Anne-Charlotte PasseraWe are a French expat family who have been living in Montreal for 9 years now. Moreover, my sons and I have just become Canadian citizens! Whoot whoot!
We love living in the city of Montreal. It’s such a great place to raise a family.
As much as we love it, it doesn’t seem to be a popular destination for our friends and distant family. Could it because despite having the 4 seasons, winter here feels like it lasts over 4 months?
All my life I’ve been part of an expat family and I don’t know if Montreal will be our final stop. However, whether it is here or elsewhere, moving abroad can have a financial toll. There are always unforeseen expenses that seem to spruce out at the worse moments.
Nonetheless, it is possible to make do with what you have if you are planning to start living an expat life in Montreal with your family or just coming for a visit.
Here is a list of things to do and see in just the city alone that won’t necessarily cost you an arm and a leg.
Hopefully, it will make you want to hijack the internet and either make you book a plane ticket, a bus ticket, a train ticket or check out the driving itinerary. You can also hitchhike or sail here, whatever floats your boat.
Formalities
First of all, don’t be scared by the language. They speak Quebecois here (pronounced K-Bay-Kwah) which is close to French. It’s sort of what American is to the English language. Same difference.
If you are polite enough, they might let themselves respond in English before you end up butchering their language.
In any case, Quebecois are very hospitable and polite. Don’t be scared and DON’T CALL THEM FRENCH CANADIANS.
When to visit Montreal
The best time to visit Montreal, in my opinion, is between June and September. That’s because the weather is warm and there are loads of festivals to attend:
- Jazz Festival,
- Just for Laughs,
- Osheaga (Music),
- Beer Festival,
- Gay Pride Parade,
- The Color Run,
- Heavy Metal Festival, just to name a few.
For more info, see below for some useful links. But Montreal is more than just about Festivals.
Pools & Parks of Montreal
The parks around the city are full of life, especially during the summer. Lots of different activities are organized: outdoor movies in the evening, musical concerts (jazz, classic, blues) etc…all you need is to grab a free newspaper about a neighborhood which you can usually find at the library or some restaurants. Also, Place des Arts has activities and festivals held there almost all year long.
First of all, in the summer, all the outdoor pools are free except on week-ends. I believe the entry fee is around 3$CAD, but the water is generally a little cold to my taste and my standing (after having swum in the caribbean and the pacific I admit I’m a little spoiled, sorry). Some parks have kiddy pools or water fountains for kids to play in. Those are usually set up close to a playground. But the best outdoor swimming pool with a fee is on Parc Jean Drapeau, you actually walk into the pool and you can lay down in the water. Arrive early because it can get crowded. Montreal has loads of parks, it is a very green city. Here is a list of parks worth a detour:
Parc La Fontaine (subway stop Mont-Royal or Sherbrooke):
It has a big playground, a kiddy pool, it is a great place for sunbathing/people watching, it has a fairly large pond where you can feed the ducks, you can play beach volleyball and petanque.
There is an outdoor theatre where you can see movies or concerts or plays, most of the time free. There is also a little cafe and art gallery where you can grab something to eat or have a sit-down meal ($).
For the kids there is a little muppet theater (Free) and a train that takes you around the park ($). In the winter you can ice skate and rent ice skates if you don’t have yours, you can sleigh and cross country ski (for real).
Parc Laurier (subway stop Laurier):
Now if you want to see trendy and good-looking people this is a good place to go to in a cool neighborhood. It has a nice outdoor pool (pretty popular) and a nice playground. You can play petanque. It is a good place to have a picnic with a bottle of wine on a hot sunny day in the shades (loads of trees here).
Parc Jarry (subway stop De Castelnau)
a huge parc with a pond and weeping willows. If you arrive early you can find a great spot with a picnic table under a weeping willow close to the water (bring your own portable bbq). It is also a great place to watch sunsets. There is a kiddy pool and a playground.
You can play cricket and football (the real sport). Every summer there, there is a tennis tournament (Rogers Cup) held in the stadium on the outskirts of the park. Junior and I went there one year, it was pretty fun and Junior actually cheered, he is usually uptight about that sort of thing…but who really cheers at tennis? It was my first time at a tennis game and we got to see David Murray and Rafael Nadal play.
Parc Fullum (subway stop Mont-Royal, Frontenac):
I have to put this one on the list because for 5 years this was OUR park. We lived in and around from it the moment we arrived in Canada. I LOVE this park, I watched my kids grow up there. The playground is simply awesome.
It is separated into two parts: one side for kids from ages 0 to 6 and the other for kids from ages 6 to 12. In between the two parts there are water fountains for kids to play in. In the winter you can ice skate there.
There is a great little neighborhood restaurant not even 1 block away from the park called Les Belles Soeurs. For three years the kids and I would either eat there or take it to go, pretty much ordering the exact same thing over and over again: cheeseburger and fries/salad (not for Blondie Bear of course, he would have a veggie hot dog or a soup with some fries), that is how good it was. Oh and the fries, they are homemade, like most places in Montreal. We even took it to go a few times to eat in the park. It became part of our daily lives and ritual and one less meal for me to have to cook during the week. It was our special treat.
Parc Maisonneuve (Subway stop Viau):
It isn’t a park I tend to go to, however if you want to go for a good run this is the place to go. If you are in the area, it is a very nice place to go for a walk, the park is huge. In the winter, you can go there for ice skating and cross country skiing, the scenery is beautiful.
Parc Jean Drapeau (Subway stop Jean Drapeau):
During the summer, all the music festivals are held there. As mentioned above, it has a great outdoor swimming pool. In August, each year, for a week-end there is a kids festival with fun activities. If you are an adult, you can go play in the casino which was the French pavilion during the Universal Expo in 1967. There is also an artificial beach there ($), but I’m not a big fan. Also, and it is probably the main reason people go there, there is a big amusement park called La Ronde. I find it pricy, but I guess it is worth to go to at least once. It is a rare thing to have a huge amusement park in a city. If you have small children, there is a section with rides built especially for them.
It is also the best spot to watch the fireworks competition held every Saturday night during the summer, but you have to pay the amusement park entrance fee to attend. To avoid the cost to see the fireworks, people set themselves up along the Saint-Laurent river or on the Jacques Cartier bridge to watch them, but best to get there early if you want a good spot.
Parc du Mont-Royal (Subway stop Mont-Royal):
Ok so this park you have to put on your to do list. There is no Montreal without the Mount-Royal.
“This 200-hectare park occupies part of the mountain that lies in the midst of Montreal island, and includes the highest spot in the city (234m)”.
wikipedia
It is a good hike to get up there on foot, but you can also either drive there or take the bus.
There are two great lookouts on the city once you get up there, therefore no need to go up the leaning tower of the stadium nor pay to get a great view of the city.
Up there, there is the Lac des Castors, you can rent paddle boats in the summer and in the winter ice skate and sleigh down the hill. It has a playground which is a little odd, different then the ones we see around the city. Athletic people like to cycle up and around there when there is no snow, and when snow takes over cross country skiers take over.
Up there, you will also find the mount cemetery, and as creepy as it might seem, it is a nice place for a walk.
Tams-Tams
Last but not least, from the end of May until September, every Sunday there is a gathering of people playing drums. It has a hippy vibe and is very friendly. You can picnic with or without your kids listening to the beat of the drums, it is called Les Tams Tams de Mont-Royal.
“The Tam-Tams is the informal name of a weekly free festival around the George-Étienne Cartier Monument Mount Royal Park in Montreal, Canada. Its name is onomatopoetic, referring to the drum circle that forms the focal point of the gathering.”
wikipedia
Places to visit with the family in Montreal
Montreal is best to discover on foot just like most cities, but it is a big city. To get around best to get a transportation card from the STM (see link below for more information).
The main touristy spots are located at the subway stops:
- Place des Arts,
- Pie IX,
- Champ-de-Mars, and
- Place d’Armes.
Subway stop Pie-IX
will take you to the Botanical Gardens/Insectarium, the Biodôme, the Parc Maisonneuve which is adjacent to the Botanical Gardens and the Olympic Stadium. The Botanical Gardens are beautiful and worth a visit.
If you come in September, they have a special display of lanterns in the chinese gardens. It is very popular, so it is best to go during the week at night fall. The Biodôme is great for kids to see animals especially on a rainy day. It is a great family activity. A pass exists to visit the gardens, the insectarium and the Biodôme, it will save you money for sure. As mentioned before, don’t bother going up the tower of the Olympic Stadium. It is pricy and you can get the same view for free from Mount-Royal (Mont-Royal).
Subway stops Champ-de-Mars and Place d’Armes
will take you into the Old Port of Montreal with cobblestones and narrow streets. A full list of activities is listed in the links below. Do not miss the Notre-Dame Basilica when you exit the Place-D’Armes subway. This is where Celine Dion got married!!!
On a serious note it is quite beautiful inside, there is however a small entrance fee. On Place Jacques-Cartier you will see entertainers and pick pockets (just kidding) and loads of restaurants (don’t eat there). The only good thing to eat there is Ben and Jerrys ice cream, yum yum. After a day of walking and doing activities in that area, if you don’t have kids, go and relax at the Bota Bota Spa (see link below). It is my favorite spot to relax at and get massages and look at the city from the outdoor jacuzzi.
If you are in good shape and have extra time, visit the Oratory Saint-Joseph of Mount-Royal, it is worth a trip.
EATING and DRINKING and DANCING and SINGING and….
Now the good part: FOOD and PARTY. I’m not a foody, so I can’t really recommend any restaurants per say, but Montreal is filled with great restaurants (Les Cons-servent, Chez Lévesque, Le Chien Fumant, Quartier General to name a few).
Food
A great place to start using your taste buds is at the Jean-Talon outdoor market (you can also go to the Atwater market but it is smaller) located at the Jean-Talon subway stop. This place is awesome, you actually get to taste the fruits and vegetables you may want to buy. Everything is locally grown and you can also find organic meat. It is a great place to take kids and teach them the different vegetables and fruits that exist. It is a win win with everybody. When in season, taste the corn on the cob there it is DELICIOUS.
On The Plateau (subway stop Mont-Royal), one of the trendy hoods (beware, loads of real frenchies there) a couple of places for your sweet/salt tooth, not too pricy:
- Patisserie 3M: real french pastries, sandwiches, quiche….same taste as in France, to die for; (now closed)
- Le Péché Glacé: The Best ice cream place in the city (aside from Ben and Jerry’s) and you can also eat crêpes;
- David’s Tea: a Canadian specialty tea place, gotta try it to believe it, very trendy, but the tea is really good, lots of selection;
- Les Belles Soeurs: good hamburger place, my favorite;
- La Banquise: a great poutine place, a what you say? A poutine, which I have yet to try, is a popular dish here made from french fries, cheese curds and light brown gravy.
Brunch
Montreal is also popular for it’s brunch. A popular spot right in front of our house actually is Chez Régine. I make fun of the people who stand in line there for an hour just to get in, but it is worth eating there (the food, the atmosphere, the interior). It opens at 9, people line up before that to get in. If you don’t want to wait arrive between 9 and 9:20 and you will have a spot. After that you are on your own. Wether it is raining, snowing, freezing or steamy hot people line up, it really is insane! (no reservation allowed on week-ends).
La Fabrique which I recently discovered is really cool and tasty, the menu is diverse and you can actually make a reservation on the week-ends. The kitchen is in the middle of the restaurant, it has a very cozy intimate vibe.
If you are into bacon, a great brunch place is Chez Brutus, however since it is in a bar, you have to be 18 or older to eat there. The music can get loud and if you had a rough night the night before, might not be the best place to sooth your hangover or maybe it is….you can make reservations there.
During the warm months, at each festival, we now get a special treat with food trucks, and there is a huge gathering of them the first Friday of every month by the Olympic stadium. I find them expensive, but they are cute, worth a look or try.
I love the nightlife
Last but not least: the NIGHT LIFE! Aside from telling you to avoid at all cost Crescent street, seriously DO NOT go there, waste of time and money, too much bling bling on the exterior and none in the interior if you know what I mean, I wouldn’t know where to begin.
I usually went out (back in the days) close to my hood on The Plateau: Bily Kun, Plan B (outdoor courtyard in the back), Barraca (they serve tapas and have an outdoor courtyard in the back), Candy Bar (you can dance there as well, younger crowd though), La Distillerie (have to try that! but beware the cocktails are deadly), Le Verre Bouteille (laid back and live music on week-ends), La Porte Rouge (fun to dance), Lobby Bar (good place to dance dance) and last but not least LA TULIPE, THE place to get your 80’s groove on in an old theater on a saturday night.
Of course, there are also great karaoke bars, one of which is in the village (Le Normandie Tavern) where heterosexuals and homosexuals blend together and assure you to have a hell of a good time. Or you can also try yourself at Bar Zoe, it gets crowded, so if you really want to sing, get there early.
Shopping
Oh and before I forget, I’m not a shopping fanatic, but ladies you have to check out the boutique 1861. You will absolutely love it! It has a boudoir/vintage feel not only in the store but with some of the pieces they sell. Ordering online from them makes it the best shopping experience. I won’t tell you more because you have to experience it on your own. I believe they do sell to the states now.
So there you have it, this is my city. Of course, I probably missed mentioning some things, but it wasn’t my intention to write a guidebook either.
