Why Montreal is great in the winter

It might be the undeniably French influence in architecture and food and the friendly, bilingual people and the proximity to nature: Montreal is a cool city with some of Canada’s best culinary scenes!

Montreal is a mostly modern city with lots of street art and skyrises, however Old Montreal kept a little Parisian charm with its cute alleys. It might be freezing during the winter but with some warm thick layers, we had no excuse to staying in the hotel room.

Fresh snow turned Mont Royal (the mountain which gave the city its name) into a beautiful winter landscape and despite the chill we loved to hike through the snow and getting the best views over the city. However the days are short in December and icy winds started to pick up, so we escaped into the Mount Royal Chalet to warm up.

Personal recommendations:

A big part of our trip was literally consumed by food. Montreal is home to some great treats and classics like the Pastrami sandwich of Schwartz’s (Canada’s oldest deli) and of course Montreal style bagels (NYC’s counterpart). In particular two bakeries have gained fame for their bagels and I’d recommend to try them both as they’re very close to each other as well 😉

Fairmount Bagel and St Viateur: Montreal’s most famous bagels. Both are great but taste best when fresh and warm!

High on my list was trying Canada’s most controversial culinary invention: Poutine! It’s a strangely satisfying snack made of fries soaked in gravy and topped with curd cheese 😀 It’s a typical Québecian dish that can be found anywhere!

Délices Érable & Cie: As the province of Québec is the world’s largest producer of maple syrup you can’t get around tasting all things maple syrup and get some sweet souvenirs!

Crew Collective & Café: Co-working space and coffee inside a beautiful former bank building.

Marché Jean Talon: Great market hall with lots of fresh produce and little restaurants.

Eva B: One of the best thrift stores I’ve ever been to! Tons of clothes, well organized and fairly priced. Must-go!

Mae Sri Comptoir Thai: Delicious Thai food in a casual setting.

M Montreal Hostel: It’s an upscale hostel with a of variety rooms, ranging from fully furnished apartments, private rooms and dorms. The communal areas are spacious and clean, and yes – there are even rooftop jacuzzies! The location is close to Downtown, Old Montreal and public transportation and it comes with free breakfast too. You can book a room here.

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Further readings:

Niagara Falls – More than just a waterfall