Group Weekend Escape: Montréal, Québec 🇨🇦
A cross-border weekend roadtrip to North America's European Cousin 🍁⚜️
There is a moment, somewhere between hearing French on the street and sitting down to a late dinner that would not feel out of place in Lyon, when it becomes clear that Montréal is not quite like any other city on the continent. It is thoroughly North American in its energy and ambition, and thoroughly something else in its culture, its language, and its relationship with pleasure.
Founded in 1642 on an island in the St. Lawrence River, Montréal spent centuries as one of the most important cities in the Western Hemisphere, a fur trading capital, a financial center, and the gateway through which much of Canada was built. The city that remains is layered with that history while feeling entirely alive in the present. Old Montréal’s cobblestone streets and 17th-century stone buildings sit a short walk from one of the most dynamic restaurant scenes in North America. The underground city, a vast network of tunnels and passageways connecting much of downtown, is a feat of practical ingenuity that only makes sense once you have experienced a Montréal winter.
Travels:
Route: Philadelphia, PA ➡️ Lake George, NY
Distance: 295 mi | Duration: 5 hrs
Route: Lake George, NY ➡️ Montréal, QC
Distance: 164 mi | Duration: 2 hrs, 30 mins
Route: Philadelphia, PA ➡️ Montréal, QC
Distance: 454 mi | Duration: 7.5 hours
Stays:
Lido Motel Lake George (2-Star Hotel | 3.7 ⭐️)
1 Old Post Road , Lake George, NY 12845
Bed & Breakfast du Village - BBV (3-Star Hotel | 5.0 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
1279 rue Montcalm, Montréal, QC, H2L 3G6
Located in The Village, right off Rue Sainte-Catherine E. About a 2-minute walk to the Beaudry Station.
Breakfast was included when you stayed in the main building. Everything was cooked fresh in the morning by one of the hosts.
Dining:
Arte & Farina (4.5 ⭐️ $$ V GF) Italian
1550 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 0J1
Fast casual Italian bakery with endless pastries, pizzas, and gluten-free pasta.
Arte & Farina
Dynastie (3.8 ⭐️ $$) Chinese
1008 Rue Clark #107, Montréal, Quebec H2Z 1J9
We ignored Google Map’s suggestion and made a mistake by ordering 9 family-style dishes for the table. Each dish comes with a HUGE portion.
Relatively affordable with tips and currency conversion rate included.
Marché Artisans (4.4 ⭐️ $$$ 🏳️🌈) Contemporary
900 Boul. René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, QC H3B 4A5
Located at the first floor, inside of the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.
Weekend Brunch Buffet with unlimited choice of sweet and savory items. CA$49 per person.
Highlights: Poultry sausages slow-cooked in maple syrup, Maple butter crêpes with the Artisans’ maple syrup & Maple taffy on snow.
Tzatzi-qui (4.5 ⭐️ $$$) Greek
351 Pl. d’Youville, Montréal, QC H2Y 2B7
ORDER EVERYTHING! The foods were delicious.
Tzatzi-qui
Activities:
Montreal Olympic Park (4.4 ⭐️) / Montreal Botanical Garden (4.6 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
4545 Pierre-de Coubertin Ave, Montréal, Quebec H1V 2E8
The Montreal Tower was closed for renovations but The Sports Centre is open.
The Montreal Botanical Garden is walkable from the Olympic Park. It features a Chinese, Japanese, First Nation and Alpine Garden.
Montreal Olympic Park | Montreal Botanical Garden
1 Pl. Monseigneur Charbonneau, Montréal, Quebec H7R 5Z3
Designed by Quebec landscape architect Claude Cormier. The Ring is a 30-meter diameter installation weighing more than 23,000 kilograms.
The installation was gifted to the city of Montreal for Place Ville Marie (PVM)'s 60th anniversary. Its placement is deliberate: the diffused lighting of The Ring draws a visual line from the illuminated cross atop Mont-Royal down through McGill College Avenue to PVM itself, stitching together the city's most iconic landmarks in a single sightline.
The Ring (L’Anneau)
Mount Royal Park | Parc du Mont-Royal (4.8 ⭐️)
1260 Chem. Remembrance, Montréal, QC H3H 1A2
Mount Royal Park sits at the heart of Montréal, a 500-acre green escape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect behind New York's Central Park, and it remains the most beloved public space in the city by a wide margin.
Pro-tips: Uber/Lyft to the parking lot then take the Rue Peen Stairs to walk down to Rue Peel & McGill University.
Mount Royal Park | Parc du Mont-Royal
Nightlife:
Stock Bar (3.5 ⭐️ $$ 🏳️🌈)
1171 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 2G8
$8 cover for the backroom.
There is a speakeasy between the bar and the backroom.
Club Unity (4.3 ⭐️ $$ 🏳️🌈 🚺)
1171 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 2G8
Cover based on events and time.
Great staff, but mid patrons. Lot of 18-22 years old.
Bar Renard (4.2 ⭐️ $$ 🏳️🌈)
1272 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 3B4
Very lively with a diverse crowd.
Aigle Noir (4.2 ⭐️ $$ 🏳️🌈)
1315 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal, QC H2L 2H4
High-energy bar serving beer & cocktails.
Theme nights in the weekend.
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Awww that was great!