Today is all about exploring Old Montreal!! It is so incredibly beautiful and it’s like stepping back in time. The forecast is calling for rain and thunderstorms so I really hope the weather holds up. If not, I’ve got an umbrella for emergencies.
We slept in a bit this morning due to being pretty intoxicated at the concert last night. I felt much better than I should have this morning for which I’m thankful! We got some iced coffees then headed to the Metro to take the subway to Old Montreal. It was already SO humid at around 1030 am so we were in for a hot one.
Our first stop was the Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral. We just looked at the outside for now because tonight we have tickets to the light show inside!! It gave me Paris vibes and I was so happy! The bells were ringing as we walked up to it.
As we were walking through the Place d’Armes, we saw these cute little bike tours and asked about it. Only $45 for a 45 minute tour around Old Montreal…sold! We had a great tour guide from Budapest who explained SO much history and facts about each place. He gave us so many more ideas of things to do in the area.
Inside this one building, we got to see and touch a piece of the Berlin Wall!!! It was a gift to Montreal for their 350th anniversary. I was so excited to see this piece of history.
We continued on and saw some more beautiful buildings. It was raining a bit but we were underneath the canopy of the bike the whole time.
So much fun!!!!!!!! It was well worth the money in my opinion because we did so much that I never found while doing research for the trip. We continued to walk around Old Montreal and headed towards the Old Port down by the waterfront.
We had lunch at Terrasse Nelligan and then headed to an observatory tower for a great view of the Old Port.
It was SO hot!! But the breeze off the river was lovely. There is so much to see here. Last time I was here in the winter time, I had no idea there was so much to do! We wandered around and found a beautiful church with an organist playing.
So many beautiful buildings and architecture!! Our feet were very sore from all the walking so we headed to Chinatown for some dumplings then took the subway back to our Airbnb for a little rest and to shower. We still haven’t been rained on!!
Once we were ready, we headed back out to the heat and made our way back to the Notre Dame Basilica. The light show is one of the most highly recommended attractions to me from people who have given me recommendations for Montreal.
The show, called Aura, was very impressive. It costs $25 to enjoy. I was really into the music and how the lights were timed so perfectly to it, but I do think $25 is a bit much for the show. I would still highly recommend you book tickets to this if you come to Montreal.
We watched the sun set behind the buildings surrounding us then wandered around Old Montreal until we reached the door to a speakeasy we had heard about. It’s called The Coldroom and it’s a hidden door right on one of the main streets. You ring a doorbell and wait for someone to come open it. Then you climb down these sketchy stairs and voila! A small dark low-ceiling room with a gorgeous bar and mixologists shaking and stirring away! We had the BEST charcuterie board and cocktails. Here’s what the entrance looks like.
I’m obsessed with Old Montreal and all the history and architecture everywhere. They have decorated it so well. Some streets make me think I’m back in Paris.
We made one last stop for the night. We went way out of the way for what is apparently the best poutine in Montreal. La Banquise is open 24 hours and they are famous for their poutine. If you don’t know what poutine is, it’s french fries with cheese curds and gravy on top. It’s delicious! The Banquise poutine was amazing and I think it’s because of the squeaky cheese curds.
What. A. Day.
We took an Uber back to our Airbnb because our feet are broken. As we were heading home, it started to rain. We can’t believe how lucky we were with weather today minus the extreme humidity.
Tomorrow we are going to hike a bit then relax at a spa on a boat so hopefully our feet hold up a little longer!
Thanks for reading!
Xoxo
Hales
The Tales Of Hales 