"Unveiling the Ultimate Weekend Road Trip to Montreal: A Memorable Getaway"
When June arrived, accompanied by the warmth of the sun and the promise of adventure, Jiggy (my husband) and I found ourselves excitedly planning a weekend trip to Montreal. This particular June held a special significance for us, as it was the month when Jiggys' parents were scheduled to visit us. Eager to create lasting memories, we hatched a plan to infuse surprise, delight, and exploration into their visit. Our decision was unanimous: a weekend road trip to Montreal, a city renowned for its vibrant culture, historic charm, and irresistible culinary scene. As we set out on this spontaneous escapade, we couldn't help but anticipate the extraordinary experiences that awaited us in the heart of Quebec. Here is the itinerary and recount the highlights of our weekend road trip journey, filled with laughter, discovery, and the magic of Montreal. It is so true what they say, the people are SO nice!
Happy Traveling!
We started our trip early morning on Friday from Jersey City, it was about a 6.5-hour drive. Our first stop was obviously Starbucks and I ordered the chocolate-covered strawberry drink I saw on TikTok and it did not disappoint. Here’s how to order it: Pink drink with vanilla sweet cream, cold foam & mocha sauce in cold foam. We had homemade veggie burgers packed which we ate along the way. By the time we reached Montreal, it was 1:30 pm and we had about an hour till our Airbnb was ready. Not linking the Airbnb listing because it was not worth it. So we roamed around Old Montreal for an hour. It is beautiful, the architecture and vibes made me feel like I walking through a town in France. The small cafes and shops along the cobble roads are beautiful.
After checking in we freshened up and left for the Notre-Dame Basilica Aura light show which is a display of dynamic light, orchestral music, and expressive architecture. The church was beautiful from the inside with all the glasswork and details and it’s a must-visit. The Aura show is definitely very pretty but we didn’t find it out of the world. Since we didn’t have time to see the church during the day, we went to the show. If you can go during the day it may not be worth going to the show, basically pick one. I think the main issue was that the show was very long and for the first 10-15 minutes it’s amazing but very repetitive after.
After the Aura show we had to pick a spot for dinner and let me tell you we went to a place that was DELICIOUS. I could have cried happy tears!! The name of the restaurant is Punjabi Canteen. Must order is Chole Bhature, Amritasri kulcha, any rotis, shahi paneer, and dal. The pain puri was okay but the rest was just as good as it was in India. Trust me, do NOT skip this place. Our friends went there and they went two nights in a row! After that, we went to enjoy the nightlife and went to Hurley’s Irish Bar and it was so much fun. There was a live band performing and the music was great. It’s also one of the oldest pubs in Montreal and has a certain charm. This was the end of day one.
Day 2 was full of food!! We roamed around a lot of places and ate a little bit everywhere to get a taste of all. Our morning started with croissants, pastries, and coffee at Boulangerie Les Co’Pains D’abord which had excellent stuff! Post that we roamed around Chinatown and spent so much time there. We bought so many things from clothes, accessories, serve ware, candy, and more! The entire area was buzzing and if you like Chinese food you need to visit it. We had really good dumplings at Qinghua Dumplings, they had a mushroom and a veggie dumpling. After exploring the streets of Chinatown in Montreal we went to the famous Italian market Marche Jean Talon. The market had a lot of stalls selling fresh produce, fresh pasta, olive oils, and so a lot of ready food from other cuisines. There was live music there as well! You must roam around the Plateau Mont Royal area, they have a lot of boutique shops, cafes, and bars. That area definitely had all the European vibes. After that, we went to try Poutine at La Banquise. They have a vegan sauce and SO many topping options. We got the caramelized onion with mac and cheese poutine with mozzarella cheese and vegan sauce. It is VERY heavy and we got one to split amongst 4 people. We all loved it, even my in-laws really liked it and they were not sure they would. We again roamed around the area and got South Indian food for dinner which was okay. The name was Dosa Pointe and it I wouldn’t add that to the list if you’re there for two days. They also don’t accept any US cards or cash, unlike every other place and cafe we went to. After dinner, we drove up Mount Royal and went to see the view which was beautiful. Definitely keep a lookout for raccoons at night we saw many. We picked up desserts from Juliette & Chocolat and they had AMAZING desserts. Add this to your list for sure! We went back to Hurleys Pub, my in-laws loved the vibe and the music. It was definitely more fun and crowded on Friday than Saturday but it was still fun. If you have to pick one day, I would say Friday over Saturday.
Our last morning started with going to the top of Mount Royal again. Everything is more visible during the day but prettier at night, but we got some great pictures during the day! After that we went to get breakfast, we got Bagels from Fairmont Bagels. It’s very different than American bagels like they don’t give cream cheese with it. You have to buy the tubs of Philadelphia cream cheese on the side. We got croissants from Guillaume which were the best we tried! They had ALOT of bread options! Post that we went to the port area and walked around there. There are a lot of shops and great photo opportunities near the Ferris wheel. Then we got lunch at the old town area and got pizza and crepes. The name of the restaurant was Comptoir 400! The crepes were nice and the pizza was okay but we wanted to grab a bite before we headed out around 2pm. On the way back, we made bhel and got home in the evening.
The trip was so much fun and Montreal is a must-visit. There was so much more we wanted to visit like the Biosphere. I will definitely we going back, especially for the Indian food. You can even visit the F1 track and drive on it which sounds amazing! This trip left us with great memories and it’s a great place to visit with family or friends!
