city guide : montreal, canada.

Oh Montreal.. you lovely, arty city. Really wish I'd stayed a night or two to get the most out of this place, but a few hours was better than nothing! 

We hopped in the car and had breakfast on the road. It took around 2 hours to drive from Ottawa, and once we were there we needed a coffee, so we stopped in at Arts Cafe.

SEE ALSO:
•  a week in ottawa.
• 3 days in Toronto.
• New York City Guide.
• 3 days in Brooklyn.

This place was obviously very popular, and had lots of unusual artefacts to look at - although you can't see many in my photo. There were also shelves stacked full of art books & magazines to browse while you drink your coffee, and plenty of interesting people to watch! Over in the left corner there were a couple of guys on their MacBooks, and we were trying to guess what they did for a living. 

Afterwards, we browsed the gorgeous shops, of which there were many! Some of my favourites that we came across:

Boucle et Papier

Boutique Unicorn
Boutique Vestibule

Citizen Vintage

Monastiraki 

It's pretty easy to just wander around and find loads of interesting shops, cafes and galleries - as long as you make sure you're in the right areas! 

After all that wandering, it was time for some very naughty sustenance. I hadn't had authentic poutine yet, so we headed to La Banquise. They specialise in poutine, and have 30+ different combinations, meaning there's probably something for everyone there. And they're open 24 hours... I can imagine this would make the best drunk food. 

I went for the classic, as it was my first time. I'm still not sold on cheese curds, but damn do Canadians know how to do fries well! 

After a little more wandering and a walk around the nearby park, we decided to head home as I was absolutely knackered (thanks jetlag + CFS).

But a few extra nuggets of gold that were recommended to me by my Airbnb hosts:

• TriExpress for sushi - don't order from the menu, just ask for "chef's choice" and let them know you want to spend about $20 per person.
• Jean Talon Market for all the delicious fresh produce.
• Monkland Village - nice area to walk around with cute shops.
• Westmount - beautiful neighbourhood, with the greatest concentration of wealth in North America!
• Mandy's - delicious salad place in Westmount.
• Cafe Myriade.
• Cafe Pikolo - cool vibe, delicious espresso.
• Bobby McGee's - Stefan's favourite bar in Montreal.
• Bily Kun - Ashley's favourite bar in Montreal.
• Mile End - cool area to walk around.
• Le Plateau - their favourite neighbourhood in Montreal - classic & beautiful.
• Cafe Olimpico - cool crowd, and apparently famous people like Arcade Fire go there.
• Faimount Bagels/St Viateur Bagels - order "all dressed".
• Try Montreal beer brands - McAuslan & St Ambroise.




Remember, you can see the other posts from my trip here: Ottawa, Toronto, Manhattan, Brooklyn!





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