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Old Montreal in the summer
Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec, is a brilliant city for a weekend break at any time of the year but the summer is really a special time to visit. If you’re there in late June/early July, the fantastic ten-day Montreal International Jazz Festival is a musical extravaganza with hundreds of gigs, many outdoors and free. For an introduction to the city, a walking tour of one of the neighborhoods and a boat tour around the harbor are both highly recommended. Or rent a bike for a more active tour of a city that has more bike paths than anywhere else in North America. Drinks on one of the numerous terraces in Old Montreal is blissful way to finish the day. And squeeze in an excursion outside of the city if you’d like to experience a less urban vibe too.
Where to Stay in Montreal
The spacious roof terrace at Hotel Monville, Montreal
Hip Hotel Monville, a 4-star hotel with 269 spacious rooms, housed in a sleek glass and concrete high-rise, is within an easy stroll of both Old Montreal and the shops of rue Sainte Catherine. The chic public spaces include a ground floor lobby bar, a cafe, various meeting areas and a spacious outdoor rooftop terrace. The cafe serves an excellent breakfast that includes proper (not runny) scrambled eggs, local cheeses and the famous Montreal bagels. Montreal artist Valerie Jodoin Keaton’s commission to create a mural for the ground floor space features vintage black-and-white photographs of Montreal’s history.
Guest room at Hotel Monville, Montreal
Design is by local architects ACDF Architecture, known for their sleek, contemporary aesthetic. Rooms have a cool urban vibe, with floor-to-ceiling windows for stellar city views. A double room is from $270 per night, depending on the room type and dates of the stay.
Firmly committed to innovation, in addition to a regular check in desk with a staff member, Hotel Monville offers a self-check-in option, allowing guests to receive their room keys in moments. And a fun techie feature is the hotel is the first and only hotel in Canada to offer room service via an autonomous delivery robot. This robot delivers orders directly to guests’ rooms quickly and efficiently. You’ll see the cute robot hanging about in the bar area waiting to help. Complementing their efforts in innovation is sustainability which has been recognised with a Gold certification from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism, a Canadian organization that evaluates and supports tourism businesses in their sustainable development efforts.
Le Germain Hotel Montreal
Hotel Le Germain is a wonderful 5-star, just off St. Catherine Street, in the heart of Montreal’s shopping district. Awarded a coveted Michelin Key last year, Le Germain has 136 rooms with the space, chic design and ultra comfort you’d expect from a boutique hotel. A queen room is from $400. Always keen to support local talent, works by Montreal artists are displayed in corridors, elevators, and rooms. And of course, the famous mural "Dazzle My Heart" by Canadian artist Michelle Hoogveld covers the hotel's facade and beckons you to enter. The mural features 80 different colors and geometric shapes and can be spotted from miles away which is handy if you get lost on your way back from sightseeing.
Sustainability is certainly not just a buzz word at Le Germain. From the opening of the family-run business’s very first hotel 36 years ago (in Quebec City), long before sustainability became a standard practice, sibling founders Christiane Germain and Jean-Yves Germain took concrete steps to protect the environment with sustainable practices: water and energy management, prioritizing local suppliers, partnering with local artisans, and choosing high-quality, durable materials. Today, they have Green key certification, a global standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. They’ve managed to almost eliminate single-use plastic water bottles with a water fountain on each floor where guests can refill their own water bottles or the carafes found in every room. Sustainable materials have been used throughout the property, including custom furniture manufactured by Renova, a Canadian supplier renowned for its low-toxicity materials. Unusually, instead of single-use slippers, they use washable and reusable slippers made by Kotmo, a Quebec B Corp company.
Restaurant Le Boulevardier, Hôtel Le Germain Montréal
The food and drink offering at Le Germain is stellar from the chic Bar Flaneur on the ground floor serving excellent cocktails to all-day dining upstairs in Le Boulevardier where hotel guests can order breakfast a la carte to the classic French gastronomic menu in the evenings. The food, inspired by French brasseries, features fresh, local fare, with a French-influenced wine list.
What to See and Do
The Catholic Church of St. Michael, Montreal
A walking tour, or even better, a food tour is a great way to get the taste of a city. Secret Food Tours offer a few super options, including one in Mile End, a journey through Montreal's hippest foodie neighborhood ,with stops at five places and history of the area thrown in (including a stop outside of the Catholic Church of St. Michael, modeled after Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia). Mile End, named after London’s Mile End, was the birthplace of many creatives including writer Mordecai Richler, musician Leonard Cohen and the band Arcade Fire. The tastings on the food tour can change but generally include a delicious sweet pastry to start, “street gnocci,” a famous Montreal bagel, a moreish cannoli and of course, the French Canadian classic, poutine.
Jean Talon market in Little Italy, Montreal
Spade & Palacio also offer brilliant foodie walking tours. Started by two native Montrealers, the small independent tour company prides itself on offering non-touristy tours. Their “Beyond the Market Tour” visits the famous Jean-Talon Market (the largest in North America) as well as lesser known venues in Little Italy.
Basilica of Notre-Dame of Montreal and Place d'Armes — Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Picturesque Old Montreal is a must. Start with a visit to the historic Notre-Dame Basilica, followed by an exhibition at the contemporary arts center, Phi. Currently on show is Bingo, the first solo museum-scale exhibition for artist Nico Williams, winner of the 2024 Sobey Prize. After your cultural fix, wander the cobbled streets of the Old town and and stop for lunch at one of the pretty outdoor terraces. French brasserie Gaspar is a good choice with a menu offering a superb tuna tataki, cassoulet and croque madame.
Daytrips Near Montreal
Strom-Saint-Hilaire
If you can fit in a day or afternoon excursion outside of the city, there are plenty of options. Just 30 minutes south of Montreal is the glorious Strøm Spa Mont-Saint-Hilaire, in the heart of the Gault Nature Reserve. This thermal spa is a little piece of paradise, surrounded by nature, with views of Mont Saint-Hilaire. There are a series of pools in different temperatures, a Finnish sauna, Eucalyptus and essential oil steam rooms and plenty of indoor and outdoor relaxation areas with fireplaces.
The Nord restaurant at Strom Spa Mont Saint-Hilaire
The Nord restaurant at Strom Spa Mont Saint-Hilaire is alone worth the excursion, brilliantly showcasing the products and flavors of the region. Smoked duck breast with Jerusalem artichoke; Trout gravlax with fennel confit and a fine Artisanal platter with local cheeses, meat and fish are among the menu highlights.
A blissful visit to Strom Mont-Saint-Hilaire anytime is $99 CAD; Monday- Thursday $74 CAD ($64 CAD after 5PM).
Le Mas des Patriotes
Another wonderful excursion close to Montreal is a vineyard tour. There are three wineries close together in or around in the Vallée-du-Richelieu, 30 minutes south of Montreal. Le Mas des Patriotes is an essential visit both for its lovely rural location, pretty tasting room and its superior products. Established in 2003 by France Cliche, who owns the vineyard with her husband, the winery specialises in organic wines. Madame Cliche is passionate about organic farming and focuses on producing high-quality, elegant wines that reflect the terroir of the Richelieu Valley. This winery really feels like an insider secret but it deserves to be better known as the quality of the wines (especially the whites) and keen prices (all bottles are under $30) are excellent. The wines from Le Mas are currently only available in Quebec so a tasting at the winery ($20 for 5 wines) and a nosey around the attached antique shop make for a great afternoon out of the city.
Getting There
Air Canada offers 12 direct flights a week to Montreal from London Heathrow and direct flights from Miami, LA, San Francisco, New York and Atlanta.
