What to Do in Montreal

Let me begin by saying that if you enjoy discovering new restaurants, boutique shopping, and gallery browsing, then Montreal is for you. I have never been to a city where I want to step inside every single restaurant because the food looks delicious and the ambience is on point. There were two major shopping areas that our daughter and I hit up while the boys found the cutest little village to fish in. Read on for more details on What to Do and Where to Eat.

It took us a minute to figure our what to do with our tween and teen in Montreal. R and I, of course, could walk and browse all day. Which we did for a bit on our first day.

We also visited the Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal. It was a beautiful and reverent experience. The Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal was the first neo Gothic church in Canada. The congregation outgrew the original parish and, in 1823, Protestant architect Jame O’Donnell of New York was commissioned to design what is now the Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal. He was inspired by the Notre-Dame de Paris as well as Saint-Sulpice. Until St. Patrick’s Cathedral (in New York City) was built, Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal was the largest place of worship in North America. We definitely felt the history as we toured. We spent time in the basilica during the day, but you can also check out AURA which is an immersive lighting experience at night.

On the second day, we ultimately decided to divide and conquer with the boys finding fishing and the girls finding shopping.

Let’s start with the shopping. Sainte-Catherine Street was only about 3 blocks from our hotel and housed some of the major shopping stores. Of particular interest were Aritzia, Lululemon, and Brandy Melville. We spent the morning checking out the street before heading to brunch at LOV.

After LOV, we walked toward Old Montreal. There were so many cute boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries. And of course, ice cream too!

The boys enjoyed a nice afternoon fishing and eating in Lachine.

On our last day, we hiked Mount Royal. There are various trail options, but we chose the most direct stair climb to beautiful vistas of Montreal. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The chalet was lovely and I am guessing even more magical with a fresh coat of snow. Aristide Beaugrand-Champagne was the architect behind the French Beaux-Arts and Arts and Crafts building.

Where to Eat in Montreal

I’ll be honest, I think that What to do in Montreal is pretty synonymous with What to Eat in Montreal. This city knows how to do a restaurant scene. Below is where we ate.

Dandy is a perfect brunch/lunch spot. We all LOVED our dishes and the design was modern and trendy in all the best ways. It was quite busy when we were there so you’ll have to click the link to get the full picture. But, in the meantime, let’s enjoy the lighting.

Our son got to choose our dinner the first night. He was in the mood for pizza and we happened upon Balboa. Again, the food was great. The decor had hip grandma’s house vibes.

Our daughter and I got brunch at LOV the following day. We enjoyed the bright and airy feeling of the restaurant. It had very good vegan and vegetarian dishes.