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!

Would you mind elaborating on why the public transit options are horrible?

I took a quick look at the commuter train schedule and it looks like there are trains which would get us to/from the Sheraton Le Centre in less time and cheaper than either the shuttle or a taxi. Is there any reason to avoid the trains (we have minimal luggage?)

Thank you

The train station in YUL, is not...exactly in YUL...Once you'll arrive at the train station, you'll have to wait for the free shuttle to take you to the actual terminal (2-3 minutes ride)

The other option is the direct bus, from both the train station or the Metro Station Berri-UQAM. Both options will take take you directly to the terminal.

Native Art query
 

Any suggestions for Inuit Art in this area??

Thanks,

J@:-)

Here are some of the best

Old Montreal:
http://www.galerielechariot.com/
http://www.elcalondon.com/

Old Quebec:
http://www.sculpture.artinuit.ca/
http://www.inuitfinearts.com/

Try and steer clear of the "tourist trap" souvenir shops that sell very low quality at a high price. Like any form of art, stick to a reputable dealer

Thanks YULbigfoot!!!

[QUOTE=YULbigfoot;9981624][I]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...

Well we just got the call this AM that the Union is shifting all their hotel rezs from the QE to Loews...

Any word on what this hotel is like? Thanks.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazett...a-5803fd445c3a

[QUOTE=JPat;10166721]FYI - Loews hotel is known as "hotel vogue" to anyone from Montreal. I had to google to know what you were referring to. It is in arguably a slightly better location then the QE for walking around etc. It is not one of my usual recommendations but there is nothing wrong with the hotel and has an overall positive reputation.

[QUOTE=fly-yul;10167249]
Anyone know how the food is in the restaurants at "Hotel Vogue" ....Egads! Is this some kind of Madonna-themed atrocity from the 80's?;)

Decent restaurants near here for our first night there within walking distance?

I heard about the 'riot' in the northern section of town. I hope this is an aberration and not a sign of the LosAngelesization of one of Canada's lovely cities....

Thanks, this has been quite a help. J

[QUOTE=JPat;10191982]I've never eaten at the Hotel Vogue. Unfortunately you're right in the middle of downtown, not one of my favourite areas. Perfectly safe, just touristy and meh in terms of food, generally speaking.

For suggestions on restaurants within walking distance, it really depends on how you define walking distance and what you're looking for. You're not far from Brasserie Brunoise (1012 rue de la Montagne, www.brunoise.ca), a casual pub type spot with great reviews. Not as great as its much lamented older sibling Brunoise, but still good.

For something slightly more upscale, Europea is also close by at 1227 De La Montagne, www.europea.ca.

Most of my top recommendations are outside of that area, though these are two good spots. If you want other suggestions let me know and I'll see what I can dig up.

The riot is just Montreal's way of saying "hi!". It's way north of where you are, no worries on that count.

[QUOTE=JPat;10191982]Brasserie Brunoise and Europea are great suggestions

Here are some places I frequently eat at which are within walking distance:
Cafe Ferreira (http://www.ferreiracafe.com/): If you like fish, this is the place
Le Pois Penché (http://www.lepoispenche.com/): Great French Bistro
Brontë (http://www.bronterestaurant.com/): Ecclectic menu
Le Laurie Raphael (http://www.laurieraphael.com/): Younger sibling of one of Quebec's City Best Restaurant

Im also a sucker for Entrecote St-Jean (http://www.lentrecotestjean.com/) which as one thing one the menu: a great striploin (and it isnt too far from your hotel). Another personal favorite for comfort pub food is Hurley's Irish Pub on Crescent (http://www.hurleysirishpub.com/), great Scotch, burgers and stews

[QUOTE=phedre;10192139]phedre & YULbigfoot:

Great posts!

We will stay this month two (may be three) nights at Sheraton Centre ... we stayed there last year ...
What are "favourite areas" NOT to miss? We have already in mind: Atwater & Talon market, Little Italy, Mount Royal, Old Montreal, Quartier Latin, area around Laurier Av.Saint-Laurent Blvd., Lachine Canal...
Thanks

[QUOTE=USAFAN;10195915]That's a pretty good list. Highest on my list for this time of year would be Jean Talon market.

I'd add Chinatown, which is really tiny and can be combined with Old Montreal - they're very close to each other.

Laurier/Saint Laurent is my neighbourhood, the Mile End. Great location! If you're in that area, I'd recommend the following:

- St. Viateur between St. Laurent and Parc
- Fairmount between St. Laurent and Parc
- Bernard between St. Laurent and Bloomfield
- Parc between Mont-Royal and St. Viateur

This would take up an entire afternoon, but give you plenty of time to sample local favourites such as:

Cocoa Locale. This cake shop is a gem, renowned for its chocolate chai cupcakes. 4807 avenue du parc, www.cocoalocale.com. It's a teeny tiny shop, with an awning of brown and pink. Get there early, their stuff sells out fast.

Caffe in Gamba, 5263 avenue du parc, www.caffeingamba.com, arguably the best cappuccino in the city (except for Anthony Benda's, but more on that later). Neighbourhood atmosphere, and a great selection of small producer beans.

Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois, 162 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, chocolatsgg.com. Great little jewel of a shop tucked out of the way. Try their lovely handmade chocolates. There's only one shop I like better than this place for chocolate in Montreal, and it's down on Roy and St. Denis, a bit of a hike (Chocolats de Chloe).

Cafe Olimpico (Open Da Night as it's known locally) 124 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, for the neighbourhood ambience and cafe au lait.

Cheskie's Hemish Bakery, 359 rue Bernard Ouest, a small Hasidic bakery that makes delicious ruggulahs and a to-die for chocolate babka. Closed from Friday sundown to Sunday for obvious reasons.

If you're in the mood for a cold beer, Dieu du Ciel is a microbrewery located at 29 avenue Laurier Ouest. Fingerfoods are passable, beer's very tasty.

You're also right in the neighbourhood of a number of my favourite restaurants mentioned above.

Oh, I mentioned Anthony. If you're in the old port, stop into Cafe Sante Veritas, 480 boulevard saint-laurent, located in the old port just below Notre Dame. It's close to the hideously large McDonald's. Anthony usually works during the day, from about 7 - 3, Monday to Friday. Go see him and I promise you will have the best cappuccino you've ever had in North America. He's great!

Great stuff phedre, bunch of places I didnt know about in there.

Im in Old Montreal and work downtown so here's a couple of places to check out

Old Montreal:
Olive and Gourmando (351 St-Paul W): Great bakery

Verses/Hotel Nelligan (106 St-Paul W): Great rooftop terrasse

Suite 701 (701 Place d'Armes): Great terrasse with some stunning views of Old Montreal

Le Local (740 William): Upscale resto with inspired cuisine from a young upcoming chef with a kitchen that open til midnight. (Think filo crust, tomatoes, caramelize onions, mozzarella di buffalla, smoked meat and foie gras... Yes, totally decadent)

Holder (407 McGill): French Bistro fare, great service but a little noisy. The tartarre is amazing.

Boris Bistro (465 McGill): Terrasse, food and drinks: a perfect Montreal combo

Versions Laurent Godbout (295 St-Paul Est): Ask for the patio in the back, very iventitive cuisine... Go at lunc, they have a great Table d'hote (set menu), that is much cheaper than dinner and it will save you from eating in some nasty tourist traps around Place Jacques-Cartier (center of Old Montreal)

Downtown (besides the ones previously mentionned):
Cafe Presto (1244 Stanley - Steps away from the Sheraton): Tiny Italian restaurant for lunch (go early or late)

Beaver Hall (Corner Beaver-Hall and Belmont): Great lunch place, french bistro (same chef as Europea)

Chinatown:
Maison VIP (1077 Clark): Year in year, Montreal's best Chinese restaurant

Pho Bang (1001 St Laurent): Best Vietnamese soup around!

---

With regards to attractions, here is my "to do" list:

Pointe à Calliere archeological museum, great for the history of Montreal

McCord Museum of Canadian History

Stewart Museum on Ile Ste-Helene, another great site to see (old fortifications) with a focus on the British/French military history of Quebec

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Downtown)

St-Joseph's Oratory is another must see, Canada's largest church and a worth while detour from the downtown core. Its a couple of blocks from Cote-des-Neiges metro on Queen-Mary road, its hard to miss.

Go up on Mont-Royal at night, to get an amazing view of the city

YULbigfoot & phedre:

Great, thanks!

This stuff is for one to two weeks ... I have only 3 days, I am going to google all places and send them as "Favorites" to my Garmin GPS.

Thanks again!!

BTW, last year I liked "Il Cortile" and "L'Express"

YULbigfoot & phedre:

I am working at "your lists"
Found this:

http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/...e-to-mile-end/
"...The Italian sports café Open Da Night, known officially as Café Olimpico, is a Mile End landmark that has been open since 1972

Mile End’s success as a neighbourhood comes from its history. Each wave of residents has left its own unique mark on the neighbourhood: the Portuguese, for instance, taught Mile Enders the value of a well-maintained garden and adorned their triplexes with tiles depicting Catholic saints. Park Avenue remains a sort of downtown for Montreal Greeks, even if most of them moved away years ago. And the Hasidic community continues to thrive; little boys with yarmulkes pedal their tricycles furiously down the sidewalk, braided hair blowing in the wind. It will take care and attention from residents and from the city for Mile End to retain the qualities that make it such a great neighbourhood...."

Last year I have been at Mile-End ... very interesting area. I'll check it out again!

one last query...
 

So on our return we are flying YUL to JFK and than on to SEA on DL

Will we have to clear customs with our checked bags @ JFK?:confused:

That's a real good question.
First I wanted to answer "YES, YOU HAVE!" ... I always clear customs at the first airport when coming from abroad.
However, I am almost positive, that I DID NOT clear customs at CVG on our last flight YYZ-CVG-RSW. :confused:

Nope! You will preclear Immigration & Customs at the transborder terminal in YUL.

Here is the transborder process from most major airports in Canada when flying to US:
1) Checkin (at which point you are handed a CBP form to fill out before you enter the CBP hall)
2) CBP checkpoint (Immigration and Customs)
3) Checked bag drop-off (no need to pick them up until final destination if they are checked through)
4) Security
5) Transborder terminal or Maple Leaf Lounge if you have *A status
6) Flight and arrival at JFK as a domestic pax

Depending on when you fly, you should have plenty of time if you show up at the airport 90 minutes ahead of your flight.

For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...r_preclearance

YULbigfoot:

Thanks for your help .. great post!

If you like Il Cortile, here are a couple of good Italian places

Downtown:
Le Piémontais (http://www.lepiemontais.com/en/le-piemontais.html): Top pick downtown
Le Muscadin (http://www.lemuscadin.ca/MainWindow_en.html): One of Montreal largest selection of Italian wines
Le Latini (1130 Jeanne-Mance): A little too expensive

Little Italy
Il Mulino (http://www.ilmulino.ca/): My top pick in Little Italy

Old Montreal
Graziella (http://www.restaurantgraziella.ca/): Im also partial to this one

Dorval
Natalino (http://www.natalino.ca/): Located 7 minutes from the airport this can be a great place to have lunch on your way to the airport if you have an afternoon flight

meanwhile back in SEA
 

All;

Returned late last night from a very interesting eight nights in Montreal. I will post more reportage later but feel compelled to warn off other FT's about one lousy (and self-inflicted) hotel experience...
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....9&postcount=37

We are back! We "worked hard" ... but could not finish your "lists".
We liked the area at/near Mile End the most... this Cheskie's Hamish Bakery was great .. had two different chocolate "cakes" ... also Fairmount was very interesting.
The weather was great .... the Old Town was packed on Sat & Sun . not what I was looking for ... far too many tourists ... and lots of marriages.

Thanks again!!^

I have been reading this and other related threads with great interest, as my good friend and I have chosen Montreal and the Laurentians for our annual hiking/buddy trip, set for late September. We are childhood buddies and native NY'ers of one of New York's typical ethnic persuasions (which will become clear below), but now I live in MS and he lives in MA, so every year we choose a mutually agreeable place to get together for a few days. The "native NY'ers" part of this is pertinent to our planned choices of modes of transport and also FOOD! Here's what we have in mind:

Upon my arrival at YUL late afternoon Wed (where my buddy will be picking me up in his car after his drive up from MA), our first stop will be dinner at Chalet BBQ on Sherbrooke (for CHICKEN and GRAVY FRIES!), then improvise the rest of the evening, ultimately to our hotel in Laval.

For Thu, we have planned a FULL day of walking and hiking in the city. We will take the Metro (because we love to sample other towns' mass transit)from Laval to the Mont Royal station in town, then intend to hike and do some geocaching in/on Mount Royal for several hours. We will work up our appetites for some combination of the following eating establishments: Schwartz's Deli (for some SMOKED MEAT!), Fairmount Bagels, Cheskie's Bakery (for some BABKA!), and Seraphin Bakery (for some CHEESECAKE!). We also have the following photo/touring destinations on the agenda (which we may reach on foot or via Metro depending on timing and fatigue): St. Joseph's Oratory, Notre Dame Basilica and Old Montreal, and the Underground City.

On Friday, we will probably swing by (via car) one or more of the food establishments that we missed for some "to go" food for the rest of the trip (probably some bagels at Fairmount!), and then it's off to our next hotel in Mont Tremblant.

On Saturday, we will hike and geocache Mont Tremblant. (We did something similar a few years back in Banff...we hiked up Sulphur Mountain and then rode the gondola back down.)

Sunday is a "free" day, and we will part company mid-afternoon when my buddy drops me off at YUL for my first flight home.

I have already marked all pertinent waypoints on my handheld/routing GPS, and I will have the pertinent Metro maps with me as well. I have read the many wonderful recommendations on this and other threads for other things to do, and we may well do some of them along the way (so those recommendations are GRATEFULLY appreciated...I trust my fellow FT'ers!), but based on our particular interests and the tight timeframes, the above is our basic outline.

No need to add any other suggestions that have already been referenced here on this thread...I've read and re-read it and have had it bookmarked for several weeks now...but if any of you have any other thoughts/comments to add about this agenda, I (and presumably other readers here) would love to read them (this includes any specific Metro usage recommendations, or anything else). Thanks!

Drat19;

Sounds like a good plan! Don't forget to try the java recommendations contained here.

We loved Veritas down in the Old Town area.

We took a hike around the Mile-End region by getting off the Metro at Outremont and than walking over to the Mont Royal stop.

We also found the Lachine Canal area quite lovely. We grabbed the Metro and stopped first at the Atwater Market, got some food and water and than walked back to Old Town, admiring the city views, boats and locks along the way. Grabbed a couple of cold beers at the Elusiers cafe near Old Town (fell in love with the raven haired waitress in the blue dress, if you see her have her PM me;) ) From Old Town we hiked back to our Sherbrooke St Hotel. Really a good thing to do as we saw a lot of the city and it's residents this way.

Sounds like a great plan! Looks like a great "Montreal sampler"

Except the hotel choice. Why Laval? You will be at least 20-30 minutes driving time from Downtown and at least 60 minutes by Metro (plus time to get there from your hotel).

Let me know your reasoning and I may suggest changes to your itinerary!

(1) HHonors points usage at the Hampton there (WAY fewer than downtown options...we're already using a bunch more on a higher-end property on the Mont Tremblant leg of the trip, as you might imagine)

(2) Head start to Mont Tremblant if we elect to leave straight from hotel Fri morning (our option to possibly return to downtown Mtl for food Fri morning came up only lately, long since I booked)

Plus, as it turns out we're kinda pumped to Metro it into town...remember, native NY'ers. Hotel is 5 minutes from Montmorency station. (Sidebar: Once when we were 15, my buddy and I actually spent an entire day riding the subways on just one fare just to see if we could do it...we're weird like that, even now in our 40s!).