A day in Montreal

I am on a trip to explore the sights and culture of Montreal in winter. Montreal is situated on the East coast of Canada. It has a population of about 3.6 million. Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Toronto. When visiting it is handy to know how to speak a bit of French as many people are francophile.

Take the metro and get off at the Champs-de-Mars station. From there walk around the historic area of Old Montreal. Take a look inside the Notre-Dame Basilica located on Rue Notre Dame. It is famous for it's beautiful interior and 32 foot pipe organ! http://www.basiliquenddm.org/en/


Walk to the museum of archeology and history, Pointe-à-Callière Museum. This museum is all about the history of Montreal and how it was settled. http://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home


Catch the metro to station Pie-ix and visit the Olympic Stadium. http://www.rio.gouv.qc.ca/pub/visiter/accueil.jsp?locale=en. Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics in 1976.


Take the metro to Station Mont-Royal and go ice skating on Beaver Lake at Mount Royal. You can rent skates starting at $4 for 1 hour in the newly renovated cabin. You can also go snow tubing! If you feel like it you can go for a walk in Mount Royal and get some beautiful photos of the city from its observation point. 


Walk to the oldest deli in Canada famous for it's smoked meat, Schwartz's. http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/index_eng.html


Catch the metro at Sherbrooke Station and get off at Lucien-L'allier. From there you will find yourself at the Bell Center, the home of Montreal's ice hockey team the Montreal Canadiens. The Bell Center also has concerts and the occasional basketball game. You can do a guided tour that will take you through the whole history of the Montreal Canadiens and much much more. http://centrebell.ca/en/page/home


Spend some time exploring Downtown and shopping for souvenirs on the St Catherine strip.


You can't visit Canada without drinking a hot chocolate from Tim Hortons. They are everywhere and shouldn't be hard to find. You can also have baked foods such as chocolate croissants.


Once you've warmed up inside make your way towards Mbrgr. Mbrgr has a great variety of burgers and pasta and you get to order exactly what you want, even the type of cheese! It is also a hit for ice hockey players and you might just bump into one, I did. http://www.mbrgr.com/english.html


As darkness arrives feel free to explore the many pubs and bars. (As this writer is underage, the nightlife has not been experienced. Stay tuned for my next visit.)