Whenever I think of Montreal, I think of two main things: food & fun.  There are so many distinctly-Montreal things to eat: poutine, smoked meat, bagels, shepherd's pie and so many ethnic and diverse foods that it would take me multiple articles to form a semi-comprehensive list.  There is also so much to see in Montreal, from rich and storied history and culture to trendy and fashionable boutiques and nightlife.  Whenever I go to Montreal, I eat and see, and eat and see, and eat and see (rinse and repeat).

With that, I wanted to take you into one of my recent low-budget weekend trips to Montreal:

EAT: We started off Friday evening by eating some authentic Italian food at Pacini's, a small charming restaurant with a few locations scattered across Montreal.  My personal favourite was the fresh make-your-own-bread bar to go with the hearty pasta.

See: We followed up dinner with a short hike to Saint Joseph's Oratory, a century old basilica located halfway up Mount Royal.  We continued up to a lookout area to get some beautiful evening views of the lit city.

EAT: The picture looks like a hot mess but Juliette et Chocolat serves up some heavenly desserts.  We went to indulge in a crepe and some fondue and washed it down with a warm mug of hot chocolate.  We ended off the evening with a couple drinks at a local watering hole.

SEE: The next morning, we took a walk into historic Old Montreal, full of small boutique shops and restaurants along with beautiful historic buildings, such as the Notre-Dame Basilica.

EAT: We eventually wandered to Jardin Nelson, an open air courtyard restaurant in the heart of Old Montreal.  A live jazz band played while we ate brunch, sipped on fresh fruit smoothies and enjoyed the beautiful weather and good company.

SEE: After brunch, we hopped on a BIXI bike to ride along the beautiful waterfront around Old Montreal.  It cost us under $10 for use of the bikes for the full day and we were able to park the bikes at designated stations all over the city throughout the day.  It was a great inexpensive way for us to burn off all the calories while seeing many parts of the city (as well as getting us to all the places we wanted to eat at).



EAT: No trip to Montreal is complete without an obligatory stop to Schwartz's for some famous Montreal smoked meat. We decided to skip the long line up to get into the deli and to grab takeout and pair the sandwich with our other favourite Montreal food...

EAT:...the poutine.  Yes, that is smoked sausage, mushrooms, bacon, cheese curds and gravy draped on a heaping portion of french fries.  Yes, I couldn't move or get onto a BIXI bike for a good 30 minutes after this.  Yes, I did go back for more poutine that same day.  We ended up at both La Banquise and Patati Patata, two of our favourites.

SEE: We spent the rest of the afternoon biking and hiking around town, seeing Mount Royal, relaxing under the shade with an ice cream and popping into local boutique shops to peruse the racks.

EAT AND SEE: Every time I've gone to Montreal there has been at least one festival going on such as a Winter Carnival or a comedy festival.  I've always found it a great experience to meet locals, eat lots of great food and see and experience many interesting things.

We grabbed a dozen Montreal bagels for the road the next morning and we were off.  In total, I had spent under $70 for a weekend full of food and fun.  I can't wait to eat and see Montreal again!