08 May 5 Ways To Be A Tourist In Your Own City (Montreal)
Montreal is beautiful! So beautiful that we are taking it for granted. I was eating downtown yesterday and realized that most people are « dying » to travel without even considering enjoying the city at his best. Last year, I traveled every 3 weeks about and do you know where was my favorite day!? IN MONTREAL! Thanks to Mastercard x Banque Nationale. In this blog post, I will share with you 5 ways to re-discover Montreal, to fall in love with your city and to make this summer one of your bests one yet!
Caleche Rides in Old Montreal
One way to be a tourist in your own city is by doing caleche ride in the old port. They are easy to find (usually near place d’Armes) and it is one of the activity to do during a sunny day. You have the choice between 53$ for half an hour or 85$ total for a full hour. During this tour, you’ll get to discover the old port of Montreal from a different perspective. This tour shows you where they filmed the movie Benjamin Button, the water front, the archeology museum and more. However, the hour tour covers more such as the bonsecours market and more waterfront. This tour will make your discover interesting fact about your city.
Unfortunately, according to online reviews, not all guide are friendly and knowledgeable of Montreal’s Old Port story. Talk to them at first, ask them few questions and from there be sure to choose your guide wisely and to not only pick your guide because of the horse.
Bike Tour Across The City
A few months ago, I shared with you my best day in Montreal that was organized by National Bank Mastercard. During that day we did a bike tour with Fitz & Follwell and it was amazing. I will talk about them in this blog post but there are other companies that offer that service in Montreal! This award-winning guided tours and bike rental company have different tours that are available. For 75$ you can do the South Montreal Bike Tour (that takes you through the Old Port) or the North Montreal Bike Tour (brings you into Montreal’s heart where local lives and in different alleyways). These two tours usually last 3 hours and it doesn’t even feel like a workout! When I did it last Summer, it went smooth and I felt that I was always going down. For 131$ you can do the combo of the South and the North tours! If you want to bring your family, Fitz & Follwell also offers a family-friendly neighborhood ride that is perfect for young children since they take you in quiet streets, laneways, and parks.
Personally, I am born and raised in Montreal and I never saw my city from this perspective. Biking down the Mont-Royal to ride in a graveyard followed up by a tour of le Mile End and le Plateau was incredible. As mentioned before, I didn’t feel that I was biking for 2 hours, if anything, I felt at ease and felt that I was re-discovering my city. I strongly suggest you do a bike tour with Fitz & Follwell.
See more about the South Tour & North Tour.
Do a Food Tour! And more!
Being a tourist in your city means that you want to rediscover the food scene and I can’t talk about food without mentioning the Jean Talon Market! During the Mastercard x Banque National tour, we had the chance to do a food tour with Danny from Spade & Palacio. Experiencing the « Beyond The Market » was incredible. Danny took us behind the counters and he knew every store we visited as if it was his. You can book your tour on their website and it cost 85$ to enjoy this 3 hours tour. ( Note that all food and drink tastings are included and they also give you a list of their personal recommendations). Spade & Palacio also offers Bike tours like Fitz & Farewell called « Beyond The Bike Lanes » for 85$ which includes the bicycle rental, helmet, lunch and a list of personal recommendations as well. Head over their website to discover more about what they have to offer such as the « Official Mural Tour», « Beyond the Basilica » tour and more HERE!
They are not the only one to offer walking tours in Montreal, I recently met Marie Charra, a licensed guide in Montreal. She is full of energy and offers different walking tours that are customized. You can book her for small private walking and biking tours for 59$/Hour (up to 6 guests!)
The Montreal en Histoire App
Available on iPhone and Android, Montreal has its own app that will help you discover the city for free! This app uses point of interest and augmented reality to enjoy the city even more! For the optimal experience, download the app and choose your circuit. From there, all you need are headphones and comfortable shows to walk! The visit is assisted by the largest projection circuit in the World and you’ll learn about Montreal by wandering in the street and alleys. To make it easier for you, Montreal even has free Wifi to make your experience better!
If you want to share this experience with other people, it is possible to book a tour for 20$ + taxes. However, it is only available on Friday and Saturdays from May 18th to September 15th at 9 PM. Head over Montreal en Histoires website to know more.
Get Lost
Honestly, this is my favorite way to be a tourist in my own city, I get lost! It is easy, take the metro and take off at a random station and walk. Now that the sun is out and the weather starts to be great, it is the perfect time to just go out and walk. Here’s a picture from a Mural I saw yesterday when I got lost in Montreal!
Beautiful isn’t!? Have fun and make this summer the best one yet by discovering your own city!
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