Montreal Travel Guide

I've always regarded Montreal, and Quebec as a whole, with a sort of curious fascination. What the f*** is that? And frankly, a hesitant disbelief that it even existed in the first place. A region of a British Commonwealth country, located in North America, where their mother tongue is French? The food, a mixture of Eastern European Jewish influence and Native American techniques, and the people a bewildering mix of Arctic hardiness and overwhelming hospitality? My friend, that's Narnia. You're describing Narnia. But, lo and behold, it does exist. And it is, I can say with confidence, a hell of a place. Montreal is served by Pierre Trudeau International Airport, an unattractive but functional hub located about 20 kilometers outside of the city. This isn't a particularly well-connected airport, so your transport options are rather limited. Conveniently, taxis to and from downtown are charged a fixed fee of 40 Canadian dollars. Uber is also a strong bet, and there's a dedicated Uber area at the departures level. A cheaper but slower option is the dedicated airport bus service called, rather aptly, the 747 Express. The fare is $11, and you can buy a ticket from the automated dispensers on the international arrivals level or on the bus itself. But on the bus, you'll need to pay exact change in coins, so maybe spend the extra 60 seconds to buy a ticket from the machine. The Montreal metro system is allegedly based on the Paris metro system, and that's no bad thing. Both are perfectly robust, functional metro systems that will get you to most corners of their respective cities. A single ticket will cost you $3.50, and that is good for unlimited transfers on the metro and buses in the same direction for up to 120 minutes. Also like the Paris metro system, you'll need a ticket to go through the turnstiles into the stations, but not to exit. One last thing to bear in mind, all announcements and most signage on the Montreal metro are in French, so bear that in mind. There are 24 and 72 hour passes available, which give you unlimited travel on metro and buses. Great option if you're going to be doing even more than a couple of trips. They prevent the need for you to fumble around for exact change on the buses, and you don't have to think about that 120 minute time limit on a single ticket. Taxis are abundant in Montreal and easy to hail from the streets. While most taxi drivers will understand addresses in English, it is important to bear in mind that a lot of cabbies won't speak a whole heap of English. Remember, French is the official language of not just Montreal, but all of Quebec. But don't fret. With some patience and politeness, you'll get where you need to go. Oh, and don't forget, in Canada, as in the United States, it is customary to tip a taxi driver approximately 15% or even slightly higher. If you're a little uneasy about all that, I have good news. Uber is available in Montreal, and that removes most of the linguistic awkwardness in the equation. And as a bonus, most Uber journeys are noticeably cheaper than taxis as well, so you got that going for you too. Walking is the best way to get around this wonderful city in the right seasons. During the summer months, on foot is by far the best way to explore Montreal, from the dense boulevards of downtown to the narrow streets of old Montreal. But during the winter, it is a completely different story. Walking is a treacherous adventure. Icy sidewalks can make for some spectacular stumbles. Yes, you will see confident Québécois striding through the tundra without a care in the world, but you will be sliding around like a newly born foal. So be careful. Rather unusually for North America, you could also be arriving or departing in Montreal on a train. From Montreal Central Station, you can travel within Quebec or beyond to the likes of Toronto, Halifax, or even as far afield as Winnipeg and Vancouver, believe it or not. It is a rare treat when an episode is sponsored by a product that I actually already use and would talk about anyway. Seriously, that never happens. Mobile games don't count. As I'm sure you can imagine, I am extremely picky when it comes to my luggage. I travel a lot and I cannot have my carry-on throw up all over itself in the security line at some backwater airport in the Yucatan. But I also do not want my luggage to look like I'm transporting live human organs. Seriously, enough with the bulletproof luggage, people. My weapon of choice is the Carl Friedrich Carry-On Pro. It has this tough polycarbonate exterior shell, which means I can throw it around like I usually do with my luggage. But it's also got these lovely leather accents, which kind of class it up a little bit. And if you give them a little bit more money, they will personalize for you. I've done mine and I would love to hear in the comments what you think the I stands for. It's also got this external hard shell for quick access to things I'll need at the airport. Laptop, passports, that kind of thing. And... hear that? No, you don't. Because those are silent Japanese Hinomoto 360 degree spinner wheels. Silent. If you click on the link below, you'll get 10% off all Carl Friedrich products at carlfriedrich.com. But go quickly because this offer is only good for one week. Montreal is unequivocally a food city. Right up there with the best of them. They claim to have more restaurants per capita than any other city in North America. And Anthony Bourdain himself referred to it as the food capital of the world. That's high praise indeed. It's also one of those cities where if you ask three different people for a recommendation on where to get one of the city's signature dishes, you will get three wildly different but fiercely passionate recommendations. Served alongside an assertion that any contrary recommendation is tantamount to original sin. This is a city full of people who love food, who are knowledgeable about food, and will not accept mediocrity. And that is not a bad thing. And there is really only one way we can start our culinary stomp through Montreal. Poutine. I'm 43 years old and I've never had poutine. I'm 43 years old and I have a YouTube channel. But I've never had good poutine for a reason. And it's a damn good reason at that. For 43 years I have refused to eat poutine unless I was here in Montreal. But I am here. My time has finally come. There's a couple of weird things about poutine. It's very young. It's only first appeared in the 1950s. And when it did, it was roundly derided and sneered at by pretty much everyone who wasn't a Quebecois. How the turntables. Now it is lauded and appreciated and craved and consumed all over the world. Traditionally, the most basic interpretation of poutine, medium cut french fries, cheddar cheese, curds, and gravy. Usually beef or chicken. But the very nature of the dish is just ripe for riffing and interpretation and variation and bastardization. But before you go too off-piste like Greg has, I implore you, I implore you to try the classic. And then go off because it doesn't get better than this. So what do you do after eating your own weight in cheese curd? Well you wash it down with bread of course. Bagels. When you've experienced a good one, having a bad one or even a mediocre one will put you in a terrible mood. Or maybe that's just me, I don't know. But anyway, the good news is Quebec is home to some of the best bagels in the world. Now the Montreal bagel, much like its New York counterpart, was brought to North America by Jewish immigrants. But unlike its New York cousin, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter, and denser. And always cooked in a wood-fired oven. Now the difference in flavor and texture is a reflection of the different areas of Poland where the immigrant bakers learned their trade. But no matter what, when you're in Montreal, you have to start your day or finish your day, this place is open 24 hours, with one of these beautiful, perfect bagels. God, I love bagels. And finally, ignoring the pleas of my cardiologist, a call at a local institution to finish the job. Slash finish me off. Canadians have been smoking meat for centuries. Early French-Canadian settlers picked up the technique from Native Americans as a way of preserving and flavoring meat. In the 1930s, Jewish settlers, or immigrants, brought a technique with them from Eastern Europe. That's the style that you see predominantly in Montreal today. It's beef brisket that's been salted and cured and then left for a week to absorb all of that wonderful flavor. Then it's hot smoked to cook it through, and then finished with a steam right here in the restaurant. The classic way to have it is in a sandwich stacked full of that wonderful brisket. Or if you're feeling particularly saucy, with poutine covered in that wonderful smoked meat. I didn't think you could make poutine better, but they've done it. Oh Canada, both the accolades and reputation are well deserved. And although I might be digesting this meaty, cheesy, carb-y food baby for months, I'll be remembering it for a lot longer. And while it is impossible to convey the breadth, depth, and depravity of Montreal's food offerings in the few minutes we have available to us, these dishes, these noble and glorious dishes, are a great place to start. Canada uses the Canadian dollar, and so will you while you're here. Now if you've been to other Canadian cities, Toronto and Vancouver for example, Montreal will feel noticeably cheaper. And thank God, because those other cities are painfully expensive. And on that note, I guess we better do the rundown. Cup of crispy Canadian coffee will cost you around three dollars. Glass of beautiful Canadian beer will cost you around six dollars. And for the most reliable indicator of a nation's cost, a good old Big Mac, you're going to pay six Canadian dollars, or about four dollars and forty cents US. Much like its cousin to the south, tipping is absolutely a thing in Canada. Not only is it appreciated, but it's expected. The minimum for an acceptable experience in a restaurant is 15%. Not tipping at all is not an option. And remember, it's not included in your bill either. Now you know my stance on this, people, we've been talking about it for a very long time. Don't disappoint me. Montreal is statistically, at least, a very safe city for its size. Even pickpocketing is less of an issue here than it is in other major North American cities. But that does not mean you can stroll around here like Johnny Carefree with your bling everywhere. There are areas of sketch, so you really should take the same precautions you would in any other North American or European city. Do that, and you'll be fine. We rarely talk about language on this show, and perhaps we really should. We certainly should here in Montreal. Not only is French the primary language, officially and unofficially, but if you listen in a bar or a restaurant, it's what you will hear spoken. But don't let that intimidate you, because if you can open with just a few pleasantries from French, whatever you can muster, you will invariably get in return perfect English. Almost everybody here, especially the younger generations, will speak just as good English as you or me, so don't let that intimidate you. But it is the done thing to really try and open the conversation with French. It's respectful, and it's really not that hard to come equipped with just a few words. Bonjour. Like that. I'm still not 100% sure what I expected when I came to Montreal, but it's definitely not what I got, and that is not a bad thing at all. The language surprised me, but I loved it. It felt like almost being in an alternate reality. Montreal's food reputation preceded it, but all the food porn in the world couldn't prepare me for the sheer indulgence of what was on offer. A culture that could collectively birth something as glorious as poutine is a culture I can absolutely subscribe to. But what overwhelmed me the most is the friendliness of the people. Without exception, the people we interacted with were the epitome of kindness. Not the faux, nice-say-you-give-me-a-big-tip nonsense. Genuine, no-strings-attached kindness. That is by far Quebec's best-kept secret.