While Quebec City is the soul of French-Canadian culture, Montreal is the heart of commercial activities and named a Beta + world city. It has also become somewhat of a foodie city with quite a few food tours available. Old Montreal is the city’s birthplace with buildings dating from the 17th century. Similar to Quebec City, I love the old-world atmosphere here. We stayed at the W Montreal on Square Victoria near Old Montreal.
Place d’Armes is one of the most beautiful squares in Montreal and home to the gothic Notre-Dame Basilica, the old Bank of Montreal, and Aldred Building which is the first skyscraper and Montreal’s version of the Empire State Building. Nearby is Rue St-Paul which is the old main street, now filled with shops, restaurants, and galleries. The narrow cobblestone street will lead you to Place Jacques Cartier near the Montreal Town Hall and Chateau Ramezay.
Other than the Old Town of Montreal, we also managed to visit Habitat 67, the Mile End (Soho) area, as well as the Parc du Mont Royal.
Notre Dame Basilica
Beautiful blue vaulted ceilings with golden stars at Notre-Dame Basilica
The interior of Notre-Dame Basilica is modelled after Saint-Chapelle in Paris.
Alfred Building – Montreal’s own Empire State Building
Place Jacques Cartier
Montreal Town Hall
Rue St Paul
Up on the bell tower of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours
Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours offers panoramic views over Old Montreal as well as the downtown area. Here we see the Clock Tower adjacent to Plage de l’Horloge which is an urban beach complete with a boardwalk, sand, showers, etc.
Habitat 67 is often compared to a housing complex made of lego. It was designed for the Expo of 1967 and remained one of the most important buildings ever designed.
Beautiful Crew Cafe took over the 1920s Royal Bank keeping everything as is.
Love how even the bank teller windows have been preserved.
The original desks at the bank where you fill out deposit slips.
Probably the most beautiful cafe I have been to yet.
Leisurely stroll amongst the foliage in Parc du Mont Royal.
Completely fogged in at the lookout on top of Mont Royal
Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet, usually offers panoramic views of Montreal downtown.
Parc du Mont Royal was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also co-designed Central Park in New York.
After our short stop in Montreal, we head northwest towards Churchill to encounter some polar bears. Stay tuned!
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One Response
Thanks for bringing back memories. We were in Montreal this summer and still talk about how good the food is.