Montreal Travel Forum

Hello,
I searched questions and didnt see this one asked. First question is what is best part of city to stay in if you are visiting for a couple of days without a car( which is most scenic)? Also, generally although no one can predict weather, but is mid november generally a good time to visit? and if i decided to rent a car for a day, where do you recommend to drive to that is maybe one to two hour drive each way and worth seeing( generally, not for tourist sites, but just worth having a look around)

Thanks everyone for your help.

We stayed at
http://www.aubergedelafontaine.com/site/montreal-hotel/index.cfm

and although it is a fair walk from the centre (we had no car) we got about very easily, mainly on foot and did not even use a taxi to take us to the rail station.

If you hire a car your horel probably have information.

Quebec City would be a great place to visit - but it's not the best time of the year.
You should take warm clothing - and plenty of layers as the middle of the day could be warmer. Also take a raincoat and umbrella as it may rain quite a bit in November.

Personally, if your dates are not fixed. I would choose Spring or September for a visit to Montreal and the surrounding area.
(My sister lived there for 10 years and agrees with me!)

Hi! Yes Mid-November is perhaps not the best time to visit ANYWHERE in Canada because it'll be COLD! But at least in Montreal you can still get out and about using the underground city (the RESO - http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/9d51c/dd4ad/a/) which allows you to travel all over the downtown area on foot and by metro.

As to location, I stayed at Le Meridien Versailles on Sherbrooke West which was a pretty ideal location for getting about with the Metro and RESO entrance just round the corner, downtown a few minutes walk, plenty of restaurants and bars around and The Museum of Fine Arts (a must visit!) just down the street.

If you've only got a couple of days you'll find Montreal is a fascinating enough city without the need to go anywhere else.

Have a good trip, cheers! John.

Thank you both for the advice! My days are not fixed and november is only time i can go since next may, i am going to Lebanon so i couldnt go to canada then. Went to toronoto in feb of this year and it was very cooolld! hopefully wont be that cold in november!
thanks again

Correction

"If you hire a car your horel probably have information."
should be

"If you hire a car your hotel should have information about local companies."

Have a good trip!

hello
thanks again!!!:)
lilian

Hi Lilian,

There are several good places to stay. If you like history, you could stay the Old Port, which is the historic part of the city (cobble stone side streets, old greystone architecture from the 1700's, horse-drawn buggy tours, etc).

Or, if you prefer to be in the heart of shopping, you could stay downtown. Downtown tends to be more modern with a lot of skyscrapers from the 1960's. This area is south of Mont Royal Park (aka "the mountain") and north of the old port.

Or the local secret is to stay in the Plateau, which is again, a short walking distance from downtown. It's along the eastern edge of Mont Royal Park and sort of blends into downtown. The Plateau is a bit of a trendy, bohemian neighbourhood with lots of great cafes and boutiques. It's far more charming than being downtown and less touristy than the Old Port.

Now as for a time to visit, May is nicer than November.

I agree that November is not really a great time to see anywhere in Canada - not because it's cold, but mostly because it's just generally a bleak and dreary month. In November across Canada the sun rises late and sets early so the days are short, leaving you with less time for sightseeing. It's usually not snowy in November (and certainly not as cold as it is in February!), but it's no longer autumn... so all the charm (and colours) from autumn are gone. There are no leaves on the trees, and yet, there's no snow either. So it's just... you know. Not as nice as other times of the year. However, it's not the end of the world. Montreal's charming regardless of what season you visit. As long as you know what to expect, you'll have a great time.

Hi Carmhanah,
Thanks so much for the information... i know what you mean, the autumn is nice with the leaves , the scenery...and in winter it gets bleak..cold... just kind of dreary... Normally i would pick another time of year like september ( but thats gone of course)! october is almost gone..and my next trip is in may of 09 but i need something in between time.... so although it may not be quite as beautiful as the summer or spring, i guess the upside is it wont be as crowded in november and maybe can get some good deals! I went in february and yes was very cold, but we manged to see the sights anyway, just bundled up.. a lot!
thanks for the tips though, excellent excellent ideas for me.
Thanks and have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
LIllian

Feb is usually the coldest month in Ontario/Quebec, mid Nov will be much better.
Been there several times and prefer to stay near Rue St. Catherine: it's conveniet for everything.

Less than 2 months ago, I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on Peel St, and the Hyatt next to the Arts Center. Both are in downtown and both are within walking distance to the Old Port, Latin Quarter, and Prince Arthur St. You don't need a car if you are just going to stay in Montreal. The metro is very efficient and will take you to all the major sites. We drove to Quebec City, about 3hrs from Montreal. We loved Quebec City, more than Montreal. Less of a city feel. Worth the drive if you can stay overnight there.

Thanks everyone for your reply. One more question: i would like to see quebec city on my visit. Is it a pretty easy highway drive to Quebec city from montreal? most likely will rent a car. Is doing quebec city too much to do in one day in your opinion ( would you stay in quebec city the night if you had the opportunity or can it be done pretty easily in a day)
thanks!!

It is a 3 hour plus drive so would mean a lot of driving in one day. It would be worth an overnight stay to see as much as possible.
Have you thought about using the train? That is also a 3hr.+ journey but more relaxing
http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_queb_moch.html

I would say that cold is not the biggest challenge in november, but "not being cold enough" would be. Strange ? Well, in november, if snow falls, it makes a damp layer on sidewalks that are not nice to walk in. They will clear the sidewalks at some point, but you may have to stay inside for sometime. If you can bring some nice weatherproof boots, that could be helpfull if your stay is short.
But, I should stop complaining ! Here is where you can find informations about events in Montréal : http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/What-To-Do/Events
About Québec city, it would be quite a hurry to go there for a day trip. If you don't rent a car, consider the bus which offer more options : http://www.orleansexpress.com/Search.aspx
Bienvenue !
Yvon LeD

Hi
thanks for the information! you know i was thinking same thing..taking train is $ 128 and too much money for one day i think... renting a car is an option, but its still only a day.....i only have three days so thinking maybe just stay in montreal and then come back to canada again, maybe fly to ottawa next time and spend a couple days in quebec when its nicer weather. if its rainy or bad, i probably wouldnt want to spend three hours on the road if its yuccy or bad weather. So i will just play it by ear and see how the weather is. Thanks for the websites , will check them out now!

I agree with you that you should stay in Montreal and leave Quebec City for another trip. I had the same dilemma on my trip to Montreal and decided that I didn't have enough time to go to Quebec City.

As for a place to stay in Montreal: Any location is really convenient as long as it is next to a Metro station. It doesn't make much practical difference if you are 2-3 Metro stops further from the centre of town.

hello
thats what i ended up doing and had plenty to see in Montreal for sure! will go to quebec city at some point in future. i ended up staying at a B&B that was near a metro sort of....but ended up not being such a great place though! but enjoyed Montreal, it is really a lovely city.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Montreal (apart from the B&B) it is an intersting place and defintely worth another visit- good start to your page, Cheers, John.