Montreal, Quebec, Canada trip: 3 Family Days in Montreal | TripWiser: Social Trip Planner for Family Trips and Road Trips

Keep it fun for the kids! Let them pick out a restaurant for breakfast or lunch & the parents can choose the dinner places.

Day 1 A tour of downtown Montreal would not be complete without a visit to trendy, multi-ethnic St-Laurent Boulevard, with its hopping bars and restaurants, and eclectic shopping. St-Denis Street, one major thoroughfare to the east, is the home of the city's Francophone upper crust and is equally essential on any itinerary. Originally a residential street, it is now home to fashionable and sometimes monumentally expensive boutiques, bistros and shops. The Plateau Mont-Royal is Montreal's most quintessential neighbourhood, comprising of St-Laurent and St-Denis, quiet residential streets, beautiful green-spaces (notably Parc Lafontaine, Mont-Royal Park and St-Louis Square), charming BYOB bistros and an overwhelming sense of civility and grace. Tourists are thin on the ground here, but one can hardly claim to have experienced Montreal without spending a day wandering through the real heart of this unique city.
Day 2 To get an idea of life in New France during the 18th and 19th centuries, a walking tour of Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal) is a must. The nearby Bonsecours Market (Marché Bonsecours), built in 1847, is a testament to Montreal's influence in British North America. The building, comprising of a Greek Revival portico, a tin-plated dome and cast-iron columns imported from England, is a good example of that era's neoclassical style. Today it houses boutiques and exhibits. A few blocks to the west lies Place Jacques Cartier, named after the French explorer who discovered the island of Montreal in 1535. The square is the central part of Old Montreal; City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) and the Château Ramezay Museum on Notre-Dame Street are situated just to the north, while de la Commune Street and the Old Port of Montreal are a block south. The square is especially enjoyable in summer, with street musicians, jugglers, artists and cafés lining both sides. Calèche drivers beckon strollers to hop on their carriages for a romantic guided tour of the old city. Moving west along tiny St-Amable Street, which is filled with shops and artists, you will find the Pointe-à-Callière museum of archaeology and history. It protects and displays the remains of the city as far back as when the first buildings were erected by French settlers in 1642. The old Customs House, now part of the museum, was designed by British architect John Ostell, who was also responsible for the Old Courthouse. At the north-western edge of Old Montreal you will find the World Trade Centre (Centre de Commerce Mondial), which integrates a number of old buildings through the use of a spectacular atrium that stands several stories high over the former Rue des Fortifications; it's well worth a stroll. St-Jacques Street, one street south, features several buildings with stately architecture and lavish interiors: the Bank of Montreal, opened at the corner of St-Jacques Street and Jeanne-Mance Avenue in 1847, is a notable example. Directly across from the bank is Notre-Dame Basilica, a Gothic Revival church built in 1829 and modelled after Notre-Dame in Paris. It's one of the most popular attractions in Montreal, welcoming over one million visitors a year.
Day 3 Verdun is only about 10 minutes away. Aside from musicians from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, the US and Canada, the festival features traditional crafts, demonstrations of blacksmithing, quilting and weaving, beer tasting, and workshops in Gaelic, step dancing and traditional instruments. Puppet shows, magicians and a miniature farm entertain the kids. Admission is CAD10 for adults; it's free for children under 12 and parking is CAD3.

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