I have been dreaming about a trip to Montréal for at least the last ten years and I finally did it! I am home now and of course I have to share the details with you all. I do think that it is a must-do trip for everyone at least once although I know I will be back on a regular basis because I loved it so much! There is something to do around every corner and the scenery is beautiful, especially in Old Montréal!
Where to Eat:
First and most important! What are you going to eat here? Well naturally, the most French-Canadian thing is eat is authentic poutine! We ate at Poutineville, they had so many different kinds, not just your basic fries with gravy and cheese curds. Nope, these guys take poutine to another level! We tried the “Poutineville”, their signature dish which includes hand crushed potatoes topped with cheese curds and mozza plus braised beef in a red wine gravy and also “The Zeus” which has cheese curds, feta, tomatoes, red onions topped with red wine gravy and gyro. Their patio is right in the midst of busy Avenue du Parc, a great area to walk through and backed by the beautiful streets of Mile-End.
Looking for food truck fare? There are tons in the Old Port area offering of course -poutine- plus hot sandwiches, ice cream and cookie trucks. It is also a great place to check out the boats in the post, board a cruise or check out the adjacent science centre.
There are a gazillion gorgeous restaurants all through Old Montreal, I would have loved to try them all! You can find anything, romantic and dimly lit, pub patios and casual DQs for an ice cream treat. There are lots of street performers in the area so I highly suggest a patio seat so you can get some live entertainment with dinner!
Things to See:
A must and right in the middle of town is the Mont-Royal Park. It is on top of the big mountain in the midst of the city, a large green space with walking paths, a pond and picnic spaces.
When you are finished there, drive through the exit road and stop off at the Mont-Royal Observatoire. Here you can catch an amazing view of the city and see some very friendly raccoons! 
Mile-End is a great place to wander, the neighbourhood has so many amazing twirly staircases and the residents plant the most luxurious flower gardens. Awesome for photos.
There are tons of old cathedrals in this city, and they are absolutely stunning! We stopped off at the Basilique Notre-Dame and got some amazing photos! They also have a light show called Aura inside in the evenings at 6:00 and 8:00pm. I didn’t get a chance to see it but did see a promo video for it and it looks spectacular! Even during the day though, they have light installations to really highlight to features inside.
Where to Shop:
I spent an afternoon at the Montreal Premium Outlets in Mirabel, about a 20 minute drive north of Montréal. Tons of stores including Michael Kors, Hudson’s Bay and Gucci, where I snagged a beautiful scarf at a steal.
Rue Ste.-Catherine is a fantastic shopping strip located downtown Montréal, it is one of the longest shopping streets in North America! It includes the several malls like the Eaton Centre which houses Simons, a Montréal based department store ( and my favourite addition to Edmonton shopping as well), plus many staples like Lululemon, H&M and Club Monaco-try Café Myriade downstairs for an Instagram friendly little coffee shop with a fab iced matcha latté!
Old Montréal has many tourist shops but they are truly unique winding through the original cobblestone streets and hidden in back alleys. I loved exploring here so much!
Where to Stay:
If you are looking for a luxury trip with close proximity to the busy touristy areas, try something like Hotel William Gray or Hotel Nelligan. We opted to stay just outside Montréal in Laval because we were planning to drive all over the city anyways and rooms can be found for much cheaper! Our hotel in Laval was a quick 20 minute drive to central Montréal.
I had such an amazing time and would love to hear about all of your experiences here if you’ve been! You seriously need to visit, the people are all so gorgeous and fashionable, I have to make it a regular thing for sure!
Till next time,
Lindsey xoxo