Canada Trip Recap: Montreal

My sister and I spent a week in cold, snowy Canada last week. Our first stop was Montreal. We stayed at Hotel Nelligan in Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal). The hotel was charming and in a great location. We arrived around dinner time Wednesday night, checked in, and walked to dinner at Bevo Pizzeria. It was exactly what we needed after a long day of travel: a cozy restaurant with delicious food! After dinner we relaxed in our room and planned out what we wanted to do the next two days in Montreal.

Thursday was our full day in Montreal. We walked over to Le Gros Jambon only to discover it was under construction. We had checked the website but not the Facebook page. Planning fail! We ate breakfast at Maison Christian Faure instead. It had been on our list for pastries but worked for breakfast too. We actually went back again for treats to go the next day. After breakfast we walked around the neighborhood and looked at the stores in Marché Bonsecours. It was snowing so it was nice to warm up and we bought a few things for the nephews.

We also went over to Place Jacques-Cartier, Chateau Ramezay, and Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours.

Ships hanging down in Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours, the chapel came to be a pilgrimage site for sailors who arrived in the Old Port of Montreal

For lunch we went to L'Usine de Spaghetti. I didn't love my pasta but I might have misordered. After lunch we took the metro to the Biodome and Planetarium. Perfect spot on a cold and snowy afternoon. I could have sat and watched the penguins in the Biodome for hours! We saw two awesome shows in the Planetarium.

We heard that we had to try poutine when in Quebec. We decided on La Banquise. The place was PACKED and when we left there was a huge line (and it was snowing again). We tried the classic poutine. I don't love gravy but I liked the cheese curds! For dessert we went to Juliette et Chocolat. AMAZING! We had to wait in line but definitely worth it.

Friday morning we had breakfast at our hotel. The sun was out (!) so we walked to Parc du Mont Royal. There was a LOT of snow in the park. We didn't go to the top because we weren't wearing our boots this day. After exploring the park we walked to Beautys Luncheonette. My milkshake and grilled cheese were so good. We also picked up bagels to take on our train to Quebec City.

In the afternoon we took the train to Quebec City. Our train let a freight train go ahead of it at our second stop. Big mistake. The other train broke down so we were delayed two hours somewhere between Montreal and Quebec City. We did have wireless and they gave us snacks and drinks at least. We didn't get into Quebec City until midnight (!) though.


Montreal
Hotel: Hotel Nelligan
Restaurants: Bevo Pizzeria | Maison Christian Faure | L'Usine de Spaghetti | La Banquise | Juliette et Chocolat | Beautys Luncheonette
Sightseeing: Marché Bonsecours | Place Jacques-Cartier | Chateau Ramezay | Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours | Biodome | Planetarium | Parc du Mont Royal