Last week, I did a very short visit to Canada on my way to NYC. I had 24h top cronos to get a glimpse of what Montreal had to offer, and I wasn’t disappointed!
Now, quick talk about travelling on your own. If you have had asked me a year ago, I would have said; NO WAY! It used to stress me out and I was worried to feel lonely and unhappy, not what you want when on holiday! I am also a sucker for sharing my happiness and experiences with friends and people I love, so it makes things slightly more complicated.
This year, I spent much more time on my own and I am starting to not being worried about it anymore. Don’t get me wrong I have a tone of friends and a very busy social life, but still a lot of time for myself 🙂 For the first time, traveling that far on my own wasn’t an issue at all and I spent a very good time, alone and happy. Anyway, enough about me, here is my top cronos Montreal itinerary and things not to miss for you.
Mount Royal Park
This is the first thing I did. Utilised the jetlag to wake up at 6am and out of the door by 7am so I could be out and about and do most of the things I have planned that day. I also woke up to some snow which made me even more happy to start my day early! Mount Royal Park is the best way to get the view from the city, it is a little bit of a walk ( and stairs ) to get up, but very worth it.
St Paul Street & Old Town Montreal
Old Montreal was a must see for me as I love architecture and anywhere I go, I always try to go to the old town. I mean even in my village in Brittany, it is my favourite part. Old town Montreal was full of beautiful art galleries, cute little shops, very quiet when I was there, and I sure some great restaurants too.
Eat and Drink
Obviously the first thing I ate when I arrived to Montreal was Poutine! I had been recommended to go to La Banquise however, I was determined to walk 30min in -12C but after 10min, my feet were frozen and I needed a back up plan. Turned out I was right next to Frite Alors! which is also a great place for Poutine, and that didn’t disappoint. If you don’t know, Poutine is essentially french fries, gravy and cheese, yep!
I also ate two other famous Montreal treats, Bagels from St-Viateur Bagel (I didn’t get the chance to have it fresh, so it was a little dry to be honest, sorry) and went to Guillaume Bakery in Mile End and ate one of their “Pain Surprise”. I had no idea what it was and it didn’t look pretty, essentially a muffin made of bread from yesterday with Chocolate, cranberries, cinnamon and apple, which turned out to be yum!
Obviously had a lot of Flat White or “Café Fort” in French Canadian 🙂
And for the rest of it, I just walked around the town, went around Plateau for some cool street arts, and then it was my time to go to NYC! I didn’t get the chance to visit any markets, but I have heard that the Jean-Talon Market and the Atwater Market are two must see.
Art and Street Art
Before going to Montreal, I actually had no idea what to expect! I have to say, I really really enjoyed the chilled, cosy and cool atmosphere of the city. Even if it was super cold, I loved walking around the city, say Hi to people on the street and I think I could live there 🙂
