Winter travel in Montréal and Québec City

There’s no denying winter in Montréal and Québec City, where temperatures can regularly dip to –5°F (–20°C) or lower for weeks on end. However, while many North Americans live in denial of their semi-Nordic surroundings, Québeckers embrace winter. By April, locals have had enough of snow, slush, and those speeding sidewalk plows that terrorize pedestrians. But from November to March, locals whisk away the winter blues by dressing properly — and plenty stylishly — and then skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowshoeing, and, let’s be honest, eating and drinking to their heart’s content.
Join the fun and dive right into the season by taking your trip during Québec City’s Winter Carnival or Montréal’s Fête des Neiges (Snow Festival), both in February. In either city, you’re less than an hour from great skiing and snowboarding destinations, such as Mont Tremblant or Mont Ste-Anne. If you really can’t take the cold, you can always retreat to Montréal’s underground city, where you never have to leave the safety of central heating to visit a number of museums, shopping centers, skyscraper lobbies, and major hotels.

Many Faces of Montréal

France isn’t the only culture you taste in Montréal — and I mean that literally. Dozens of other nationalities have marked out distinct corners of the city and filled them with great restaurants. In sheer numbers of immigrants, Montréal doesn’t compare to multicultural havens like Toronto and Vancouver, but Montréal’s long-established ethnic neighborhoods have left a lasting mark, and they continue to play a vital role on the urban landscape.
Have a cappuccino at Café Italia in Little Italy, pick up some bagels on rue St-Viateur in the heart of Montréal’s Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, or grab a souvlaki along avenue du Parc, with its concentration of Greek restaurants, and you’ll see what I mean.
Many of these areas boast interesting architecture as well, such as the famous winding staircases of the Plateau and Little Italy; winding cobblestone streets and graceful, stone buildings of Vieux-Montréal; and the beautiful churches, basilicas, and cathedrals throughout the city.

Night Life in Montreal

Back in the 1920s, when the rest of North America was in the grips of Prohibition, Montréal was known as the “City of Sin” for its freewheeling, immoral way. Among modern-day Canadians, the city is still revered for late bar closings (last call is at 3 a.m.), public affection (couples get very cozy on benches in public parks), and general lack of political correctness — all of which can create a carnival-like atmosphere after dark. If you want to let your hair down or stay out all night, Montréal offers endless opportunities for entertainment. You can roam the hopping club scenes, which are concentrated along boulevard St-Laurent, rue Crescent, and rue St-Denis.

Experiencing the Festival of Montreal and Quebec City

Other cities may have summer festivals, but Montréal is famous for its festivals. Unlike elsewhere, this city shuts down large portions of downtown for a string of festivals lasting practically all summer long. An intoxicating mix of English and French permeates these widely attended events. The fact that party-hearty Montréalers attend the festivals in droves, not to mention various states of intoxication, certainly doesn’t hurt. There’s definitely a je ne sais quoi about the dozens of summer events here, whether it’s the Montréal International Jazz Festival, the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, the International Film Festival, the Nuits d’Afrique African-music festival, or the FrancoFolies (the largest French-language music festival in the world).

The Flavor of Montreal and Quebec City

That Québec and Montréal have so much European flair isn’t surprising. These are two of the oldest cities in North America — and definitely among the best preserved. In both, you can stroll cobblestone streets and gaze at stone buildings and churches that date back to the 1700s. The relaxed pace, late hours, and abundance of cafes only add to the illusion that you’re somewhere in Europe. For maximum old-world impact, visit the port areas of both cities. In Vieux-Québec, don’t miss Le Petit Champlain. In Montréal, la rue Notre-Dame or la rue St-Paul transport you back in time. Thanks to the ongoing French influence on local cuisine, Montréal and Québec City are both renowned for excellent restaurants and a refined approach to dining. And trust me, it’s getting better every day. That said, Québeckers also eat their share of fast food, so you want to be selective about where you eat.
Excellent eateries can be found everywhere, but in some neighborhoods, you just can’t get a bad meal. Québec’s Old City houses many fine choices, such as the Café du Monde. Montréal’s Old Port area is actually not the best place to eat, but rue St-Denis and boulevard St-Laurent offer impressive dining choices.