Mont Royal

Ah, Mont Royal - Montreal's foresty, hilly namesake. From the top, spectacular views. All around - woodsy trails. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

If you're looking to get lost, you've come to the right place!

Mont Royal is smack-dab in the middle of the city. We walked there (a grueling 1.5 hour walk, I might add) from the apartment at which we were staying. Probably not the brightest idea considering the best thing about the park is the walking trails. 

Winding trails lead up the side of the mountain. Although one could probably spend all day walking and not make it to the top, we opted to whip out Google Maps when we arrived at the scenic overlook marking the 1/2-way point.

The hike was worth it!

Finally, after a bit of input from Google Maps (which surprisingly displays all of the trails in the park!) we make it to the top where a chateau sits cosily overlooking the entire city. I mean it - on a clear day, you can see the watery borders around the city. Unfortunately, we did not pick a clear, sunny day for our Mont Royal adventure.

Still, gorgeous park, free to enter, clean, winding trails - what more could you ever ask for?!

Getting to Montreal: By Bus

How should I get to Montreal, you might ask?

Well it certainly depends on where you live and what your plans are. For instance, if you happen to be visiting (or living in) Burlington or Boston, there's a Greyhound bus that can hop you right over (of course, you still have to go through customs both ways). A few other New England cities have bus routes that can hop you over, but the rest of the US will probably have to take a plane.

Taking a bus from Burlington to Montreal was much more affordable than flying. It cost us $35 each to go roundtrip.

The downside, because of course there is one, is that Greyhound can be unreliable. During our trip, the bus from Boston that would pick us up at BTV broke down in transit. The next bus did not arrive until over 4 hours later and it was crammed full of people. So despite the fact we had been waiting all day, we were smooshed to the back of the bus near the toilet - not a fun experience, I can assure you.

All-in-all, if I could do it all over again, I would have separated my Burlington and Montreal trips so that I could fly to Montreal instead of taking the bus.

Jean-Talon Market

Jean-Talon Market - right off of Jean-Talon St E!

We happened to be staying only a few blocks from this market during our recent trip to Montreal and wow! - they have a lot of delicious treats! Naturally, there are many, many, many produce stands that span the majority of the market. However, near the NE entrance, you can find a smoothie stand, crepe stand, several kiosks selling baked goods, fresh cheeses and meats, and other ready-to-eat noms. Our favorite stand? The macaron stand!!

Merengue-reminiscent bits of heaven!

If you don't happen to be staying near Jean-Talon St, the best way to get here is probably by metro (if you are within the metro service area) as the Jean-Talon station is on both the orange/red and blue lines.

Museum Pass: Olympic Stadium Observatory

Not what you think.

This vague coupon does not come close to describing what it does. One might think this is the ticket a free trip up to the observatory that hangs over the stadium. Then one would be terribly wrong. This ticket gets you a Buy One, Get One (BOGO) admission. In other words, you purchase one full price admission and you get another admission free. Sorry, Museum Pass, I was hoping I could get in completely free.

Vegetarian in Montreal: Poutine

A meat-gravy-slathered poutine, courtesy of Wikipedia.

If you are a new vegetarian or simply live in an area with many veggie-heads, you might not have experienced this tidbit. Never assume a dish is vegetarian - even if there is no meat listed in the description. One prime example is poutine - which is made with meat-grease. We were lucky to ask before ordering and found this one out by chance. Don't be caught unawares - if you are vegetarian, ask before you order any dish. Vegetarianism hasn't spread through Canada as much as the US (yet).

To prevent any possible meat-related schemes entering your meal, seek out vegan or vegetarian restaurants that do not serve any meat products. You might pay a little more, but it's worth it.