Teddy’s Travels: A Weekend Getaway in Montréal, Québec.
During winter break, students are always excited to leave the exam-ridden school life behind for a few blissful weeks.
However, with the passing of New Year’s into January, things start to slow down. The true scope of a full month starts to set in.
This is typically when a new idea forms in a student’s mind: a quick, budget-friendly, weekend retreat to the winter wonderland that is Canada. Back in November, some friends and I thought about this and secured our weekend trip to Montréal.
Once we arrived at the border, it was mostly quick and easy: the wait time was about 15 minutes which I used to switch my speedometer to kilometers per hour. Soon enough we were good to go. We arrived in the city at dusk which gave us an epic view of the skyline. The four of us booked a four-bedroom Air-B&B conveniently situated on the Green metro line, which gave access to the downtown.
The weather wasn’t ideal, having snowed most of our three day trip. Thankfully, I had snow tires on my car which made a world of difference when navigating the narrow streets.
That night, we ventured downtown to a mall connected to the city’s famed “Underground City” which hosted shops, a grocery store, and a food court.
Day 1 – Saturday
The next morning, we drove to the top of Mount Royale — the mountain near the downtown for which Montréal is named — and stopped at the observation area to take in the view.
The snowy view from atop Mount Royale showing the rest of the city facing East.
My car on the snowy road where you must drive to get to the observation area. The snow tires were invaluable here.
Exploring the Biosphère
After taking in the view, we made our way to the Montréal Biosphère located on Île Saint-Hélène – an island straddling the St. Lawrence River – which was about a 25-minute drive from Mt. Royale.
Upon arriving, we utilized the free parking and entered the museum. At the time, it was a chilly 7º F outside, so the museum offered a perfect respite from the cold.
After the Biosphère, we made our way to the Montréal Clock Tower located near the city’s downtown, but was unfortunately closed when we arrived. If the museum had been open I think it would have been worth the visit but I would not recommend seeing it up close otherwise. We then made our way to the historic downtown to visit the absolute must-see Basilica Notre Dame. The basilica, boasting soaring buttresses and intricate fresco, lies in the heart of Old Montréal and was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century. Lunch – Pub St. Paul
Afterward, we escaped the cold by visiting a local pub. Pub St. Paul offered a variety of cocktails as well as a large food selection. For lunch, I ordered a chicken cutlet with pepper sauce. The restaurant was very nice – the establishment gave the impression that its nightlife was the establishment’s main source of revenue but nonetheless, the food was still quite good.
Exploring the Underground City
Afterward, we tried to return to the famed “Underground City” which, I will say, was harder to navigate than we thought.
The underground city is a huge complex of interconnected underground shopping malls, restaurants, apartments, and train stations. Sprawling below several blocks, it is one of the largest pedestrian tunnel systems in the world.
St. Joseph’s Oratory
After a few hours underground, we resurfaced and visited the world’s 27th-largest cathedral: St. Joseph’s Oratory located on Mt. Royale. After arriving, the views were stunning. The building itself sits atop the mountain and has an observation terrace for breathtaking views. At the time we visited, the sun was setting and it was incredibly windy with a temperature of just 5º F We could only be outside for a few minutes.
We climbed the many staircases and escalators to the main organ of the building, which houses two chapels. The interior featured huge vaulted ceilings, a large organ playing Christmas music, and a crypt that included the tomb of St. André. The darkly lit crypt featured various devotional items as well as burning candles which added to the solemn ambiance. The tomb itself was situated in the wall which had a tunnel around it, allowing visitors to circumambulate the body.
Afterward, we decided to head to the museum’s shop which featured various religious effigies, iconography, and literature. One of the more memorable examples was St. Joseph oils used for blessing.
The interior of one of the chapels at St. Joseph’s Oratory.
After the oratory, we made a quick stop at the famed fast-food restaurant “The Gibeau Orange Julep” which serves ice cream, burgers, and fries. The establishment is far from the city center and, for what they offer, I do not think it is worth paying a visit.
The Evening
For dinner, we went to the Italian restaurant “Salumi Vino” where I ordered the chicken piccata and a glass of the house white wine. The portions were a bit small so I ordered an extra side of pasta.
The Chicken Piccata I ordered that night.
After dinner, we went back to the AirBnB where we prepared to experience Montréal’s nightlife.
That night’s venue of choice, “Club Electric Avenue”, was conveniently located along the Metro’s Green Line.
The music at the club was right up my alley, however, most of the guests were well into their 40s, 50s, and 60s, with very few college-aged people around. Still, I think it was an interesting experience, and while the attendees may be a bit older that does not mean they were any less fun – with many of them dancing quite intensely.
We ended up leaving around 12:45 a.m. as we wanted to be certain that we would catch the last subway before service ended at 1:30 a.m.
Day 2 – Sunday
The next day, some of our group went on Montréal’s “La Grande Roue de Montréal” – the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada which offered stunning views of the city below.
The Museum
Afterward, the group headed to Montréal’s Museum of the Fine Arts where you could see the great works of El Greco, Cézanne, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Picasso – just to name a few.
Spending the remainder of the afternoon exploring the museum ended up being a perfect way to wrap up a cold winter day. We were lucky enough to get a free experience, as the admission prices are waived on the first Sunday of every month.
The Evening
For dinner, we ended up going to a local pub/restaurant called The Wolf and Workman, which served authentic Canadian food with dishes hinting at influences from both French and British cuisine. Appropriate for the chilly atmosphere, I ordered a hearty chicken pot pie which was delicious.
After returning to the AirB&B we prepared for the next day’s departure and went for an early bedtime.
Day 3 – Monday
In an effort to leave before noon, we decided to have breakfast together in the old city at Crêperie St. Paul, a restaurant offering a wide variety of breakfast and dessert crêpes.
I ordered the strawberry crêpe, and although it was my first time having them, I thought they were pretty good, and also clearly freshly made.
As noon rolled around we said our goodbyes and we each made our way back to our cars.
Including stops for a quick lunch and stopping at the train station, my travel time home was about six and a half hours.
The Breakdown
As always, I will break down this journey to explain how many “Teddy Stars” this trip received.
- Price: For the Airbnb, we all split a four-bedroom apartment outside the city. For the weekend, it each set us back $150 USD. For the trip, including parking, meals, metro, and the souvenir sweater I got, the total came to about $180 USD. From door to door, I drove an insane 874 miles during the trip – which isn’t completely unreasonable since I happily did most of the driving for the group within the city. This would mean that technically, I spent $102.14 USD on gas. Since gas was pricier in Canada, it might be a good idea to fill up beforehand in New York.
- Food: The food in Montréal was excellent. All the restaurants we went to were amazing and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to go.
- Parking Parking was, at times, a bit tricky. For the most part, I think we were successful as only twice did we have to resort to using a garage or parking lot. It did, however, involve a few extra maneuvers through narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets but if you are on the lookout, I think it is relatively easy to find a space.
- Driving: While Montréal does have a Metro, it can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Having the autonomy of a car is a plus. Growing up and driving in urban environments like Manhattan and Hoboken have prepared me for city driving, and while I was unfazed, some passengers commented how, if they were driving, they might feel anxious navigating the city streets. If you are not confident in your driving skills, there are certainly other methods to explore the downtown.
- Shops: While I didn’t purchase much other than my souvenir sweater, there was a wide variety of shopping opportunities, notably in the Underground City. I also noticed that some things were a little bit cheaper than they would have been in New York or other similar cities.
- Adventure/Fun: The trip was a great place to experiment and try new things. One of my favorite things we did was probably the late-night drive up the steep mountain and seeing all of the fancy houses lining the streets. One exhilarating moment of the trip was when I took a wrong turn and went up a steep and snowy hill that turned out to be a dead end into someone’s driveway with no place to turn around. Not wanting to back down a snowy hill in the middle of the night, I carefully did a three-point turn and brought the car around. The hill was so steep that when the car was angled sideways, I jokingly said that people should all move to one side of the car so that we didn’t roll over. However, at the moment, my passengers did not seem to appreciate my sense of humor.
Overall, I would rate this amazing getaway four and a half out of five Teddy Stars, and would highly recommend this day trip to anyone looking for a weekend urban adventure.
