Bonjour Montreal & Quebec
Why Soleil?
Soleil translates to ‘sunshine’ in French. We currently live in sunny south Florida but my husband is from Montreal so I have been lucky to be immersed into the beautiful French Canadian language and culture.
The Quebec region has such a rich history and the preservation of their unique culture is at the core of everything they do. It’s truly a special place and I’m so thankful to have it a part of my life journey. With many trips to Montreal and Quebec City under my belt, I always get asked for a list of things to do and see while visiting.
While both Montreal and Quebec City are big cities with constantly evolving hot spots, here is a compilation of my favorite things in each city.
MONTREAL
The best way to see Montreal is to walk Rue Ste-Catherine and adventure on the side streets for bars and local eatery. East of Montreal is more French, West is more English. The most touristy street on the English side is Crescent Street and St-Denis for French side.
The Old Port of Montreal is a must to walk around. It reminds me of Europe with all of the cobblestone streets. Walk on St. Paul and check out Notre Dame. I love Bevo Bar + Pizzeria and the Hotel William Gray is gorgeous! The Jacques Cartier square is a great place to walk around where you will see a lot of nice restaurants and shops. It is also close to the water and Hotel Nelligan (where we got married).
Things to do:
Botanical Gardens
Check out the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal & Place Jacques Cartier
Downtown: St-Catherine street, St-Laurent street, Sherbrooke street are all nice streets with shops and restaurants
Mont-Royal: There is a nice view overlooking all of Montreal. It’s the small mountain that you will see when you are downtown Montreal. It has a great view of the skyline & photo opp!
St-Joseph Oratory: a beautiful church on the mountain with great views.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des Beaux-Arts)
Light show Aura at Notre Dame
Bota Bota is a really cool spa/restaurant on the water, it's an old ferry!
Food (local spots)
Eat poutine. It is a Montreal special. You can eat some almost anywhere but the best spot is La Banquise (994 Rue Rachel E).
Eat smoked meat – best place is Schwartz's Deli. There is always a line but don’t worry it goes fast. (3895 Boul St-Laurent)
If you want to eat bagels – the best place is St-Viateur Bagel (263 Rue Saint Viateur O)
Atwater Market - is open year-round and its enthusiastic and experienced producers and merchants offer fresh and locally grown or processed foods, and discoveries from other places.
QUEBEC CITY
It’s about 2.5 hours from Montreal so we take the Via Rail Canada and have an amazing few days there! The Fairmont Frontenac is the most beautiful place to stay, and you can do a lot of walking and exploring. Taking the funicular down or the breakaway steps to the Quartier Petit Champlain is a must. The whole street transports you to a magical place! It's full of shops and local restaurants.
Things to do:
Take the red bus hop on & off tour. You can book at the Fairmont, it's a great way to explore the city and learn more about the history.
Right outside the city, go to the waterfall and explore the island, it's gorgeous! Parc Chute Montmorency
Ile d' Orleans is also a really pretty island off the coast- they have a cute chocolate shop and you can walk/bike around the island. Highly recommend it!
We’ve been on a food/walking tour and it was a great way to explore the city and try out some new restaurants.
Go shopping at Simon's, it’s a full clothing/home goods style retail store
Bar/Restaurants:
Louise Tavern (had a great dinner here, you can even sit at the bar!)
Le Lapin Saute
Chez Rioux & Pettigrew
Chez Muffy
Pub St Patrick (classic corner irish pub)
1608 Bar (fancy cocktail bar at the Fairmont)
Paillard (famous pastries)
Bistro Hortus (had an AMAZING lunch here, all local ingredients)