A traveler's guide to Montreal
French is the city's language. A greeting in French changes the room. English will still get you dinner.
Montreal feels European until the plateau staircases and the winter remind you where you are. Eat. Walk the neighborhoods. Hear music. The old port is a start. The city is the Plateau, Mile End, and a table that assumes you have the evening.
When to go
Summer is terrasses, festivals, and the reason most people come. Fall is beautiful and thinner. Winter is a real season with underground paths and excellent food. Spring arrives late and then all at once.
Neighborhoods
Old Montreal early. The Plateau and Mile End for the days you will remember. Little Italy for the market. Downtown if the hotel and the metro are the priority. The underground city matters in January and is dull in July.
Eating
Bagels, smoked meat, and a French dinner that costs less than Paris and takes just as long. Jean-Talon Market is the right lunch. Poutine once, from a place that is not embarrassed of it.
If you only remember this
- Bonjour first.
- The metro is easy. The hill up to the Plateau is honest.
- Festival weeks book out.
- Winter needs real boots, not optimistic sneakers.