Montreal & Quebec City
 

we are in Montreal on 8/17 staying at the QE in DT. Would like advice on transfers from the airport (cab cost?, shuttle bus? Metro?) as well as restaurant recommendations in DT Montreal. Suggestions for exploring Montreal are also welcomed.
On Friday 8/23 we are thinking that we want to head to Quebec City. The big 400th party appears to be that weekend so we need advice on hotels and travel suggestions (rental car picked up in DT Montreal? Bus? Camel? Train?) Suggestions for food and don't miss cultural sites would be welcomed as well.

Thanks!

J & J^

Airport transfer from YUL to Downtown will run you a flat rate of about 35$ plus tip (IMHO, its the only viable option as public transit options are horrible at YUL)

For Restaurants and things to do, have a look at this post:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8325838

To that, I would add the following restaurants
Le Local on William Street in Old Montreal
Casa Tapas on the Plateau
Version Laurent Godbout and L'Epicier near Marche Bonsecours in Old Montreal
Le Cartet on McGill (Old Montreal) serves up a great Sunday brunch/breakfast

As for getting to Quebec City, I would suggest taking the train from DT Montreal (train station is right below the QE in Montreal), it will save you the hassle of driving and will get you from downtown to downtown in a real comfortable way. Checkout the Dominion 1912 hotel, its a great place to stay.

Food wise in Quebec, here are a couple of suggestions from a previous post of mine:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8520232

If you need any more information, please PM me, it will be a pleasure!

You might want to book your hotel in Quebec City ASAP, if you can even find one for that weekend.

for my two respondents,
thanks!^

What about just doing a one-day sight-seeing trip via train from Montreal to Quebec City? Would that be doable? Many years ago (1983) my now-wife took a trip via bus. A train trip would be tempting I think, given the big doings in QC that weekend. We might be better off just staying in Montreal rather than fighting big crowds all through QC

If you were to do a day trip by train, you would have about 6.5 hours in Quebec City (in at 10h15 out at 17h30), not a good option as it deserves a couple of days. So much to see there! You can always look at BonjourQuebec.com which allows you to search all hotels in a region to see if there is availability on the dates you are looking for.

Make sure you get a renovated room at the Queen E. Also, skip out on the very expensive breakfast at "Le Montréalais" (located in the hotel) and head to "Première Moisson" at Gare Centrale (the Train Station) to pick up croissants.

Also check out one of Montreal's great outdoor markets. Atwater market is a short Metro (subway) ride from your hotel. You get on at Bonaventure station and get out at Lionel-Groulx station then head South on Atwater. You will find some cheeses, the large Fromagerie (cheese shop) with the semi basement has a great selection along with some great charcuterie (cold cuts), pick up bread at Première Moisson inside and some local strwberries, rasberries or blueberries and have a great picnic by the Atwater Canal.

Also if you want to sample some really good Montreal restaurants while saving a little, have a look at the Table d'hote (Set menu) for lunch. Great food for a little less than what dinner would cost. Montreal also has some great bring your own wine restaurants but I like to pick my wine based on what I will be having for dinner.

I could go on and on so if there are any specifics you are looking for, feel free to PM.

Me and my husband was just in Montreal and Quebec City earlier this week. A big party there on Quebec Day (6/24). People drank on the street in Old Quebec, blew up fireworks and partied all night long! There's a big concert too. It's crazy!

TRANSPORTATION
Anyways, we traveled from Toronto to QC by the VIA train. Took us around 10 hours to get there. We stayed 2 nights in QC. Then we took the VIA train again and stopped in Montreal for 1 night. If you can, I suggest you book the ticket ahead of time (www.viarail.ca). You can get discount tickets if you get them early enough.

PLACES TO VISIT
If you're only staying around Old Quebec, I think one day is about enough. In QC, La Citadelle is a must see. It's an one-hour guided tour and you are not allowed to walk around the place by yourself. Then there's the Musee de la Civilisation. We planned to go but it was closed on Monday.

We also walked around the shops in Place Royale and Quartier Petit-Champlain. At Vieux-Port, there's a building called Le Pavillon Du 400e. It is built for the 400th celebration and features an exhibition that talks about the experience and feelings of people who travelled to and settled in Quebec. Quite a nice and refreshing exhibition.

At 10pm every night (i think until Oct), there's a 45 minutes outdoor show. A movie (no dialogs but great music) will be projected on the buildings and you can see it at Vieux-Port. It's about the 400 years of history of Quebec.

A PLACE TO STAY
I stayed at a B&B, just to save money. The place is called A la Decouverte (www.aladecouverte.com). A friendly couple. Very reasonable price too. $129 includes taxes and breakfast. And it's very close to the VIA train station. Only 5 min walk. And it's located right outside of the wall. Very convenient. A very clean and friendly place. :)

FOOD!
We are great fan of food. I couldn't find a seating at Toast! (www.restauranttoast.com/) but their menu looks good. We ended up at Le Marie-Clarisse (www.marieclarisse.qc.ca). I had the black cod with maple syrup and soy sauce. It was delicious! We had lunch at Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens (www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca). It was very good too.

Food are expensive there. We spent around $35/person at lunch and $80/person at night. But we love food! We'd rather save the money to visit restaurant we like :D

A restaurant worth mentioning is Restaurant Laloux (www.laloux.com) in Montreal. I'd give it 5:-:! We had their tasting menu. It was the best meal in the whole trip! Very well portioned. The lobster salad was very refreshing. And the main course was a pork tenderloin rib. Very juicy and tender and great taste! I never thought pork can be so goooooood! I saw the other table ordering beef tenderloin. Looked and smelled very good too! If I can go there again, I'll definitely try it! $55 for the tasting menu and $85 with wine paring. (I still remember the price, HA! It was just 3 days ago when we were there~ I'm back to reality now.)

Hope you have a great trip!

JillRey:

Many thanks for the tips!!

I suggest you check what is going on at the QE as they may be holding 24 hours strikes over the summer

Eek! Really strikes at the QE? Not good as we are attending a labor union convention.

If you have a link to a news article about this please send it along.

Thanks!:eek:

No link but here is a quote from the french article in LaPresse

Le syndicat représentant les employés de l'hôtel Reine Elizabeth, à Montréal, devrait devenir cette semaine le premier d'un établissement hôtelier du Québec à obtenir un mandat de grève de 24 heures, à déclencher au moment jugé opportun.

Translation:

The Union representing the Queen E employees in Montreal shold become the first to obtain (as part of ongoing negotiations) a 24 hour strike mandate to be held when the Union determines it best

You have to be aware that many large hotels are going through negotiations for their next collective bargaining agreement this summer. Some are doing quite well while other (the Queen E) arent making any progress.

Update on the strike situation
 

Stalled contract talks have triggered strike votes to be held Thursday afternoon by unionized staff at two of Montreal's larger hotels, the Queen Elizabeth and the Hyatt Regency, union officials said.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazett...c-229634b3aad7

A lot of Montreal taxies tend to be less than full size cars. I'd spend $15 more and take a much more comfortable "Limo" (Town Car) from the airport. No rez needed. Just follow the Limo signs to the dispatcher (Taxis on the left, Limos on the ride)... left towards the middle of the terminal once you exit C&I.

I find Quebec City rather boring, but have made my home in Montreal for ten years now. It's my favourite city, hands down.

I second the recommendation on getting the limo from the airport - it's a few extra dollars, but well worth it for a comfortable car that doesn't smell. It runs about $45 - $50.

Restaurants in downtown tend towards the trendy and overpriced. If you want really good food, you'll have to venture out to my neck of the woods, the Plateau/Mile-End.

Some of my favourites in the moderate price range:

- Bouchonne, www.bouchonne.com, on Fairmount and Parc. Fantastic, my absolute favourite spot in the city. They just opened in December and I was one of their first customers. Reserve in advance because this tiny spot is getting very popular. The staff's super friendly, the food tasty, and meant to complement their wine cellar, all of which is available by the glass. If Steve's working, he'll take great care of you, and is always spot on with wine recommendations. Oh, and their cheese plate? *faints* SO GOOD.
- Milos, www.milos.ca, on Parc north of Fairmount. The famous Greek seafood restaurant. If you don't want to spend a fortune on dinner, take advantage of their fantastic lunch special, $22 for an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Well worth it!
- LeMeac, www.restaurantlemeac.com, on Laurier east of Parc. Go for the after 10 special, $22 for appetizer and main course, classic French bistro food.
- Au Cinquième Pêché, www.aucinquiemepeche.com on Mont-Royal and Henri Julien. It really lives up to its name, The Fifth Sin (gluttony). Fantastic food, great atmosphere. A hidden gem that doesn't get mentioned very often.

Then there are the big boys:
Au Pied de Cochon, www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca, on Duluth near St. Denis. This spot is world-famous for its massive portions of Quebec peasant food turned into an art form. Very friendly staff, and the foie gras menu is off the charts. Go hungry, and don't order too much: the portions are HUGE.

Le Club Chasse et Peche, www.leclubchasseetpeche.com, on St. Claude and St. Paul in the old port. This is the most unique high end restaurant in town, and I think beats both La Chronique and Toque in terms of creativity and bang for the buck. A little snooty, but great food. If you go, avoid their lacklustre desserts and try the cheese plate.

And while in my lovely city, you must head to Fairmount Bagels on Fairmount and St. Urbain. They're open 24 hours so if you head to any of the restaurants in my moderate range, you're within walking distance. Some prefer St. Viateur, but I'm a Fairmount fan all the way! Montrealers are very passionate about their bagels. Ask for a hot one, and eat it as you walk down Fairmount. The best! Plus you get to watch them hand rolling and baking the bagels in the wood fired oven, which is a treat in and of itself.

Another fun day activity is to take the metro to Jean-Talon and head to the market. It's on Jean Talon and Henri Julien, there are signs in the metro pointing the way. Walk along butcher's row and enjoy various grilled meats on sticks, hotdogs with kraut, and a bowl of gelato from Havre aux Glaces, all hand made ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets made in small batches with only the best ingredients. Browse spots like Chez Louis, the exclusive fruit and veggie shop with some of the funkiest ingredients you'll find, and wander the stalls where you'll find fresh local Quebec produce. August is a great time to check out the local products!

a follow up ? for Phedre
 

Thanks for the very interesting suggestions!:-:

As a follow-up could you please advise us about dressing for some of these restaurants mentioned?

We are from the very casual "Left Coast" and with the one bag free rule on our Delta flights we are very interested to hear what a local can tell us about the need for dressier garb than our standard blue jeans and short sleeves with open toed shoes.

Thanks!

Montreal's a very casual city. You won't feel out of place in jeans in any of the restaurants I mentioned above, though some casual type dress clothing might be appropriate for Club Chasse, and some of the old guard restaurants like Bonaparte require a bit of dressing up. The local dress is varied, with everything from jeans to sundresses. Open toed shoes and short sleeves are no problem at all.

Be warned: August is HOT and sticky. You'll want something cool and comfortable for sure!