Montreal - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**noke_travel** · 02-26-2006, 12:23 PM

after a few rounds last night a few buddie and i decided to head up to montreal this comming weekend. none of us have ever been before and i am wondering if there is anything in partiucular to check out. we will only be up there for a weekend and the main focus will be going out/partying. i heard st. catherine's street can be fun although it sounds a little shady. are there any tpunkers out there that can offer some advice on what to do/where to stay in montreal?
thanks a lot,
jeff

mark-0 · 02-26-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by noke_travel@Feb 26 2006, 03:23 PM
after a few rounds last night a few buddie and i decided to head up to montreal this comming weekend. none of us have ever been before and i am wondering if there is anything in partiucular to check out. we will only be up there for a weekend and the main focus will be going out/partying. i heard st. catherine's street can be fun although it sounds a little shady.* are there any tpunkers out there that can offer some advice on what to do/where to stay in montreal?
thanks a lot,
jeff

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I've been up to Montreal a few times, but I've stayed with friends (or been with my parents when I was younger and stayed in actual hotels). But one time I went up for the weekend with a bunch of friends and stayed in a Bed and Breakfast type place. It was a pretty good deal for the number of people we crammed in there (6 i think). If you were going in the spring or summer I would suggest wandering around the mountain, but I can't imagine it looks nearly as nice in the winter. If you were going for longer than a weekend I'd recommend just wandering around the city (but it's also winter). I can't really remember any of the "touristy" sights. One of the coolest and funniest things I remember (other than being literally seconds away from getting charged with public drinking and public intoxication) is that McGill University has a "William Shatner Building".

I actually found these two websites in about 3 seconds of searching. They seem to be pretty comprehensive in terms of clubs/bars and all that.

http://www.montreal-clubs.com/

http://www.mtlclubs.com/

Enjoy

**noke_travel** · 02-26-2006, 12:34 PM

thanks for the sites mark

**Esterina** · 02-26-2006, 01:39 PM

I'm studying for a huge exam for tomorrow, so can't answer in details, sorry.

I've lived in Montreal for 15 years, I know this city ! I'd like to add a couple of things to the links and Mark-O's suggestions.

First clubbing : St. Catherine West and Crescent Street are quebec-english cultured + tourists ; St. Laurent Street, which is the psychological and kinda geographical limit between the english and the french speaking, has clubs with a mix of both cultures; St. Denis and Mont. Royal are on the french side. You'll have no problem there even if you can't speak a word of french, but saying bonjour is appreciated... I just indicated that so you can choose what kind of Montreal you want to visit.

Here the travelpunk's link for lodging in Montreal : Online booking.

Bon voyage !

**Jen05** · 02-27-2006, 08:33 PM

I'm jealous! I love Montreal. It's a great party city. I wish I could point you in a more specific direction, but I was either following friends who lived there, or too drunk to know what clubs I visited! Obviously, Atchoum knows what she's talking about, and keep in mind that St. Catherine's is near McGill, so you'll come across the student partying scene. Have fun!

**LiveFreeorDie** · 03-01-2006, 09:54 AM

Montreal is a great city to head up to for a weekend. Crescent St, as Atchoum mentioned, has a ton of bars and clubs. It's a little touristy, but its a great time. Hurleys on Crescent is a great Irish Pub. There are also some decent places to eat on Crescent as well.

St. Catherines itself isn't that shady (at least according to my definition of shady). Sure there are strip clubs and peep shows, etc, but they are interspersed with high end stores and shops, restaurants, etc.

Also, the metro is real easy to use, clean and is economical. You can get up and down St. Catherine's and around the city really easy that way. This time of year, you probably will not want to be walking much, it will be really cold.

The old part of the city down near the river is great too. Lot's of cafes and bars, cobblestone streets etc. It has a great atmosphere.

If you want something to do for the day, you could go up to Olympic Stadium via the metro and check out the Bio-dome. they have a couple of different indoor environments you can walk through. They have rainforest, arctic, etc. Not bad if your into that sort of thing.

Enjoy!!

**SuDz** · 03-01-2006, 10:34 AM

If your driving up park at the Casino. It is safe to park because of all the security, it's free parking, they have a commuter bus for free to/from the trains, and you can always find your way back because everyone knows how to get there. It is like the first thing you see when you come into the city.

St. Catherines and stuff is fun and crazy but start out at bars around the area first. They are cheaper, nicer, and not as crowded to start with. Save the big spending and the crowds till the end.

SuDZ

**SuDz** · 03-01-2006, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LiveFreeorDie@Mar 1 2006, 12:54 PM
If you want something to do for the day, you could go up to Olympic Stadium via the metro and check out the Bio-dome.* they have a couple of different indoor environments you can walk through.* They have rainforest, arctic, etc.* Not bad if your into that sort of thing.

Enjoy!!

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Yeah speaking of which, me and my friend really had a great time in the BioDome. There are cool animals and environments to check out and is pretty cheap to boot.

SuDZ

**noke_travel** · 03-01-2006, 02:39 PM

sudz-
can anyone just park at the casino? if so, thats awesome. also about how much would a domestic (canadian) beer cost there at a mid-range average bar?

**noke_travel** · 03-01-2006, 02:40 PM

by the way sudz-what part of mass are you from?

sarg123 · 03-03-2006, 03:21 PM

In response to cost of beer, I would say around 4 for a glass, but you can get pitchers for around 12 at most places. I would also suggest checking out the micro-breweries(Le Resevoir, Dieu de Ciel, and Brutopia are my personal faves) which have awesome selection for about 5$ a pint.

**Canadian Bacon** · 03-04-2006, 01:54 PM

I don't know if anyone here is from Montreal...but if you're there, there's this place called "Cosmos" that is a local diner located near McGill and owned by an old Greek dude. They had a CBC special on it- it's supposed to have the best food around and this dish called a "Mish-mash", which is a assorted mix of potatoes, hash browns, eggs, bacon and other great stuff.

**voyd** · 06-21-2009, 05:27 PM

So, it sounds like stuff is concentrated enough to walk to, or take the metro?

And although French isn't requisite, it would be good to know a few courtesy phrases like:
Good morning
Good afternoon
Thank You

Any other tips or updates?

**Esterina** · 06-23-2009, 08:18 AM

Good morning » Bonjour
Good afternoon » Bonjour
Thank You » Merci (pronounce Mayr-see)
Please » S'il vous plait (pronouce Sil-vew-ple (the e found in Mess))

A nice "bonjour, do you speak english" gets a long way. Some francophones are sensitive about the language issue, after all we are only 6 millions surrounded by 325 millions anglophones (USA+english CANADA). But there's nothing to be afraid of, as I wrote in another post. People are friendly, whatever their mother tongue.