Montmorency Falls near Quebec City

I had a week off this summer from training for my new career (to be revealed in the coming months) and I had so much fun in New York City and Boston, so I decided to book another trip. I hadn’t been to Quebec in a while (it had been 10 years since I visited Montreal and 15 years since visiting Quebec City) and wanted to practice my French skills, so I booked a trip to la Belle Province.

I looked at flying and taking the train to Montreal, but in the end I took the bus. The bus was the most affordable and convenient transportation option I could find. I wouldn’t have saved much time flying or taking the train since the bus station is only 20 minutes away from my house.

I bought a bus ticket from Megabus. Although it wasn’t as cheap as taking the bus from New York City to Boston (I only paid $10), a roundtrip between Toronto and Montreal was only $50. That’s a lot less than flying, not to mention I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of going through airport security.

Day 1: Friday, July 13 (Montreal)

Olympic Stadium at night

The bus was supposed to arrive in Montreal at 2pm. Unfortunately, there was construction on the highway and the traffic was bad, so I didn’t get there until 3pm. I arrived at a mall called Atrium Le 1000. Besides a food court, it has a year-round indoor skating rink. That’s right, you can go ice skating in the middle of summer in Montreal. How cool! (Pun intended.)

After grabbing lunch, I met up with my friend Dan Trezub at his offices in Old Montreal. I knew Dan from the Canadian Personal Finance Conference. When we were chatting, he encouraged me to come visit Montreal. When I said I was coming this summer, he was gracious enough to let me stay at his place.

After getting the spare key from Dan, I headed off to meet one of my friends and money coaching clients, Alain. I mentioned to Alain that I’m a fan of pizza, so he took me to one of the best pizza places in Montreal, Pizzeria NO.900 on 2049 Peel St in the heart of downtown Montreal. Alain and me shared a delicious margarita pizza.

In Montreal the subway (or le Métro as it’s known) is by far the best way to get around the city. If you’re in Montreal during the weekend, your best bet is to purchase a weekend pass.

I finished off my first day in Montreal by admiring Olympic Stadium in the distance in the night sky glowing in purple.

Day 2: Saturday, July 14

Spectacular view atop Mount Royal

I hadn’t been to Montreal in a decade and I didn’t know the city very well, so what better way to see it than hiking to the top of Mount Royal?

Mount Royal Park was beautiful. If you ever go to Montreal, it’s a must-see place. It’s in downtown Montreal right near McGill University. Now, I’m someone who considers myself in pretty good shape. I can climb the stairs in the CN Tower barely breaking a sweat. But it was such a hot day in Montreal that I was drenched in sweat by the time I made it to the top. (If you’re hiking in the summertime, it’s probably a good idea to wear your gym clothes.)

It took me about 30 minutes to make it to the top (you can drive up if you’re not in the mood for hiking), but it was well worth  the journey there. Mount Royal gave me a nice panoramic view of Montreal. I could see everything from Old Montreal to Olympic Stadium and in between. Simply put, the view was breathtaking!

After exploring  Mount Royal Park for a couple hours, I headed to the Old Port of Montreal. I walked along a nice pedestrian promenade and took in the sights of the St. Lawrence River.

I finished off my day by exploring Old Montreal. Old Montreal is home to some of the best restaurants and bistros the city has to offer. If you don’t plan to stop for a bite to eat, it’s still a fun place to walk around. You literally feel like you’ve gone back in time in a city in Europe. There’s no place quite like it in Canada (maybe except the next place I was going to, Quebec City).

Day 3: Sunday, July 15

Old Montreal

I started off my final day in Montreal by visiting the Montreal Botanical Garden. The Montreal Botanical Garden is a large botanical garden comprising 75 hectares of thematic gardens and greenhouses. If you’re someone who’s into the outdoors, it’s well worth a visit. Just a word of warning: a lot of the gardens are in the sun, so if you don’t enjoy the summer heat, it’s probably a good idea to go in the morning.

I wanted to go to the Montreal Biodôme and up the Montréal Tower Observatory, but unfortunately they were both closed, so I went to the Pointe-à-Callière Museum instead. Now I’m somewhat of a history buff. Whenever I visit a new place, I like to learn about its history. When I arrived in Montreal, I asked Dan the best place to visit to learn about the history of Montreal and he recommended Pointe-à-Callière Museum and it didn’t disappoint.

Situated in Old Montreal, Pointe-à-Callière  is a museum of archaeology and history. I had a lot of fun in museum learning about how the city of Montreal came to be. I walked underground in the old sewer systems. This is easily one of the favourite museums, right up with the Museum of Civil Rights in Winnipeg, so be sure to visit it next time you’re in Montreal.

In the later afternoon I visited the Biosphère at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The Biosphère is a unique and spectacular site. It’s a quick subway ride from downtown Montreal, so there’s no good excuse not to visit it. It’s a great place to walk around and go for a picnic.

France just happened to win the World Cup while I was in Montreal, so everyone was celebrating and singing France’s national anthem. People were celebrating so much that they were literally rocking the subway cars (no joke).

I took the subway back to Dan’s place and bid adieu to Montreal as I packed my bags for my next travel adventure in Quebec City.

Day 4: Monday, July 16 (Quebec City)

le Château Frontenac in Old Quebec

Originally I was only going to spend the weekend in Montreal and then head home, but when I found out I could take the whole week off, I decided to tack on a trip to see Quebec City, too. I figured I might as well. It’s less than three hours to drive there from Montreal anyway.

I ended up taking the bus from Montreal to Quebec City. The bus ride from there was a lot more pleasant than the one from Toronto to Montreal. The wi-fi actually worked and there were trays for you to work off of (a lot better than sitting your laptop on your lap and straining your neck).

Quebec City is a pretty affordable place to stay. I only paid $31 per night at my Airbnb. It was a quick 20 minute walk from Old Quebec. After checking into my place, I headed straight to Old Quebec.

I hadn’t been to Old Quebec in almost 15 years, so I didn’t know what to expect. When I got there, Old Quebec was just like I remembered it. Similar to Old Montreal, you feel like you’ve gone back in time to a European city.

I spent the afternoon and evening exploring Quebec City. After enjoying a street performance and admiring le Château Frontenac, I walked along the boardwalk overlooking the St. Lawrence River and watched the sunset to cap off my first day.

Day 5: Tuesday, July 17

The Lower Town

I started my day by visiting the the Musée de la civilisation à Québec. It’s the most popular in Quebec City for good reason. Situated near the St. Lawrence River, you’ll learn about the rich history of Quebec City. Find out how Jacque Cartier discovered Quebec in 1534 and how modern day Quebec City came to be. Are you 30 years old or under? Be sure to mention that when you’re buying your ticket to get in for even less.

The museum is a lot of fun. I pretty much got lost in it for the day. I paid a little extra to see the London exhibit and got my money’s worth. It was interesting learning about the history of London in French.

Don’t speak French? No worries. Almost everything is in English and French in areas frequented by tourists. Speaking of which, everyone I spoke to in Montreal and Quebec City knew how to speak at least some English. (Most were fully fluent in English and French.) However, to practice my French, I would speak in French, but I guess they could tell from my accent that I wasn’t “francophone,” so they would respond in English. When that happened I would politely say I was trying to practice my French and they were totally understanding and continued the conversation in French. A couple ladies even mentioned that my French skills were decent. Pretty good for someone who hadn’t been to Quebec City in 15 years. (It looks like taking French immersion in high school paid off.)

In the afternoon and evening, I explored the Lower Town (Basse-Ville). I can’t really explain it, but I think like the Lower Town slightly more than Old Quebec, although both are great places to visit. It’s almost like you hopped in a DeLorean and went back in time.

After riding the Funiculaire to Old Quebec, I finished the day by visiting the Plains of Abraham. Not only does this place to go hiking, it hosts various concerts and events during the year.

Day 6: Wednesday, July 18

Montmorency Falls

I spent the last two days exploring Old Quebec, so I thought I’d try something a little different. It was a sunny day, so I hopped on the bus and went to Montmorency Falls. Montmorency Falls is a bit of a hidden gem. If you’re in Quebec City be sure to go. It’s well worth the visit. Montmorency Falls is pretty easy to get you. You can take the highway there or hop on the 800 bus from downtown Quebec. The bus dropped me off conveniently on Ave Royale at the entrance of Montmorency Falls Park.

Montmorency Falls is the only waterfalls besides Niagara Falls I’ve ever been to. Although Montmorency and Niagara Falls are both waterfalls, they’re both quite unique. Niagara Falls is a lot more “touristy.” You won’t find a ton of attractions and stores near Montmorency Falls. For that reason, I enjoyed Montmorency Falls a lot more. It feels like you’re out in nature. (Fun fact: Montmorency Falls is actually higher than Niagara Falls.)

You can pretty much spend the entire day at Montmorency Falls. There’s a suspension bridge you can walk across, perfect for snapping photos. For any guys out there reading this, if you’re looking to propose to your girlfriend, this is the perfect place. One guy actually did that when I was there. He asked his girlfriend to marry him in logs at the bottom of the falls. How romantic! (Hopefully she said yes.)

If that’s not exciting enough, you can go zip lining or rock climbing across the falls. I went zip lining and it was a lot of fun. It’s half the price of zip lining in Niagara Falls and twice as fun since you’re actually zip lining across the falls (unlike Niagara Falls where you’re zip lining across the service road – boring!).

Eventually, I made my way to the bottom of the falls on the wood stairs and cooled off in the mist.

Day 7: Thursday, July 19

Breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence River

On my last full day in Quebec City I visited the Musée du Fort. Situated across from le Château Frontenac, learn about the historic Battle of the Plains of Abraham at the Musée du Fort when the British defeated the French in dramatic fashion to conquer Quebec City. Take in a 30-minute sound and light show and revisit the six military sieges that shaped the city’s history forever.

After taking one last stroll through Old Quebec, I visited the Observatoire de la Capitale. The Observatoire de la Capitale promises “the best view of Québec City” and boy, does it deliver! Take in the best view in the city from Quebec’s tallest skyscraper. Learn plenty of fun facts while you’re there, too.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed my trip to Montreal and Quebec City. I can’t believe I hadn’t been back to Montreal in 10 years. I won’t let that happen again. Whether it’s the summertime or wintertime, there’s so much to see and do there. Quebec City, too.

If you’re looking to experience something different, be sure to visit the province of Quebec. With its distinct culture and history, it really does feel like a “nation within Canada.” I’m so happy and proud that it’s a part of our country known as Canada.

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians, available now on Amazon and at Chapters, Indigo and major bookstores, and as an Audiobook on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.