French-Canadian Montréal, just 330 miles north of New York City, is an increasingly exciting place to be, whether it’s live music, cultural festivals, contemporary art, boutique shopping, or incredible food and drink you’re after. We are predisposed to favor the latter, naturally, and Canada’s second-largest city, with its ethnic diversity and rich (if tumultuous) Franco- and Anglophone history, does not disappoint. Start by exploring the most regional of Québécois foods—the meat pies, the pork spreads, the beans in lard—and you’ll begin to notice a theme: This is a meat-centric city. Given the area’s bitterly cold winters and early-European-pioneer lineage of hunters, trappers, fur traders, and farmers, it’s no wonder these foods became (and remain) associated with breakfast, the time of day to stock up on hearty, high-fat protein. The people’s excuse for eating these dishes today? History, tradition, nostalgia—plus the food’s damn good. Thankfully, many of the old dishes have survived even in cosmopolitan Montréal, right alongside more celebrated French favorites and those beloved, comparatively newer classics (smoked meat, bagels) introduced by European Jewish immigrants.
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Montreal Food + Travel Guide
Essential Dishes
What to Eat in Montreal
Activity Tips
How to Burn It Off in Montreal
BIKE
In the warmer months (April to November), the hands-down best way to get around Montréal—between meals and beyond—is on bike. Launched in 2009, the city’s Bixi bike-sharing program is, in our experience, one of the more successful ones out there (cash-flow problems notwithstanding), with docking stations aplenty, comfortable bikes, and its end goal achieved: providing an efficient, inexpensive way for both residents and visitors to get around the city. While the former might be more interested in a 30-day or one-year membership, visitors can choose from 24- ($7) or 72-hour ($15) access; within that time period you’ll pay a varying fee if you borrow your bike for 31 minutes or longer ($1.75 for 31-60 min, $3.50 for 61-90 min, etc.). Smart travelers, however, will time their rides to be 30 minutes or less, for which there’s no additional fee. Our best advice: Arm yourself with a good map and approach the pay station with a plan of action for the best way to get to where you’re going in 30 minutes or less, noting where the nearest docking station is. Also, use caution, particularly on the streets of downtown—helmets are not required, and many main roads do not have bike lanes.
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Where to Stay in Montreal
The 28 stylish, in-demand rooms at Le Petit Hôtel (168, rue St.-Paul Ouest, map) are modern and hip, all hardwood floors, plasma TVs, and minimalist accents, and the Old Montréal location puts you within easy walking distance of many sights. Small rooms with queen-size beds start at $159; loft-like extra-large rooms at $219 (all prices include a nice but basic breakfast and wi-fi).
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