Dear Annie,
Thanks again for all your help in planning our great trip to Montreal. Your choice of hotels was outstanding. We stayed at the Springhill Suites, which was perfectly located for us in the center of Old Montreal on rue St. Jean-Baptiste. They had a delicious hot buffet breakfast included, and they had a deal where if you paid to park a car you received a $25 gas card – – for each night you stayed there! The staff was very friendly, and we found virtually all of the employees at restaurants and museums in Montreal to be bilingual (though the default was French, they’d quickly switch to English).
We spent one day exploring Old Montreal to the southwest of our hotel, visiting the Basilica of Notre Dame and the Pointe á Callierre museum (which was a great place to start as it tells the history of Montreal). We also took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage which started in front of the Basilica. The next day we explored Old Montreal to the northeast of our hotel, checking out the Ramsey Museum, the City Hall, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum, and the Bonsecours Market. A tour at the Ramsey museum is worth it, we think. Our final day, we took the subway to downtown and a bus to the top of Mont Royal to check out the view, walk around McGill Campus, and visit the art museum.
We had some delicious food while we were there. In Old Montreal, we found some excellent places to eat on Rue St. Paul, including a Polish restaurant and a café. The day we went downtown, we took a short walk from McGill campus to eat at Schwartz’s deli, a Montreal landmark. While in Montreal we recommend trying poutines (French fries with a gravy-like sauce), maple syrup, and definitely “beaver’s tails” pastries at Queues de Castor located at 127 rue de la Commune Est.
Thanks again,
Margaret, Joanne, Megan & Jim
