The late great Anthony Bourdain once said âwithout Montreal, Canada would be hopeless.â Of course this isnât true as Canada has many charms but itâs fair to say that the Anglo francophone city is a sheer delight, from both a culinary and cultural perspective. This unique melting pot of cultures, set on an island in the St. Lawrence River, is the birthplace of Leonard Cohen, Mordecai Richler, Arcade Fire, Cirque du Soleil and jazz legend Oscar Peterson.
Where to stay
Hotel Monville is a super four star ideally located on de Bleury, a 10 minute walk from the central train station and from historic Old Montreal. Hotel guests can take their own drinks and snacks to the hotelâs rooftop for one of the best views in the city. For bigger budgets, in the famous Golden mile, the five star RitzCarlton or the Four Seasons are both excellent choices.
What to Do
If you visit during July, the annual jazz festival, the biggest in the world, is a must. More than 70% of the gigs, on both indoor and outdoor stages, are free. The atmosphere is electric, thanks to the high quality of the musicians and the incredible enthusiasm of the crowds that include all ages. All the big names in jazz have played here from Chick Corea and Ray Charles to Buddy Guy, Diana Krall, and Herbie Hancock. Plus there is plenty of emerging talent to discover at this buzzy festival.
Two wonderful jazz clubs, Upstairs and DieseOnze both participate in the festival and have nightly gigs all year round. Both have restaurants too with satisfying menu choices. And Onze Diez has a record shop upstairs.
The Musee des Beaux Arts has a fantastic permanent collection of Canadian and international art across five pavilions. Founded in 1860, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the oldest art museum in Canada, with a collection of more than 45,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic works of art, photographs, multimedia installations and decorative art objects, from Antiquity to the present day. With so much to see, itâs great to see there are plenty of benches along the way to sit and take in the art.
The tourist officeâs Passeport Montreal is good value, starting at $50 with four free activity entrances included and reduction on others. The Phi Centre, a contemporary art gallery in Old Montreal is one free option. The Fury, the current show by Iranian American artist Shirin Neshat includes a disturbing VR installation that places viewers inside an Iranian prison with a female prisoner. Absolutely gripping and haunting. Also included in the pass is the McCord Stewart museum which focuses on Montreal history.
Two vibrant districts worth exploring are the Plateau and Little Italy. Record and bookshops, vintage shops, cafes and restaurants. Librairie LâEchange has been buying and selling records and books since 1976. And the excellently named La Fin du Vinyle (death of vinyl) proves thereâs an ongoing appetite for vinyl records. The decently priced selection is great.
The famous Montreal bagels can be found at St Viateur or Fairmount; locals argue as to which is better but both offer the same fantastic chewy sweet sesame coated delights.
Where to Eat
In Old Montreal, plant-based restaurant Bvrger from Chef Christian Ventura, has a wonderful wall mural on one side and hearty basil plants growing on the other. The vegan milkshakes (try the pistachio raspberry) are incredibly moreish. Or the rooftop restaurant Le Perché, in the HÎtel William Gray, offers excellent views of Place Jacques-Cartier , cocktails and delicious fish tacos.
In the Plateau district, there are loads of great options including the Malaysian gem, Satu Lagi. Kari Ayam, a Peranakan-style chicken curry and Rendang Daging, a dry beef curry are both fantastic.
In Little Italy, Le Vieux VĂ©lo, with its fun retro decor, is excellent for brunch – try one of the signature eggs Benedicts.
Getting there:
Fly Air Canada direct to Pierre Trudeau airport from many North American and European hubs or Via Rail offers regular direct train services from Toronto and Ottawa.