Things to do in Québec
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Stash Café
Hearty Polish cuisine is served up with good humor in a dining room with seats made of church pews and daringly low red lights illuminating the tables. Staff range from warm and gregarious to completely stand-offish, but the food is consistent, with quality fare like pierogy (dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese, with sour cream) and potato pancakes with apple sauce. An enthusiastic pianist hammers away from time to time.
reviewed
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Paillard Café-Boulangerie
This bright and buzzy space has high ceilings, huge windows looking onto the street and a long wooden table down the middle where diners tuck into tasty gourmet sandwiches (ham with green apples and brie; hot roast beef sandwiches with blue cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish), satisfying soups and fresh salads. The attached bakery with its displays of sweet temptation is too hard to resist. It’s a bit of a madhouse at lunchtime.
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Café Santropol
This is an iconic Montréal eatery known for its towering and creative sandwiches, its colorful digs, and lush outdoor garden patio. Its creations range from the sweet root (carrots, raisins, coriander, nuts, mayo and fresh apple) to pepper island with ham (which comes with jalapeño pepper jelly, pesto and cream cheese spread).
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St-Viateur Bagel & Café
A splendid café that serves its signature bagels, grilled or nature, with soup or salad. There are about a dozen sandwiches but most popular are the traditional smoked lox with cream cheese, and roast beef with Swiss cheese and tomato. You can also find breakfast bagels with eggs and ham.
reviewed
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Jardin Botanique
Montréal’s Jardin Botanique is the third-largest in the world, after London’s Kew Gardens and Berlin’s Botanischer Garten. Since its 1931 opening, the 75-hectare garden has grown to include tens of thousands of species in 30 thematic gardens, and its wealth of flowering plants is carefully managed to bloom in stages. The rose beds in particular are a sight in summer. Climate-controlled greenhouses house cacti, banana trees and 700 species of orchid. Bird-watchers should bring their binoculars. A popular draw is the landscaped Japanese Garden with traditional pavilions, tearoom and art gallery; the bonsai ‘forest’ is the largest outside Asia. The twinning of Montréa…
reviewed
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Artillery Park
The French chose this location for their army barracks because of its strategic view of the plateau west of the city and the St Charles River, both of which could feed enemy soldiers into Québec City. English soldiers moved in after the British conquest of New France. The English soldiers left in 1871 and it was changed into an ammunition factory for the Canadian army. The factory operated until 1964 and thousands of Canadians worked there during the World Wars. Now you can visit the Officers’ Quarters and the Dauphine Redoubt where guides greet you in character (ie the garrison’s cook) and give you the scoop on life in the barracks. There’s also a huge model of Québec…
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Le Hobbit
This popular and inviting bistro on Rue St-Jean has outdoor seating, a casual atmosphere and good-value lunch and dinner specials (check out the chalkboard). The classics are all nicely done, including French onion soup, juicy duck confit and steak frites – plus Québécois specialties like elk with sautéed apples and leeks. There’s a small but fairly priced wine list. Various fresh pasta dishes and salads round out the menu.
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La Louisiane
Montréal meets the Deep South in this casual Cajun eatery, with amazing results. The menu bears the hearty, delicious flavors of jambalaya, shrimp Creole or chicken étoufée, all armed with mysterious peppers and spices. The rich ‘voodoo pasta’ has spicy Cajun sausage and tomatoes in white wine and cream. While you’re here, be sure to check out paintings of street scenes by New Orleans native James Michelopoulos.
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La Paryse
Often credited with the thickest, juiciest burgers and best fries in town, this smart little retro diner offers an excellent variety of toppings and thick, rich milkshakes. This place is an integral part of the neighborhood and when owner Madame Paryse recently celebrated 25 years in business, employees and customers alike sent her a flood of congratulatory emails.
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La Maison Kam Fung
This is generally considered the best place in town for dim sum, and is especially popular for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Waiters circle the tables with carts of dim sum ($4 to $6 each) – you pick and choose from tender dumplings, spare ribs, mushrooms, spicy shrimp and much more. The entrance is hidden in the rear of a shopping passage up an escalator.
reviewed
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Schwartz’s
Known far and wide, this old-time Hebrew deli is widely considered to serve the best smoked meat in Montréal whether it’s brisket, duck, chicken or turkey, all piled high on sourdough rye bread. The Romanian-style meat is cured on the premises and aged without chemicals. You can order it fat, medium (recommended) or lean. Expect long lines.
reviewed
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Café Fruits Folie
This agreeable café has a long list of crepes, bagels, burgers and sandwiches, plus good vegetarian choices. The front terrace (one of many in this neighborhood) has a great view of the happenings on Rue St-Denis, and people love to linger here over breakfast while watching the world go by.
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Le St-Sulpice
This student evergreen is spread over four levels in an old Victorian stone house – a café, several terraces, disco and a sprawling back garden for drinks ‘n’ chats. The music changes with the DJ’s mood, from hip-hop and ambient to mainstream rock and jazz. It use recyclable glasses and also sells alcohol-free beer.
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Casse-Crêpe Breton
Tiny and unassuming, this perennial favorite specializes in hot, fresh crepes of every kind starting as low as $4. Some diners like to sit at the counter and watch the chef at work.
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Biodôme
At this captivating, kid-friendly exhibit you can amble through a rainforest, the Arctic Circle, rolling woodlands or along the raw Atlantic oceanfront – all without ever leaving the building. Be sure to dress in layers for the temperature swings. The four ecosystems house many thousands of animal and plant species; follow the self-guided circuit and you will see everything. Penguins frolic in the pools a few feet away from groups of goggle-eyed children; the tropical chamber is a cross-section of Amazonia with mischievous little monkeys teasing alligators in the murky waters below. The Gulf of St Lawrence has an underwater observatory where you can watch cod feeding alon…
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Morgan Arboretum
This arboretum holds the country’s largest grouping of native trees: fragrant junipers, cedars and yews but also exotic species like ginkgo, cork and yellowwood. There’s a wonderful trail map and the area is perfect for a long hike in the woods, strolling through magnolia blossoms or having a family picnic. Spring and fall offer the best colors. The grounds of the arboretum serve as an educational facility for McGill’s MacDonald agricultural school. There are several species of wildlife and reptile, and it’s also a stop for 170 species of wintering or migratory birds, making it a thrill for bird-watchers. In winter, this is a beautiful location for cross-country skiing. L…
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Parc des Rapides
This space on the St Lawrence is the spot to view the Lachine Rapids (and the jet boats that ride them). The park attracts hikers, anglers and cyclists who pedal the riverside trail, and it’s a renowned bird sanctuary –located on a small peninsula, with what’s said to be Québec’s largest heron colony. The 30-hectare sanctuary is an important site for migratory birds, with some 225 species passing through each year. Some information displays relate the history of the rapids and of the old hydroelectric plant on the grounds. You can rent kayaks and sign up for classes where you’ll learn to surf or kayak the Lachine Rapids – scaredy-cats need not apply. Kayak Sa…
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Centre Canadien d’Architecture
A must for architecture fans, this center is equal parts museum and research institute. The building incorporates the Shaughnessy House, a 19th-century grey limestone treasure. Highlights in this section include the conservatory and an ornate sitting room with intricate woodwork and a massive stone fireplace. There’s also a busy, well-stocked bookstore. The exhibition galleries focus on remarkable architectural works of both local and international scope, with a particular focus on urban design. The CCA’s sculpture garden is located on a grassy lot overlooking south Montréal, but separated from the main grounds by busy Blvd René-Lévesque.
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Beaver Club
The original Beaver Club was formed in 1785 by a group of Montréal fur barons, and to join you had to have wintered in the Northwest Territories. Membership is still elite – ask to see the pic of Bill Gates in trapper’s furs – but anyone with the right currency can reserve in the impeccably serviced, old-fashioned dining room to enjoy a cross-section of Canadian luxury edibles. The menu découverte is a multicourse meal highlighting Québec produce like Îles de la Madeleine scallops, Marieville foie gras and Île d’Orléans raspberries. Reservations and proper attire are essential (no jeans; a jacket for men).
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L’Échaudé
This classic little bistro has a refreshingly relaxed and nonstuffy waitstaff. All the classics are on offer – including duck confit, steak frites (steak with French fries), fresh fish of the day and braised lamb shank –along with more daring options like Cornish hen with braised shrimp, and pan-fried foie gras with grilled mushrooms. All come beautifully plated to the table and bursting with flavor, which is why L’Échaudé is one of the rare places in the Old Town where locals regularly outnumber tourists. The terrific wine list favors bottles from France.
reviewed
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Musée du Fort
Not really a museum at all, the Musée du Fort houses a 30-minute multimedia show on the many attempts over the centuries to take Québec City. It’s all played out on a model/diorama that lights up in the middle of a minitheater. The breathless narration and anemic smoke-puffs that pass for special effects are a bit hokey but it does give a quick, enjoyable, easy-to-grasp audiovisual survey of the city’s battles and history, making a good introduction to it. English-language shows are held on the hour (French-language versions on the half-hour).
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Westmount Park & Library
The lovely Westmount Park encompasses pathways, streams and concealed nooks that recall the whimsical nature of English public gardens. At the western boundary the Westmount Public Library stands stolid, with its Romanesque brickwork, leaded glass and delightful bas-reliefs dedicated to wisdom. Two fine buildings are attached: the Westmount Conservatory (a Victorian greenhouse) and the Victoria Jubilee Hall, fronted by a beautiful floral clock. Both can be visited during business hours.
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Lémeac
A well-respected name among the well-heeled Laurier crowd, Lémeac has a light and airy setting with huge windows overlooking the street, a lively ambience and beautifully turned-out plates. Culinary standouts include salad of smoked salmon (made on-site), lobster ravioli, Angus beef filet mignon, duck leg confit and the veal liver with caramelized onions. It’s a popular brunch spot on weekends, and at night –the after-10pm three-course prix-fixe menu is an excellent value at $22.
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Montréal Canadiens
The Canadiens of the National Hockey League have won the Stanley Cup 24 times. Although the team has struggled in recent years, Montrealers have a soft spot for the ‘Habs’ and matches at the Bell Centre sell out routinely. Scalpers hang around the entrance on game days, and you might snag a half-price ticket after the puck drops. Bring your binoculars for the rafter seats. The center also hosts big-name concerts, boxing matches, Disney on Ice and visits by the Dalai Lama.
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La Ronde Amusement Park
Québec’s largest amusement park, La Ronde has a battery of impressive rides, including Le Monstre, the world’s highest wooden roller coaster; and Le Vampire, a corkscrew roller coaster with gut-wrenching turns. For a more peaceful experience, there’s a Ferris wheel and a gentle minirail that offers views of the river and city. Concerts and shows are held throughout the summer, and fireworks explode overhead on weekend evenings (when the park stays open later).
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