. I would not hesitate doing what you intend to do on a weekend, but a weekday may get a little interesting if you hit rushour on the way back from downtown.

Hope this helps.

Sorry for not being around since you answered my question. You`ve made a good choice in choosing the Basilica.

I can add a second option as to getting downtown. You could use the 747 Express bus (discussed in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/1065793-yul-new-express-bus-2.html))

For $8 (good for 24 hours, so that's all you'll pay) you'll take exactly the same route that the cab would take to get you into the downtown core. You can hop onto the Metro at the first stop to get near the Basilica, or continue on with the bus to get dropped off at the northern gate of Chinatown (St. Laurent and Rene-Levesque) if you want to eat first.

Here's a link to the 747 routemap: 747 Planibus (http://www.stm.info/English/bus/Planibus/747.pdf).

Please DO HOWEVER be cognizant of the fact that the security lines as well as traffic to the airport can be, well, unpredictable. I would not hesitate doing what you intend to do on a weekend, but a weekday may get a little interesting if you hit rushour on the way back from downtown.

Hope this helps.

Helps a lot thank you. We will be there Friday so it may be a crunch. At least go down, take a look around for an hour and head back.

Thanks again.

Paul

Depending on your connecting flight times, 5.5 hours doesn;t give you a lot... expect a $45 cab fare + tip from Dorval to the Old Port and depending on traffic, 15-20 mins each way. That gives you 4.5 hours , and it's probably a good idea to be waiting at the gate at least an hour in advance of your flight, so now you're down to 3.5 hours (3 to be safe!) and almost $100 in taxi fare. You can grab a quick lunch and walk around the port for a while though, I suppose.

Also, be aware that on Friday evenings, the highway from downtown out to the airport (which both the buses and the taxis use) is frequently jammed. Leaving the city around 5pm, it frequently takes me an hour to get to the airport (vs. 20min at better times).

I know this is an older thread but I'm looking at a similar situation next Friday. A six hour layover in Montreal between 2pm and 8pm. I was thinking that a rental car may be the best way to get quickly and relatively cheaply from the airport to Old Montreal. There are two of us so its only a few dollars more than the bus but a lot cheaper than a cab. Does that sound do-able. Grab a rental car, head to Old Montreal, wander around and have a meal and head back to the airport.

Thanks for you help
Mitch

I know this is an older thread but I'm looking at a similar situation next Friday. A six hour layover in Montreal between 2pm and 8pm. I was thinking that a rental car may be the best way to get quickly and relatively cheaply from the airport to Old Montreal. There are two of us so its only a few dollars more than the bus but a lot cheaper than a cab. Does that sound do-able. Grab a rental car, head to Old Montreal, wander around and have a meal and head back to the airport.

Thanks for you help
Mitch

You can do that, you can also take the express bus to Vieux Montréal. The traffic at 2 shouldn't be too bad... Afternoon could get a little busy but you can stay until 4:30-ish. If you go downtown you can walk down rue sainte Catherine et boul Maisonneuve. If you wanna go a little further up you can visit the area around McGill. Very pretty. Enjoy. :)

There are two of us so its only a few dollars more than the bus but a lot cheaper than a cab.Not sure what you pay for the rental car, but the round trip bus fare per person is $8, so at $16 the two of you have 24h of use for all buses and the subway. Plus, no worries about parking.

I'd take the bus over the rental.

Thanks Amy and Airoli

The $$ difference between the car and the bus is only about $10 so that's not a concern. I'm more interested in squeezing every minute in. Obviously the drive time for bus and car is pretty similar but I'm thinking about waiting for the bus, (there and back) and waiting for the metro (there and back). Would that add more delay than picking up a rental car and looking for parking near Old Montreal?

Any recommendations for a good place to eat around Old Montreal? Not too expensive but a decent representation of local fare.

Thanks for your help
Mitch

Just a reminder: where are you flying in from, where are you flying to and your travel document/natonality will cut into the total hours that you will actually have.

Good point. Flying in from Boston, out to Halifax en route to London. One UK citizen, one US. I'm figuring an hour to get out of the airport and an hour to get back in leaving 4 hours for 'stuff' including travel to and from the airport.

Sounds like you will be looking for a late lunch - I suggest Olive et Gourmando at the corner of St.Pierre and St. Paul in Old Montreal. Hip, popular, excellent food (salads, sandwiches, superb cappucino) and inexpensive - listed in McLean's Top 50 Restaurants in Canada.

Thanks Amy and Airoli

The $$ difference between the car and the bus is only about $10 so that's not a concern. I'm more interested in squeezing every minute in. Obviously the drive time for bus and car is pretty similar but I'm thinking about waiting for the bus, (there and back) and waiting for the metro (there and back). Would that add more delay than picking up a rental car and looking for parking near Old Montreal?

Any recommendations for a good place to eat around Old Montreal? Not too expensive but a decent representation of local fare.

Thanks for your help
Mitch

Brasero Hardi (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/67/1699697/restaurant/Old-Montr-al/brasero-Hardi-Montreal) is a newish place and one of the more reasonably-priced trendy spots in Old Montreal. Most of the spots you'll find in the area are tourist traps -- they under-wow with their overpriced menus. This place has great food, an excellent atmosphere and an incredible bar. Just remember that you have to drive back :cool:

Edit: Didn't realize this place opens at 5:30... won't work for you, sorry! Maybe just stop in for a drink on your way back to the airport. If you're on the road by 6:00-6:15 you'll easily make your 8pm flight.