Things to See in Montreal & Quebec City?

[rickboy88]

I wanted to go one past Tripadvisor and the AAA books, and see what the fellow forumites recommended for a pending trip to Montreal and Quebec City. I've noticed that many on the forum are in Canada, including our esteemed forum administrator. I've been to Calgary and Saskatoon for work two years ago, but never to Quebec.

What are the best things to see in those two cities? We'll be splitting our time there between them about equally - around 5 days for each one. We'd wanted to try and take a boat all the way from Montreal to Quebec City for our stay there (and the train back), but there doesn't seem to be a one-way trip like that available any longer. Now it is 1 1/2 or 3 hour cruises, or a package deal where you must take the train back to Montreal the next day. We'd want to stay another 5 days, then return.

I've been meaning to work on some French, but I haven't made much progress thus far. From my time in Calgary, Canada appears to be very dual language, so I imagine it'll be similar for Quebec, but I'll be going from a predominant English to a French region. There will be 5 of us, which will be my wife, her folks, and her oldest sister.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

Both Montreal and Quebec City are very old cities - over 250 years old to be precise. So there are parts of it that are just like visiting Europe in terms of the age of the buildings and archtecture...

I lived in Montreal for two years when I went to college back in the 1980s... There is so much to see and do... Music, theatre, opera, jazz festivals, comedy festivals...

Most Quebeckers speak english, and will wait for you to identify your langauage before they speak to you...

If you don't speak and french... "Hi - how are you!" is the first thing you should say.... Most Quebeckers will then respond in English without much hesitation... Every once and a while you will run into someone that genuinely does not speak English - but it is rare...

Basic survival french (or "franglais") is very easy to pick up...
http://www.languagehelpers.com/words/french/basics.html
http://www.hillmanwonders.com/france/french_phrases.htm

Donnez Moi un... Bring me a...

Je voudrais...... I would like...

Ou est la... Where is the...

Then you just add the noun... which in Quebec can often be the english word...

So "Je voudrais un ... Hammer?"

Gets you a hammer.

or

"Je voudrais un ... Bier?"

Gets you a beer...

Go into a McDonald's... (Called "McDonald" in Quebec - no apostrophee's allowed in Quebec due to rather arcane laws)...

"Je voudrais un ... Big Mac?" gets you a rather famous american sandwhich...

If you want to be polite add the words "Si vous plait" (If you please) after each request...

Merci means "thank you"

Don't attempt to decipher the numbers - just look at the cash register and see the numerals just like anywhere else in the world.

A very useful phrase I learned right away was ...

Qu'est-ce que c'est ? ... (then add the english word for whatever you want - a bakery for example) "en francais"... What is the french word for Bakery??

Answer is "Patisserie"...

You can also reverse that...
Qu'est-ce que c'est ? (add the french word you don't understand - say "dépanneur") and then the word's "en anglais"? This means what is the English word for "dépanneur" ... The answer is variety store/convenience store... A place that sells cigarettes, milk and stuff you need 24/7... Unique to Quebec - this store also sells Beer and Wine (but only during certain hours).... There is no alcohol sold in convenience stores in Ontario where I live.

Quebeckers are very proud of their francophone culture - there are major stars in Quebec that can fill a 10,000 seat concert hall in Monteal, but can't fill a 200 seat club anywhere else in Canada. Celine Dion is the one that made it internationally...

Anyway enjoy your trip!

I was in Boulder CO a few years back and had a grand time...

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9panneur


and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_French

will also prove helpful!

[ozover50]

David: Perhaps you could ask Dean Steliga (bitzerguy) via a PM. He lives in Montreal and I can tell you from personal experience that he is one hell of a nice guy.

Heck.... he even drove from Montreal to Toronto and back just for a long weekend when I visited back in '06!

[bitzerguy]

When are you planning to visit? Time of year affects a lot of things to see. Brian's extensive post provides good tourist french. Very tourist. Quebec is a French speaking province, with English being a second, minority language. English is understood and spoken in all major centers, and as you a tourist you will have no trouble at all communicating. Only in the most rural areas does English disappear completely.

Quebec City celebrated it's 400th year in 2009. The Citadel is the center of all the action in Quebec city. You can spend days wandering the old city inside, and alongside, the walls. Just east of the citadel are Les Chutes Montmorency (Montmorency Falls), a historic military site and spectacular falls attraction. About 15-20 minutes east of Quebec City is Ste Anne, famous for one of the largest old school cathedrals in North America. Ile d'Orleans is another great visit in the area. Just east of the Citadel and the walled city are the Plain of Abraham historic site, a very large park with lots of canons. If you are spending a few days in Quebec City, rent a car and head to Tadoussac on the north shore, roughly a 2 hour drive for a couple of days. At the junction of the Saguenay river (Saguenay fjord) and St Lawrence river, it is a spectacular visit for nature lovers. Many species of whale can be seen from the shore, and the Zodiac tours are unbelievable. The drive along the old highway 2 from Baie St-Paul to Quebec is slower but breathtaking. You must love heights, it is cut into the cliffs along the shore of the St. Lawrence.

In Montreal it is festival season. From June 25 through July 6 it is the Montreal International Jazz Festival. A few blocks of downtown Montreal around Place des Arts is closed to traffic and becomes a fantastic festival site. Many indoor and outdoor stages showcase jazz and blues talent from around the world. Many of the shows are free. Brian Setzer Orchestra are opening the festival this year, a free show on June 25th. From July 14 through 18 is the Just For Laughs comedy festival, galas this year feature Cheech and Chong and Lewis Black, among many others. There is also the Fringe Festival (fringe theatre) and the Film Festival. You can Google these for details.

There is Old Montreal and the Old Port for strolling and for European flavor. This part of our city is over 350 years old and has many restaurants, museums and historic sites. It can take a week just to discover a portion of what there is to see there. Also St. Laurent street starts in Chinatown and runs for many miles north through author Mordecai Richler's neighborhood and at Ste Catherines Street becomes a major pedestrian and event intersection during the festivals. St. Laurent and St. Denis streets are lined with clubs and restaurants with terraces, so you can enjoy a meal outdoors. All of these venues can be accessed via Metro (subway) easily.

This is only a very small selection of ideas. PM me with your planned dates and I'll help out with events and sites that will be happening during your planned stay. There is so much to see and do here, that I am still discovering every day, and I've lived here since 1967.

[blueflamerick]

I enjoyed the Biodome and Botanical Garden when I visited Montreal.

[captsandwich]

Food.
Awesome, glorious food. From fast food to fine dining, I can count the number of disappointing meals I have had in Quebec on one hand. On one finger, come to think of it and that finger is gesturing at the lousy little restaurant beside the Chateau Frontenac. Otherwise, yum!

[bitzerguy]

Food.
Awesome, glorious food. From fast food to fine dining, I can count the number of disappointing meals I have had in Quebec on one hand. On one finger, come to think of it and that finger is gesturing at the lousy little restaurant beside the Chateau Frontenac. Otherwise, yum!

+1000000. Come to think of it, I have had 2 disappointing meals in Quebec City, and 1 here in Montreal. The 2 in Quebec city was indeed a lousy little restaurant next to the Chateau Frontenac (little white one with red window and door trim) and one further east on the same street, past the Armory, in a little stretch of terraced places. Ordered a gourmet pizza that did not agree with me. Something that included goat cheese and mustard seed... anyway, 3 out of ten thousand is pretty good.

Plan on gaining a few pounds during your visit. Shwartzes for smoked meat sandwiches or M-burger for lunches and a poutine, La Queue de Cheval for very upscale dining (the best steak and seafood dinner I have ever had), 40 West, a dinner/jazz club in the west island area, Steak Frites on Rue St. Paul in Old Montreal for a unique and delicious steak experience, Gibbys in Old Montreal is exceptional dining. For a truly unique and fun dining/show experience, try Le Festin Du Gouverneur. Their website has contact information for schedules and reservations. This is a 17th century interactive dining experience that is a lot of fun, and exceptional food.

[robbo63]

When I visited, they had evening performances inside the old city of Quebec, in a park on Rue du Fort.. There was a clown who was a lot of fun; even without kids being along, I'd recommend checking if he's there.

I liked both Montreal and QC. I learned a tiny bit of French before going and would usually start talking in French, poorly, to ask things, and they'd switch to English and everything would be fine. People were very helpful in Montreal.

[rickboy88]

Thanks for the comments everyone! PM on the way, Dean.