A Perfect Weekend in Montreal

After Toronto, Montréal is the Canadian city with the largest population of residents of Italian descent. For more than a century, the community has been centered in one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods, Little Italy. The way to the heart of this neighborhood is arguably through its stomach or, rather, the Jean-Talon Market, where residents have come to buy produce and stock their pantries since 1933. Even if you aren’t shopping for fresh vegetables or fruits, it’s a good place to come to sample Québecois products and buy gifts like local jams, jellies, and maple products to take back home.

A Montreal favorite, this wine bar is known for its elegant food and drinks— and comes recommended highly by Ritz-Carlton concierge Simon Bajouk. The wine selection is vast and the staff is extremely helpful in guiding visitors to something that they like. “Trios,” aka flights, are another good way to taste through a well curated selection. (Cocktails and local Quebecois beer are also available.) The food ranges from snacks like gougeres and nuts to porcini arancini and short ribs. A dish of green beens with truffle oil and almonds was fresh, light, and delicious; the charcuterie plate was a generous offering of various local salumi.

The second great dilemma that plagues Mile End, along with coffee. Both these bagel providers have been operating since the neighborhood used to be predominantly Jewish, in the case of Fairmount Bagel since 1949, and in the case of St-Viateur Bagel since 1957. To outsiders their bagels may seem barely distinguishable, though there are subtle differences locals make a big deal about. Compared to any American bagel, both will surprise you: the traditional Montreal style is much slimmer, less doughy, crispier in the crust and slightly smoky in flavor (they’re dunked in honey water before baking in wood ovens). Fresh bagels are one of the simplest and most divine discoveries to be made in Montreal, so get yourself a pot of cream cheese, a half dozen of sesame at one place and a half dozen of poppy at the other, and feast it up! https://www.stviateurbagel.com/ http://www.fairmountbagel.com/

You might not think that Canadian history is a topic that would sustain your interest for too long, but a visit to the McCord Museum will likely change that preconception. With a tagline of “Our People, Our Stories,” the museum is committed to covering the various communities of Canada, and especially the city of Montréal, in all their diversity. Temporary exhibitions focus on the art and culture of anglophone, francophone, First Nations, immigrant, and other populations in Canada, usually from specific points of view, say, late 19th-century Canadian circus posters or a photographer who captured the 1960s art scene in Montréal. A permanent exhibit, “Wearing Our Identity,” includes both traditional and contemporary First Nations costumes. The museum is decidedly kid-friendly, with special events as well as souvenir backpacks and “game cards” designed to bring the exhibitions to life as young visitors search for animals, geometric shapes, and other clues in the works on display.

Bota Bota began its life on the water as a ferryboat. Then called the Arthur Cardin, it sailed between the cities of Sorel and Berthier, just east of Montreal, back in the 1950s. Many years later, someone had the idea to transform this mothballed boat, docked in the old port of Montreal, into a floating spa. Mission accomplished. With its 25,000 square feet, 21 treatment rooms, 6 terraces, and 40 different types of services, the Bota Bota makes a pretty grand spa, if you ask me. What’s even greater about the spa is the location. Docked in the old port with stunning views of downtown and Old Montreal, the Bota Bota offers its passengers (not customers!) the healing benefits of a spa while they are lulled by the natural movements of the St Lawrence River.

First opened for business in 1912, the iconic Ritz-Carlton Montreal—known as “the grande dame of Sherbrooke Street"—began a $200 million facelift in 2008, opening its doors again in 2012. Quebec’s most luxurious and historic hotel could tell endless celebrity secrets but is, of course, far too discreet to utter a word. It’s no secret, though, that Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton here, that the Rolling Stones rented the entire sixth floor in 1972, and that a who’s who of world leaders, movie stars, and royalty are still regular guests. Situated in the downtown culture and shopping hub that is the Golden Square Mile, the hotel oozes money-is-no-object luxury from every pore: from the ornate duck pond and immaculately manicured garden and terrace to the 100-year-old chandeliers, the sweeping staircases, and the belle époque golden glow of the lobby and palm court. Rooms have a white-and-gray minimalist palette with splashes of signature purple. Antiques and original features blend with ultra high-tech design such as Japanese Toto toilets in all bathrooms, heated floors, and motion-sensor lighting.

Rue Saint Paul is the oldest, the most popular, and the most iconic of Old Montreal streets. It was Montreal’s main thoroughfare in the 18th and 19th centuries, and although it doesn’t hold the same strategic importance today, it’s still at the core of Montreal’s destinations. Despite the tourist shops filled with souvenirs like moose-shaped shot glasses and maple-syrup everything, Saint-Paul Street still holds the grandeur it had back in the day, thanks to its stunning architecture. Ignore the shops and look up, admire the details of the windows and roof lines—to see what the street really is about. This street is ideal for a romantic, dimly lit, post-dinner stroll.

One of Canada‘s most popular museums, the MBAM (as the locals call it) was founded in 1867 and has welcomed its fair share of rotating exhibits, from Yves Saint-Laurent to Chihuly, and from Tiffany glass to Matisse, with many other exciting ones to come. Even more interesting for visitors is the permanent collection, an ode to Canadian art, from Amerindian artifacts to ultra-modern paintings—including the main players of the Quebec-based modernist movement: Alfred Pellan, Paul-Émile Borduas, and Jean-Paul Riopelle. Whether you visit for the popular exhibition or for the permanent collection, the MBAM is a must-do in Montreal. Insider tip: Wednesday nights are 50% off when major exhibitions are on.