My Guide to a Weekend in Montreal

Montreal, Quebec—home to poutine, maple syrup, Tim Hortons, and so much more. This past weekend, I traveled over our northern border to visit Montreal for a weekend of sightseeing, eating, drinking, and exploring.

Throughout our three night stay, we had so much fun experiencing all that the city offers—from its delicious food to the unique history and even adventurous excursions. The following is a list of the best stuff that we did during our stay and the things that I would recommend for anyone else visiting the city.

Stroll through Old Montreal

As one of the most iconic parts of Montreal, Old Montreal is the city's historic neighborhood and was settled by the French in the 1600s. With a walk through this part of town, you'll see incredible architecture and feel as if you are walking through Europe. The cobblestone streets of Old Montreal are lined with tons of restaurant patios, cafes, and shops—perfect for spending a few hours of your day. On our first day, we ate a delicious brunch in Old Montreal at the restaurant Eggspectation.

While you're strolling through the neighborhood, make sure to stop by the Notre-Dame Basilica—Montreal's largest church. The massive cathedral will impress you with its size and its exquisite details. Also, be sure to pass by Montreal's City Hall, another beautiful and enormous building designed with a style reminiscent of the European Renaissance. Old Montreal also has guided tours if you want to learn more about the area's history, or you could take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Parisian style district.

Check out Rue Sainte-Catherine

Rue Sainte-Catherine, or Saint Catherine’s Street, is the place to go for shopping, dining, and nightlife in Montreal. Our Airbnb host described it as a version of NYC's Broadway but with tons of high-end shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Also located on Rue Sainte-Catherine is the city's Musee d'art Contemporain, or Museum of Contemporary Arts, if you're looking for a culturally enriching activity to do.

Go white water rafting on the St. Lawrence River

When you think of Montreal, you might think of a metropolitan city and not a place that would have white water rafting. However, located about 30 minutes from the city, visitors seeking some adventure can enjoy 4.5 miles of paddling and plunging through white water rapids. We booked our trip with the company Rafting Montreal which guides you on a two hour excursion through the Lachine Rapids of the St. Lawrence River. The trip features class III-IV sized rapids and huge drops, such as one called "Devil's Drop." It's an adrenaline-filled experience that I would highly recommend to anyone. Rafting Montreal also has a family-friendly rafting option and jet boating tours.

Take a ride on the La Grande Roue de Montreal

La Grande Roue de Montréal, or "the big wheel" is a gigantic ferris wheel providing amazing views of the city. Located in the Old Port of Montreal, it's surrounded by a beautiful park of food trucks, street vendors, and activities like paddle boating. A ride on La Grande Roue costs around $19 U.S. dollars, but the view from the top is worth it. During the 20 minute ride, you'll see amazing 360-degree views of the entire city and the St. Lawerence River. Don't be scared away from riding if you're afraid of heights. Each cabin is fully enclosed and air-conditioned so you can relax while seeing Montreal from a birds-eye view.

Try poutine

Did you know that the national food of Canada is poutine? That’s right, this delicious combination of fries, cheese curds, and gravy is the country’s national cuisine, and it's a must if you’re visiting Montreal. While there are tons of places to try it out, we visited Chez Claudette, located near the Mile End neighborhood of Montreal. This hole-in-the-wall is open for 24 hours on the weekends and has an expansive list of authentic poutine dishes to try. Our rafting guide told us that the best time to eat poutine is at 3:30 AM, so make sure to stop by after a night out for the perfect late-night snack.

Ride on a Montreal Party Bike

I bet you've seen these party bikes in places like New Orleans or Nashville, but Montreal is also home to this entertaining activity. We booked this excursion with Velo Festif Montreal, and it was so much fun. On the bike, you all pedal together while they bump some throwback dance songs. We had a blast riding through the city streets and also had the chance to stop at a local pub for beers and at a park for a picnic of classic Montreal cookies, cheese curds, breads, and more.

Explore the underground city

Something that is especially unique to the city of Montreal is its “Underground City” which features over 30 km of underground shopping, museums, cinemas, hotels, metro stops, and more. The underground city was built for Montreal natives to escape the city's harsh winters so it’s a great spot to spend time in during the cold months or during rainy weather. If you want to do some serious shopping, the underground city has tons of Canadian stores that you can't find back home in the U.S.

Overall, the trip to Montreal felt like a real vacation, even though it was just 3 days long. Throughout our time there, I learned that Montreal is a city with endless things to do, beautiful history to soak in and delicious food to eat. It truly makes you feel like you're in a whole other world.