Have a three or four day weekend coming up? You might want to consider a Montreal weekend getaway. The food is fantastic, the Jazz Festival is incredible and you can explore nature, city and awesome culture close to NYC. I couldn’t say any of this without the help of Journy, a travel company that helped us plan our weekend to the max!
Journy created an itinerary for each day we were in Montreal, packed with lots of adventures. We couldn’t do them all–but we were able to drink really great coffee and eat at some of the hardest restaurants to get into (they’ve got the hookup). When traveling I often suffer from FOMO and Journy helped ease my “I want to do it all” anxiety.
By the end of our trip we couldn’t do it all–but we did a lot. We saw/heard great jazz, hiked Mont Royal park, explored the old port and ended our trip at the Scandinavian spa. It was one of our best getaways ever–and I can’t wait to go back!
A few highlights from our Montreal weekend getaway:
Seriously, our meal here was the best meal I’ve ever had. We started off with escargot (a total must), sea urchin and pork croquettes (so porky!). We then decided on the ribs for our entree, served with a large green salad and spicy, salty fries. I’d skip the dessert, I found the pavlova too sweet as well as their special cake (also a bit dry). But the service was top notch and the food–seriously outstanding. We sat in the back garden area, under heat lamps, and it was beautiful and cozy. I can’t wait to go back.
I didn’t think I’d be impressed by Montreal style bagels. Being a New Yorker, we kind of think we do bagels the best. But now I think Montreal does them better. They are smaller, more dense and have a greater crust to middle ratio. And these babies are worth the trip–especially with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
After a night of jazz we were hungry for a late night meal. We stopped by L’Express at 2am and enjoyed a beautiful fish soup and steak frites. Our basket of bread with sweet cream butter was refilled every 3 minutes and we were brought an enormous jar of cornichons, just for our table. The food was good–the experience was great–and the dessert was EXTRAORDINARY. I’ve never had an Il Flotante and I will ever have it anywhere else. This stop is a MUST, MUST, MUST!
One of the oldest public markets in Montreal, Jean-Talon had everything to offer. Beautiful produce, flowers, maple syrup–and awesome food stalls. After exploring the market we ate Prince Edward Island oysters in the open air market. Altogether, it was a dream market. If I lived in Montreal, I’d be there every day.
A full body massage and a few hours at the spa was the best way to end our Montreal weekend getaway. I had never done hot/cold pools before (sauna for 10 minutes, cold shower. hot tub for 10 minutes, plunge in cold pool) and after the three hours spent soaking and lying around in plush bathrobes, I felt like I had expelled every porky toxin from my body. When we left I was ready for another bagel.
