A Montreal Honeymoon from The World's Greatest Honeymoons

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Vibrant, Exciting, Filled with Joie de Vivre

Montréal is situated at the confluence of two mighty rivers—the Ottawa and the Saint Lawrence. From the moment that French explorer Jacques Cartier first stepped ashore here in 1535, the rivers have continued to bring trade, wealth, cutting-edge ideas, and a never-ending influx of bright and capable people seeking new beginnings.

The result? Montréal is sophisticated and diverse, pulsating with a decided international flair, an air of excitement, and an unmistakable joie de vivre. This vibrant atmosphere manages to transform the most ordinary act—strolling through Old Town or lounging in a sidewalk café, for example—into a memorable event.

Montréal offers everything you'd expect from a thriving city—and things you’ve probably never heard of. As an island city with limited expansion possibilities, it built a modern, below-ground counterpart...20 beautifully-designed miles of passages and promenades that attract half a million people daily to shops, restaurants, museums, hotels, theaters, businesses, and more.

The city’s worldly flavor flourishes in neighborhoods like Little Italy and Chinatown, as well as in countless restaurants offering cuisine from around the world. Clubs, bars, and discos go on each night until 3 a.m. Sports enthusiasts can bike or hike on paths all over the city, culture-vultures will never have enough time to take in all the museums, gourmets will dine in one stunning venue after another, and shoppers will do it 'till they drop. And if you're into the tango (or just curious about it), here's an odd but endearing fact: Montréal is North America's tango capital, with more tango dancers and tango dance halls than anywhere on the continent.

Each year Montréal hosts more than 40 major international events, many of them—such as the Montréal Jazz Festival, the summer-long international fireworks contest, or the Just for Laughs comedy collaboration—famed throughout the world. But at any time the city has a distinctly cosmopolitan air; it is, after all, the world's second-largest French-speaking city. But fear not: most residents are bi-lingual. In fact, part of the charm of this place is in listening to conversations switch back and forth between French and English.

Montreal Honeymoon Ideas

Old Montréal: Charming Old Montréal will captivate you with its narrow cobbled streets, horse-drawn carriages, and ancient stone buildings. You might want to grab an historic overview by starting at Château Ramezay Museum, housed in a 300-year-old Governor’s mansion, or at the nearby Musée d'Archéologie & d'Histoire de Montréal. Then set off wandering. Many of the ancient buildings are now filled with cafés, antiquaries, and upscale decor shops, making them a browser's paradise. Stroll along Rue St. Paul, the city's oldest street, or Rue Saint-Jacques, the epicenter of Canadian high finance in the 1800s. Visit the architecturally stunning 1847 Greek Revival Bonsecours Market, these days filled with clothing and crafts boutiques. Walk through pedestrian-only Place Jacques-Cartier, with its street artists, jugglers, sidewalk cafés, and masses of flower-filled pots. Be sure to stroll around at night, too, when a specially-designed lighting system enhances the area's beauty by highlighting architectural details.

Notre-Dame Basillica: Probably the biggest draw in Old Montréal, this magnificent 1829 Gothic Revival church may have a plain façade—but you'll be dazzled when you step inside. The dense array of Notre-Dame's regal stained glass windows from Limoges, the intricately-carved gold-leafed walls, that 7,000-pipe Casavant organ...it's all pretty impressive. At night, visitors can sit in the pews while enjoying a high-tech sound-and-light show that celebrates Montreal’s founding. Right outside the church you'll usually find horse-drawn carriages lined up, waiting for fares. Just behind Notre Dame is the city's oldest building, the walled Vieux Séminaire Saint-Sulpice (1683). The building is still occupied by Sulpician priests, and the grounds contain North America's oldest garden.

The Old Port: The 1.55 mile recreational park on the St. Lawrence River, edging the old city, is a haven for everybody from sun-dozers to athletes. Go hiking or biking along the waterfront promenade—or eyeball the skyline from a bateau-mouche, laze over a picnic lunch, wander through Shed 16’s mysterious labyrinth, take in an IMAX movie at the nearby Science Centre, join a Ghost Tour of "old haunts," climb aboard La Balade (a tiny wheeled train) for a 50-minute tour between the Clock Tower and the locks. There's always an event or something special going on in the Old Port.

Sorel: In the lush countryside a mere 45 minutes from Montréal, Sorel—one of Canada’s oldest cities—sits at the confluence of three rivers and is major habitat for migrating birds. Best way to sample the natural wonders of this place? Take a low-key, 3-hour boat tour with the official regional agency, cipsorel, through the Lake Saint-Pierre UNESCO Biosphere site. Later, sample cider on the Montérégie Ciders’ Route, cycle along an historic canal towpath, or marvel over the majestic stone beauty of 1709 Fort Chambly, built to protect New France from the British.

Mount Royal: A 765-foot mountain with a park so large that it’s known as "the lungs of Montréal," Mount Royal offers wonderful views of the city below. Mount Royal Park, by the way, was designed in 1870 by Frederick Law Olmstead, creator of New York's Central Park. In Montreal's park you'll encounter camera-friendly vistas along the winding hiking/biking trails, as well as frequent glimpses of the 145 resident and migrating bird species. Visit the Chalet, a 1932 roofed sanctuary whose 17 mural paintings, depicting scenes of Canadian history, were restored in 2003; meander along the lookout and take in the view. And don’t miss famous St. Joseph’s Oratory, one of the world’s most visited shrines (it attracts around 2 million yearly visitors). At 318 feet, the oratory's copper dome is second in height only to Saint Peter's in Rome. A small museum, a cafeteria, and a small shop are also on site.

Read More about Canada: Provinces & Territories Overview • Montreal • Quebec City • Saskatchewan Driving Trip • Toronto • Vancouver • Vancouver Island • Victoria • British Columbia: Food Scene • British Columbia: Golf • Quebec City Wine Tour • Vancouver Island's Wines & Brews

The Shopping Scene: Strap on your walking shoes and stroll along amazing Saint-Catherine, Montréal's premier shopping street. More than 1200 stores await between the cross streets of Guy and Saint-Denis, from grand department stores to bargain basements. Seeking something edgier? Beeline to the avant-garde boutiques on Saint-Laurent Street. Or maybe you prefer designer duds? If so, no problem, since Montreal is Canada's fashion capital. You'll find chic, high-fashion designer shops on Rue de la Montagne and the surrounding streets. Gentlemen may enjoy a visit to Waxman's, famed since 1927 for its hand-crafted tuxedos. And of course there are thousands of shops in Montreal's underground city, many housed in malls such as Complex Les Ailes, the Eaton Centre, Les Galleries University, or Cours Mont Royal. Even in the midst of a blizzard, shopping here carries on...

Habitat ’67: One of the world’s great architectural triumphs, Habitat was originally built for the city's 1967 World Exhibition known as Expo '67. The building's prefabricated cubes, connected by steel rods, were intended by architect Moshe Safdie as a low-cost solution for housing the poor. Today, ironically, only the wealthy can afford to own a condo here. Habitat sits on the edge of the St. Lawrence with an incomparable view of Montreal's skyline just across the water. ~ A short hop away are two other interesting architectural endeavors, both constructed for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Oval-shaped, 56,000-seat Olympic Stadium is topped by the world’s tallest (574 feet) inclined (45°) tower; take a funicular ride to the top to gaze out at Olympic Park, the river, and the city's eastern portion. And then there's the famed geodesic dome. Its inventor, Buckminster Fuller, teamed up with architect Shoji Sadao to design a giant sphere—20 stories high and 250' in diameter—as the official US Pavilion for Expo '67. The translucent skin burned away in 1976, but the amazing tubular aluminum frame now serves as a sort of fabulous outer skeleton for the Biosphere, a museum devoted to environment matters.

Montreal Botanical Garden: Montrealers take great pride in their 185-acre botanical garden, and with good reason. Occupying a park near Olympic Stadium, the Montreal Botanic Garden contains plants from around the world in its 10 exhibition greenhouses and 30 or so outdoor themed gardens. The traditional Chinese Garden (pictured here) is the largest of its type outside China. A formal tea ceremony is performed at the Japanese Garden during the summer. You'll find Canadian plants at the First Nations Garden, along with totem poles and other Native American works. The classically-designed French Garden will make you nostalgic for Paris, the delicate plants in the Alpine Garden will have you planning a high-altitude hike, and the garden devoted to poisonous plants will set your Agatha Christie side to plotting a novel. Of particular note is the Rose Garden, whose diversity has been recognized by the American Public Gardens Association as a reference collection of North American roses.

More Info: Montreal Tourism website

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All written material ©WGH ~ Photos: GarrettRock (Botanic Garden); all others courtesy of Tourisme Montréal