Matthew Barber - Frommers EasyGuide to Montreal and Quebec City

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ISBN 978-1-62887-190-6 (paper), 978-1-62887-191-3 (e-book)

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Frommer's Star Ratings System

Every hotel, restaurant and attraction listed in this guide has been ranked for quality and value. Here's what the stars mean:

Recommended

Highly Recommended

A must! Don't miss!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about, these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Leslie Brokaw has co-authored a dozen Frommers guides since 2006. She teaches at Emerson College and is an editor at MIT Sloan Management Review. She has a newfound appreciation for what it takes to explore Montral with an infant and a stroller.

Erin Trahan writes about movies and travel from her home north of Boston and teaches at Montserrat College of Art. She edits The Independent, an online film magazine, and posts other writing at www.erintrahan.com. This is her fifth Frommers guide to Qubec.

Matthew Barber is a freelance writer who has contributed to three previous Frommers guides. He is a correspondent for the food section of the Boston Globe. He lives in Boston with his wife, Leslie Brokaw, and their son and dog.

ABOUT THE FROMMER TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24 percent of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Although we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Although we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com .

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

The best of Montral & Qubec City

I f the province of Qubec had a tagline, it could be: Any excuse for a party. An enormous joie de vivre pervades the way that Montral and Qubec City go about their business. The calendars of both cities are packed with festivals and events that bring out locals and guests from around the world year-round.

Montral is planning big celebrations in 2017 for its 375th birthday ( www.375mtl.com ), but even as it highlights its rich history, its still a modern city focused on the present, with pizzazz at every turn. The citys creative inhabitants provide zest to the ever-changing neighborhoods of Plateau Mont-Royal, Mile End, and Quartier des Spectacles, which have arts venues, boutiques, cafes, and miles of restaurantsmany of which are unabashedly clever and stylish. Vieux-Montral (Old Montral) is the beautifully preserved historic district, and downtown features skyscrapers that come in unexpected shapes and non-corporate colors. A subway system (the Mtro) is swift and dependable.

Qubec City is more traditional and more French, although it is fast replacing its former conservatism with sophistication and playfulness. With an impressive location above the St. Lawrence River and carefully tended 18th- and 19th-century houses in its historic quartier, this city is almost impossibly romanticand unlike any other in North America.

Montrals best Authentic Experiences

Enjoy an Afternoon or Evening of Jazz: In downtown, Quartier des Spectacles, Vieux-Montral, and the Plateau, jazz is a favorite musical form for locals and visitorsespecially in June and July, during the renowned Festival International de Jazz. See p. .

Savor Gourmet Meals at Affordable Prices: Experience all of French cuisines interpretationstraditional, haute, bistro, Qubcoisthe way the locals do: by ordering the table dhte .

Explore Vieux-Montral: The citys oldest quarter has an overwhelmingly European flavor. Place Jacques-Cartier is the central outdoor square, and in every direction from there youll find museums, bistros, and art galleries worth savoring. A revitalized waterfront just adjacent also inspires strolling or biking. A walking tour of the neighborhood is on p. .