by Maria-Cristina Di Vito
Montreal is close to my heart because I’m originally from there and moved away over 12 years ago. I was excited to go back with my kids and chose Summer for our trip.
Where to Stay:
We stayed in the Plateau (Laurier East and Fabre) and loved it there. It was very convenient to get to ice cream, cheese shops, butchers and was also near some great parks. It was also a ten minute drive from Jean Talon Market which the kids and I enjoyed.
Favorite Activities:
- West End: Go to the Ecomuseum Zoo – it’s a zoological park and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see baby arctic foxes, reindeer and so much more.
- East End: The Montreal Biodome and the Insectarium are always a hit. We visited the new Planetarium in the same neighbourhood (Olympic village) and my 7-year old loved it. My 2-year old, on the other hand, was too loud and was asked to leave the room.
- Old Montreal: We love getting a sugary snack like ice cream or a pastry from BeaverTails. My kids also love the obstacle course there. Check to see if there is a Cirque du Soleil show on as they usually launch new tent shows there.
- Outside the City: Depending on the season, there are so many activities you can take advantage of. In the late summer and autumn, you can go apple picking. Many of the orchards have a playground and some other activities for the kids like a petting zoo. Early Summer is great for strawberry picking and in the Spring is a good time to visit sugar shacks for maple syrup. Beaver Lake on Mount Royal is always good fun.
What to Eat:
It’s really difficult to have a bad meal in Montreal. The Plateau area where we stayed had lots of good places and quite a few “bring your own wine” restaurants. Premiere Moisson is a chain of artisanal bakeries that are very impressive. They have great bread and lots of other options for a picnic or quick lunch. For bagels, we liked St-Viateur and Fairmount Bagel.
We had a great trip with the kids and enjoyed delicious food and amazing activities. I do feel that Winter can be a challenging time to go, and Summer has a lot of traffic. If I could recommend an ideal time of year to visit, it would be Autumn. I hope your family enjoys visiting Montreal as much as mine did!
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