Montreal Travel Diary
A few weeks back we took our annual family vacation. I had big plans to travel to Italy, but unfortunately it wasn't in the budget, so we choose a city we heard was the next best thing to Europe, Montreal. This beautiful city delivered. Just a five and a half hour drive from our house, it was close enough to go for just a long weekend.
We left on Thursday morning and arrived at Hotel Bonaventure Thursday evening. It may not have been the hotel we would have chosen if it were just Kyle and I traveling, but this hotel was perfect for us, traveling with our 2 1/2 year old, Oliver. The hotel was nice and the pool was lovely, and we took advantage. While the location was not exactly a hot spot, but was a short walk from the main shopping street and just a few blocks from the origin point of the hop-on hop-off bus tour.
The first night we stumbled upon the cutest restaurant in the whole world, Lov! A darling and delicious vegetarian restaurant. I liked it so much I tried to get take out on our last night. PS, they don't do take-out.
The best decision we made was doing the hop-on hop-off bus tour. Tickets are good for two days and is a great way to see and explore the entire city. Plus, two year olds love busses. We did take a couple of cabs at night, but during the day, the bus was our main mode of transportation.
We spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying the European-style streets of Old Town.
The Village was another of our favorite neighborhoods to explore. This installation was amazing and there was art everywhere to admire.
We started our second day at Schwart's, a famous Hebrew deli. I don't eat meat, but hubs gave it a stellar review.
In the area surrounding the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, there are dozens of art installations and exhibits to see and experience. We had a lovely stroll exploring and admiring.
Next we hopped back on the bus to go to the highest point in the city, St. Joseph's Oratory.
We wrapped up with a late lunch at one of Montreal's most famous restaurants, Jardin Nelson. There was about a 25 minute wait when we got there at about 3 in the afternoon. It was so worth the wait, a charming garden space with live music. The food was good, nothing terribly special, but the ambience was fabulous.
Our final stop before leaving the city was the Habitat 67. This incredible building is amodel community and housing complex designed by Israeli/Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. It was originally conceived as his master's thesis in architecture and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67,
Final verdict, we loved Montreal. I would absolutely recommend for travel with kids. Highly suggest doing the bus and we would definitely go back!