Happy Travel Tuesday, and well …. hi! It’s been a while! I know I’ve been MIA and I’ve missed blogging SO much! If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen I got married in January and we just got back from our honeymoon. I’m so excited to get back to blogging and especially, share some posts about our honeymoon trip …. stay tuned!
But first, this post that I actually wrote months ago, about our long weekend in Montreal, and just never go around to finalizing & posting *face palm*. Better late than never, amirite? Plus, Montreal is an awesome summer destination & the perfect quick getaway especially if you’re on the east coast.
Montreal is one of those places that I’d been wanting to go to for the longest time, and it did NOT disappoint! First of all, it’s just a visual treat. Something beautiful on every corner. One of my favorite things about Montreal was that it’s a very walkable city, which is always fun and cheaper than having to use taxis/ubers or drive and pay for parking in places!
STAY: We stayed at Hotel ALT, which was an amazing experience! We were in a corner room on one of the top floors and the view was insane (more in “Montreal” highlights on my Insta) and the best part is that it was incredibly affordable. Since it was also a long weekend in Montreal, we were struggling to find a reasonably-priced hotel that was also somewhere we’d want to stay. I stumbled upon Hotel ALT during a frantic Google search and it was total gem of a find. The hotel is conveniently located and walkable to mostly anywhere you’d want to go. There are also a ton of restaurants in the vicinity and I love that they have pretty, loaner umbrellas for guests – this was super helpful because it rained pretty much the whole time we were there!
Can y’all even believe this view?
Hotel William Gray is another option to consider – they have a fantastic location and a beautiful outdoor patio that would be great for sunset drinks (when weather permits, of course)!
EATS: We had some misses, but also a lot of hits when it came to the food in Montreal
Olive et Gourmando – Great for breakfast & brunch + located right by the hotel! This is an absolute must in Montreal, plus with an array of vegetarian options, there’s something for everyone!
Le Petit Dep – This is an adorable cafe/convenience store in Old Montreal, with coffee, fresh baked goods, candy, and more!
LOV – A vegan/vegetarian restaurant with beautiful decor that gave me West Palm Beach vibes – with it’s pistachio green & white color palette, and palm leaf & rattan decor. Full disclosure: the food was a little underwhelming for us; but that’s probably because we we went for brunch excited to have one of the burgers or sandwiches only to find out those aren’t available for brunch. This isn’t clear from their menu online, so just a heads up if you’re planning on going for brunch. I’d still recommend checking this place out even if it’s just for the decor/vibe. The latte there was REALLY good!
LOV Vibes
Nil Bleu – This is some of the best Ethiopian food we’ve ever had …. ever! If we’re ever back in Montreal, this is a definite stop!
Escondite – So good we went twice! It’s a small space, but they’ve got two locations – we went to the one on Union Ave. The service is exceptional and the food is delicious, plus I loved the very interesting art on the walls. If you go, definitely get the cornbread!
La Diperie – Another place we went back to! This ice cream place is lit! Basically, you can pick the cone size you want and they give you vanilla soft serve ice cream, and then you pick your dip and toppings. Of course, they also have ice cream sandwiches, cookie dough, and so much more!
Things to do:
The Notre Dame Basilica is absolutely stunning! Definitely try to catch the light show! A couple heads ups –
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- They don’t sell tickets in advance so you HAVE to line up. Although the line moves fairly quickly, I’d highly recommend getting there early in the morning
- They only accept cash – if you have US dollars, they’ll accept it but you get change in Canadian dollars. So, easiest to have exact change in cash – it’s $6
Rent a bike – Montreal is a beautiful city and therefore, perfect to wander around and find pretty little corners. This was Anand’s idea, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for me.
Bike/Hike/Drive up to Mont Royal for a spectacular view of the city’s skyline!
Try the Montreal murals walking tour – Montreal is home to some beautiful street art, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning or afternoon.
Other than that, just walk around and explore! There are tons of museums to check out and a whole lot more I’m sure you can discover. Montreal is the perfect city to do that!
Ready to plan your trip to Montreal? You can check out my post on 6 Websites To Find Cheap Flights!
Wanna travel more? I also wrote about how I did one trip a month in 2017!
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