8-12 of Sept 2016 (Yeah really quick trip but able to have 4 full days  :) )

The best time to visit Montreal are from March to May and from September to November, when the weather is milder.

To meet a canadian friend who lives in Toronto, he also wants to do some travelling!!!

So exicited to finally visit Canada.

• Je me souviens: documentary film about antisemitism and pro-Nazi sympathies in Quebec during the 1930s through post World War II.  The film was inspired by The Traitor and the Jew  , a history of Quebec from 1929-1939, showing the links among antisemitism, nationalism and fascism among Quebec Catholic intellectuals.

1. It  is home to the world famous Cirque du Soleil.
2. Montreal has the highest number of restaurants per capita in Canada and the second highest in North America after New York City.
3. Montreal has a flag with five symbols. The cross represents Christian principles. The fleur-de-lis is for the French, the shamrock for the Irish, the thistle for the Scottish and the Lancastrian rose for the English.
4. Since 1978, the Quebec licence plate has featured the phrase "Je me souviens" ( I remenber) and  is a reference to heritage and not forgetting one's root.

Montreal: the second-largest city in Canada, and a multilingual hotbed of culture and the arts. With just 4 days in it I think I have a good idea of it, unfortunatly I was not at the same time of any of the many Festival that Montreal has, maybe next time...

That’s probably the best place to start off your journey, this park close to plateau and mile-end it’s a beautiful walk and the Belvedere observatory offers amazing views of downtown Montreal and the mountains over on the south bank.  A wonderful refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city just in a walking distance. 

Coming down from Mont Royal to down town we pass through Westmount one of the most expensive neiborghood in Canada, is the predominantly English area mostly reisidential with a lot of nice ( and for sure expensive) houses, many of the them on rent at the moment I was there (Sept 2016)

One of the first things that I do when I decide a destination is look for pictures of the place.

the pictures of the basilica easily took my attention, I not really interesting in visiting churches (probably because I already have seen tons) but this one… was really beautiful.

The price for the entry is completely worth it, I went on the afternoon and it was crowded, but still amazing, the best part, there were someone playing the organ, but not the typical religious songs, in the 40-45 min that I was inside I heard, superman, rocky, star wars, sound of music, Edelweiss (that I remember)

Montreal is full of Murals all around the city, the most visible can be found at 3527-3545 Saint Laurent.

This is the walking tour that I did:

Start:  St-Laurent Boulevard and Pine Street

Walk north on St-Laurent Boulevard and turn right on Napoléon street (the landmark is the Coco Rico restaurant: A great place to have Portuguese BBQ chicken).  Stand at the corner of Napoléon and Saint Dominique and take a 360 view of the area at one of the richest corners of street art in Montreal.  Continue your tour by walking west on Napoléon and turn left onto Coloniale until you reach Duluth Street East.  Turn right on Duluth street to continue your walking tour.  In this narrow cobblestone street you’ll discover how street art has added character to some of the establishments on the street.  When you reach l’Hôtel de Ville street turn right and start heading back to St-Laurent and Pine.  When you reach Roy Street east turn right through the final leg of your tour until you reach St-Laurent Boulevard.

End:   St-Laurent Boulevard and Roy Street

I found this tour on AMBIANCE MONTRÉAL

Beautiful neighbourhood favourite for many locals. With twirling staircases, the hip coffee shops, and the colourful facades. You can spend hours walking around this lovely and colourful  area with nice architecture or browsing the local shop or just sitting at one ot he many cafes including some people watching.

This is a really photogenic area  in every corner but if you don’t have a lot of time, walk the Rue Drolet l between Avenue du Mont-Royal and Square Saint-Louis.

The artsiest district in Montreal part of trendy Plateau Mont-Royal but infinitely more authentic, this effervescent district covers just about 10 blocks but is incidentally home to Canada’s largest concentration of artists, in addition to some of Montreal’s most acclaimed restaurants, and also the 2 most famous bagel shops.

I found Montreal a lovely place to spend 3-4 days, if you are tired to in the city you can take a bike an go to the park Jean- Drapeau

an enormous public park that spans across two manmade islands. With more than 25 kilometers  of trails and roads. One of the park’s outstanding features is the Montreal Biosphere, a museum built for the Expo 67 World’s Fair. 

There are 3 really tipical things that you have to eat if you go to montreal, locals are really proud of them and find then really tasty.

Here my opinion of the tree of them:

the smoked beef sandwich it was ok,  but for me just a sandwich really nothing special. I eat it in the famous Schwartz’s (3895 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2W 1Y2, Canada), the service was fast but the local was not fancy ok. 

http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

Montreal's  favorite comfort food made with French friesand cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy. Every one find it delicius me on the other hand... well, I could finish mine... the cheese was like plastic and the gravy wasn't good.

I try it in  La Banquise (994 Rue Rachel East)

http://labanquise.com/

 This restaurant is open 24/7 (although much of its clientele visits between 1AM and 5AM, because as far as hangover remedies go,  it seems that poutine tops ’em all)

The Montreal bagel,  is a distinctive variety of handmade and wood-fired baked bagel. In contrast to the New York-style bagel,the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven.

 There are two chains specially famous in Montreal, I just wrote down the original shops:

St-Viateur Bagel Shop (263 Rue Saint Viateur Ouest)

http://www.stviateurbagel.com/

Fairmount Bagel (74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest)

http://fairmountbagel.com/

Both of them are really tasty, bu if have to choose I prefer Fairmount.

•  Lola Rosa: a really nice vegetarian restaurant, I think they have already 3 in the city, I ate in the one close to the univerity and the food was tasty with nice ambience an deco.  http://lolarosa.ca/

• Barfly: If you like live music go to this place,  don't expect fancy drinks or brown-nosing service. It is nothing more than what it appears to be and was packed with locals. They have Sunday bluegrass sesions, great musicians.  (@BarflyMtl on FB)