Last updated on December 19, 2023.

This was my third visit to Montréal, a fascinating city with a mixture of French and British roots. The first two times I visited I wasn’t able to be a tourist, and that’s why I went a third time. I didn’t get to see everything I wanted in this third visit, but I finally had the chance to properly see the city, including historic Old Montréal (Vieux-Montréal). Next time, I hope to visit some museums and Mount Royal Park (Parc du Mont-Royal).

 

Airport

I’ve driven to Montréal twice, flew in once, and had a couple layovers there. The airport is Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and is located about 20km from downtown. The nice thing about flying back to Chicago is that I was able to go through US Customs and Passport Control before getting on the plane.

Montréal-Trudeau International Airport

 

Getting Around

Getting around most of the sites in Montréal can be done on foot, but the metro is necessary at times. I used it to get to Olympic Park (Parc Olympique) and back, and to get from Old Montréal to near Crescent Street (Rue Crescent). In the winter, an entire 12km² city exists underground allowing people to walk from place to place without freezing in the bitter cold.

 

Hotel Viger

For this visit, I stayed at the Hotel Viger, which is a short walk from Old Montréal. It was a little pricy for the quality of the room, but the staff was friendly and it was comfortable.

 

Econo Lodge

On my first visit, I stayed at an Econo Lodge that no longer exists for a trip to the 2002 Canadian Grand Prix with my friend Dionysios.

 

Ritz-Carlton Montréal

On my second visit, I got an incredible deal at the Ritz-Carlton Montréal, which is located very close to the entertainment district at Crescent Street. I went with a couple friends to see a concert with Greek singer Giannis Ploutarhos.

Ritz-Carlton Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada
Ritz-Carlton Montréal
Ritz-Carlton Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada
Ritz-Carlton Montréal
Ritz-Carlton Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada
Lobby

 

Eating in Montréal

There are some great choices for food in Montréal, and it helps to have friends and family there to recommend restaurants. My first morning started off with breakfast with my friend George. He picked me up from Hotel Viger and we drove to the famous St-Viateur Bagel Shop in the Plateau neighborhood, where we grabbed some of the best bagels I’ve ever eaten. We then had a very good coffee down the street at the popular Café Olimpico. It was a great way to start my morning. George had to work so he dropped me off at the hotel again, and I explored the city on my own for the rest of the day.

I also had dinner with my cousins Mary and Tony twice. The first night, we went to Rue Saint-Denis, a street in the Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) lined with several restaurants and cafes. We ate at Les Jardin de Panos, a Greek restaurant on Rue Duluth, just off Rue Saint-Denis. The brochettes wrapped with bacon were amazing, and the calamari melted in my mouth. The pikilia was also very good. It’s BYOB, so we stopped at a liquor store beforehand for some wine.

The second night, we went across the river to the suburb of Brossard. Quartier DIX30, a huge shopping and entertainment complex with several restaurants to choose from, was our stop for the night. We ate at Zibo!. The lobster poutine was phenomenal, and the pizzas were better than expected. We shared the bacon and onion (bacon et oignon), sausage (saucisses), and the traditional (traditionnelle).

With my cousin and brother at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard, Québec, Canada
With my cousin and brother at Quartier DIX30

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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