Montreal

Montreal is the perfect example of this stunning mix of different cultures and lifestyles. Micro local breweries share the same space as Jewish butchers and Chinese catering. Every neighborhood in Montreal has its specificity and its originality. During summer, the entire city wears its party costume, and festivals are organized everywhere. Montreal people definitely fit with this musical atmosphere. They eat well, party well, and easily smiling 🙂

Mile end and Mont Royal

The Mont Royal neighborhood is an astonishing lively place. There are a lot of cafes, nice restaurants, old vinyl’s shops, artist galleries, and this feeling that here, time doesn’t matter. Every one chills on a terrace or on a bench under the sun. Mont Royal is all about the lifestyle, and it’s much more different from Europe.

BRUNCH: Au pain perdu. Great brunch which comes with a « Mimosa », a mix between orange juice and sparkling wine, in the heart of Mont Royal.

Walk around to the latin area on the east, really animated, and look for a spot (Jacques Cartier bridge, along the Saint Lawrence River, or a rooftop) for watching the firework, every Saturday night during July and August at 10pm. Colorful neighborhood full of surprises!

Montreal village, known as the gay community area, is full of bars and small exhibition tents full of art all around its main street, rue Sainte Catherine.

BAR: Le Sainte Elisabeth. Perpendicular to the Sainte Catherine Street, the bar is a bit hidden from the main street, which makes it a place where Montreal people go! They have a great terrace in the backyard which completely cuts you from the city and the noise. Great music and great local drought beers 🙂

Go through the La Fontaine Park and reach the Mont Royal Avenue, which will lead you to the Mont Royal Park. Two alternatives before getting into the park: The Saint Lawrence Boulevard, and the Saint Denis Street. The two streets are full of cool restaurants and cafés with terraces. The park, one of the biggest green spaces of Montreal has many points of interests, as the beaver lake. The main one remains the Kondiaronk belvedere, which offers a great view on the Montreal skyline and the Saint Lawrence River.

Go down from the park until the Mile end area, which also has the reputation in town to be the hipster zone. Mile end will get you stunned with its cultural diversity.

RESTAURANT: L’gros Luxe. Really cool place with great food, cocktails and atmosphere.

Walking in its streets will illustrate the point of the mix of minorities living together. Small squares and authentic shops rub streets where you only meet Jewish people with their traditional clothes.  Around the corner, jazz music and people in terrace with an ice cream or a beer.

Strolling into these streets will lead you – after a long walk, to the Jean Talon market. The other alternative you have, when you are at the top of Mont Royal Park, is going down towards Mc Gill University. The university, founded in 1821 by James Mc Gill, a wealthy fur trader, is one of the oldest in Canada.

From there, you can reach Sainte Catherine Street, one of Montreal’s main streets, with underground malls and big shops. In summer, the street gets really animated. Completely unexpected, we felt on a defile with people from Grenade, an island in the Caribbean Sea.

During summer, the jazz festival is in this street, on Place des arts! Other festivals take place around, as Juste pour Rire, or Complètement Cirque.

ICE CREAM: Chocolats Favoris,  just behind place des arts. Great Canadian style ice cream 🙂

Old Montreal

The Old Montreal neighborhood is inside a perimeter formerly delimited by fortifications. Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve, built the city in 1642, which was called at this time Ville-Marie.

The old Montreal is a great mix between old and new buildings. Cobble streets rub large and brand new buildings. There is a lot of animation in its busy streets. Strolling in them will drive you to the different points of interests of the area.

A lot of different activities are all along the Saint Lawrence River: le Cirque du Soleil has its marquee, a marina, a zap line, pedalos, food truck festivals … The area is lively and the view on Montreal is beautiful from there.

UNUSUAL: Mary’s, popcorn shop. The greatest popcorn we tried! Salted butter caramel, pecans … Amazing 🙂

From Square Victoria or the harbor, reach Notre Dame Street West in direction of Place d’Armes. This is where the Notre Dame Basilica is.

Stay around the cathedral and enjoy one of these two places at least 🙂

RESTAURANT: L’assommoir. Great soaring whiskey poutine 🙂

CAFE: Tommy, nice interior architecture, design and music

Around

On the Jean Drapeau island, besides the piknic eletronik, are a lot more of activities. You can ride a bike on the former Formula 1 circus, or a pedalo on small lakes along the Saint Lawrence River. A walk along the Lachine canal and its old abandoned factories and silos is used to be taken by Montreal people on weekends.

The neighborhood Côtes des Neiges is charming as well, although more residential, but with nice food shops. The stately Oratoire Saint Jospeh du Mont Royal, is there