A Quick Stopover in Montreal

Holly Marie Baughman

A list of some of the best attractions for “first-timers” and restaurants for foodies.

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🚲 Get Around

Traffic can be a bit crazy in the vieux ville, especially in the summer time.

Ca Roule Montreal - Ca Roule Montreal - Vente, achat, échange, réparation et location de vélo à Montréal

@hollymarietravels

The best way to tour around Montreal is on a bike! ☺️ Pick up your bikes at Ça Roule - Montréal on Wheels, located right in Old Montreal. Regular and e-bikes are available for rent. If you reserve online, you will get 10% off ✅ * Prepaid Packages Specials : 4 hours : 32$ Full Day : 40$ 24 hrs : 45$ * Rental by the hour : Per hour : 12$ Full day maximum : 49$

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Métro Montréal website

www.stm.info

🚗Parking

If you decide to take your car, you can park at one of the parking garages in the ports, which is our go-to option during the non-peak season. We park at this one:

Stationnement Grand Quai

@hollymarietravels

Cost 💲: $25 for less than 12 hours Always sufficient space to park the car, plus you get a really good view from the garage of the water and biosphere dome.

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🍽 Eats

Pointe-à-Callière

@hollymarietravels

📍Old Montreal This restaurant is on the top floor of a museum. We stopped in for lunch a few times. Food is always excellent 👍👍👍 and the views were spectacular.

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LOV

@hollymarietravels

📍Old Montreal LOV - Local. Organic. Vegetarian 🌱 I “lov” this place because of their healthy plant-based food, botanical decor, & local features (artwork, tableware, etc.). This is the perfect spot to grab dinner after your bike ride around town ❤️ Enjoy!

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Crew Collective & Cafe

@hollymarietravels

📍Old Montréal We randomly stumbled upon this cafe when passing by and the beautiful architecture immediately caught our attention! It was a beautiful spot to sit for a refreshing drink and croissant ❤️ I warn you that during summer, this place gets extremely packed.

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Restaurant Chez Claudette

@hollymarietravels

📍Le Plateau Mont Royal This casse croûte serves one of the best poutines in Montréal. You can also order all day breakfast here! Pro tip - try the smoked meat poutine

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Candide

@hollymarietravels

📍Sud-Ouest Truly a hidden gem. An intimate fine dining resto that serves local Québécoise cuisine. Try the 4-course tasting menu for $47 Pro tip - it’s the former rectory of a Victorian church so you might have a hard time finding the front door! Look at a photo on their website.

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St-Viateur Bagel

@hollymarietravels

📍Le Plateau Mont Royal neighborhood Get ready for the best bagels of your life! These guys have been in the business of making bagels since 1957 🙌 They are so fresh and delicious. You must try!

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Restaurant La Traversée

@hollymarietravels

My new favorite lunch spot. Right on the water with excellent views. You can eat lunch here even if you’re not a guest at the Bota Bota spa sur l’eau The server told us that the spa guests are prioritized first (if it’s full) but there’s almost always space. They don’t take reservations but you can call ahead. You pay an upfront deposit of $50 per person at the front desk.

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You can also check out my restaurant bucket list in Montreal ⭐️

Holly Marie Baughman

Montreal Eats 🍽️

Sharing all of my bucket list eats in Montreal, one yum at a time ✌️ Restaurant recommendations by neighborhood. Eat like a local!

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➡️ Do’s

Plateau Mont-Royal

@hollymarietravels

This is such a cool, hip neighborhood with a ton of trendy cafes and spots to eat. The buildings have a unique charm here. I’d recommend wandering around and stop in wherever piques your interest 🙌 ✅ Drive to the top of the plateau for some great views of the city. ✅There’s also a nice church/cathedral at the top of the hill worth checking out. 📍Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal ✅ Wall murals are scattered around the streets

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La Grande Roue de Montréal

@hollymarietravels

📍Old Montréal If you’re looking for panoramic views of the city, then you need to take a ride on La Grande Roue (60 ft high!) It lights up at night which is quite beautiful! 💕 Know Before You Go: -proof of vaccination required to board. For more info, see link below. It is more expensive (over $150 for 2 people), so if it’s not in the budget just enjoy it from the ground view ☺️

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Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

@hollymarietravels

📍Old Montreal This is my favorite basilica and the most beautiful I’ve seen in Canada! Did you know Céline Dion was married here? 😁 Entry Fee: $14 for a self-guided tour around the basilica. PRO TIP - Skip the ticket line and buy on the website instead. We do this every time and basically walk right in, never have to wait 👍

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Saint-Laurent Bvld Wall Murals

@hollymarietravels

Did you know there’s over 3000 wall murals in Montréal? 🎨 Saint-Laurent Boulevard is where you’ll find most of them. Also check out the parallel streets, like Rue Saint-Dominique and Rue Saint-Urbain. HOW TO FIND ⬇️ Go to the intersection of St Laurent Blvd and Rachel Street West.

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Chinatown

@hollymarietravels

One of the most interesting things to do in Montréal, a neighborhood loved by locals + tourists alike. Some essential pit stops for food include: 🍜 Nouilles de Lan Zhou (best cheap eat noodles) 🥟 Kim Fung (dim sum) 🍽 Orange Rouge (trendy Asian fusion restaurant) How to Get There ⬇️ Take the Orange metro line to Place D’Armes (fastest way)

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Biodome

@hollymarietravels

This is a perfect rainy/cold day place to be! You’ll forget all about the outside once you’re inside this tropical rainforest. And YES they have monkeys 🙉

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✨Unwind

Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau

@hollymarietravels

We grabbed lunch here but you can also enjoy some treatments. The water circuit is supposed to be nice! Plus, the views are excellent in the summer 😁

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly Marie Baughman

I’m an Ontario based creative (soon to be moving to Montreal, Quebec) with a love for locally-inspired travel experiences. I curate guides & trips that help spread the love to smaller businesses + local communities 💛 My expertise is finding lesser known places that are usually hard to find or book ⬇️ Shop my trips and find me on Instagram (@hollymarietravels) to start planning your next trip! 📍Personalized lists start at $15 📍Custom itineraries start at $50/day 📍Guides (pricing varies, shop below)

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Montreal, QC, Canada