Daniel_Williams

Hi yellowrose477

While the B&B may not be right on the doorstep of a metro, I would not rule out the B&B based on its being about 10-minute walk from the metro. 1) It's a pleasant walk to the metro along rues Cherrier, Sherbrooke or Roy from there. 2) There's also the #24 bus which runs fairly frequently (especially on weekdays) right along Sherbrooke that could take you to the metro and even downtown or Westmount.

Have fun deciding! Daniel

yellowrose477

Thank you - spoke with hubby and he thought that a 10 minute walk to the subway is just fine. Especially if it is nice weather. I think I will contact them and see what kind of openings they have! I'm am starting to enjoy the planning. Don't you think the planning is 1/2 of the fun?

Vttraveler

I think the location should be fine-- being near the park is worth having the walk to the metro.

An interesting museum in easy walking distance of the B & B is l’Écomusée du fier monde. It concentrates on the city's working class industrial history and is in a beautiful old public bath building. It might be hard to navigate if you don't speak French at all
http://www.ecomusee.qc.ca/industrialmtl.html

You should check out the events section on the Montreal tourist web site for the dates you are planning to visit. The city has many festivals during the summer

yellowrose477

My husband does speak some French. We did fine when we were in Paris with his French. He enjoys having a chance to use it. I am going to spend some time today looking for B&B's in Quebec City. Can you pretty much walk all over Quebec City or do they also have a metro?

Daniel_Williams

Yellowrose477

Planning IS a lot of fun, I agree. Much of what most visitors wish to see of the capital is within the quite walkable Basse Ville or Haute Ville sections of Old (Vieux) Quebec. Quebec City does not have a metro system, however they do have a metrobus that uses designated lanes; you probably won't need it, but their bus system is excellent by North American standards and has taken me everywhere I've desired to go in Quebec City proper outside of Vieux Quebec.

The website for the public transit system of Quebec City is the following (there doesn't seem to be an English-language version which shouldn't be too terribly surprising given that la Vieille Capitale (how we call Quebec City sometimes elsewhere in the province) is 95% French-speaking, but your husband can practice his French navigating the site if he wishes).

http://www.rtcquebec.ca/

Best wishes, Daniel

yellowrose477

LeLajeunesse - If you had read my post - we are not planning on staying in a hotel. I have read your posts that you have left other people and have a strange feeling that you are advertising. Not supposed to do that on this forum.

zootsi

Yellowrose, we often stay at a gite very close to here. Nice location - a short, pleasant walk to all the action and places to eat on Duluth and St. Denis - close to the Park and bicycle rentals - a short walk to the Metro. You can even stroll downtown from here if you enjoy walking. Walking to the old city from here is quite a hike, but can be done. Another plus is that if you have a car, parking is fairly easy in this area.
The only downsides I can think of is that Sherbrooke is a heavily traveled street, so you may hear traffic all night from your room. Also, there are no shops or places to eat in the immediate area, you have to walk at least a few blocks.

travfan222

You are going to love Montreal and Quebec City! They are so beautiful and Canadians are such gracious hosts. Quebec City is very romantic and very much worth a visit but if I had to stay longer in one place, it would be Montreal - there is much more to do there....especially since you are traveling with your son.

I stayed in the Old City in Montreal at Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins. A wonderful B&B with a superior breakfast!

Some restaurant recommendations in Montreal: L'Express (if you like tartare - it's not to be skipped here, the whole menu is wonderful, actually). Another restaurant is Au Pied de Cochon...simply to die for.

Enjoy your trip!

yellowrose477

The Petite Auberge looks beautiful but is a little more pricey than we wanted to spend. What is the difference between staying in the Old City compared to the Plateau area? We would like to be someplace that you can go outside and walk to restaurants, bakeries, etc.

zootsi

The Plateau and the Old City are both lots of fun, but vastly different.
The Old City is just that - a very old, cobblestoned streeted neighborhood of shops, restaurants and museums. Very charming, touristy, crowded. One of the oldest neighborhoods in North America. Somewhat like Quebec City, but on a smaller scale.
The Plateau is a 'real' neighborhood of shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, and quiet side streets. It's more French and ethnic than the downtown, and less touristy that the old city. Not as photogenic as the old city, but much larger and more interesting.
Both neighborhoods are great for walking, as is most of the city itself.

yellowrose477

Both sound great - I love the old cobblestones and photogenic feel that you describe in the Old City, but then the plateau area sounds trendy and fun. So who votes for the plateau to stay vs the old city??

Vttraveler

I think you were right first time with the Plateau. I prefer it because it is more vibrant, less touristy. I just got a new Fodor's guidebook for Montreal and Quebec and it suggests Hotel Ma soeur Anne and Casa Bianca B & B in addition to the Auberge de la Fontaine where we have stayed. But you would also be close enough to walk to restaurants and bakeries if you stayed at the B & B on Sherbrooke.

As zootsi says, Old Montreal is charming, and it would also be fine. It is close to Chinatown if you are interested in eating there.

yellowrose477

http://www.envolquebec.com/chambres.htm This is a link to a place in Quebec City within the walls. It looks a little ornate - but the rooms look fairly large. Any opinions on location for me? Thanks

travfan222

I loved the B&B in the Old City - you can't go wrong with either the Old City or the plateau. The Old City is definitely more touristy, I very much agree with the other posters who mention that. I was glad I stayed there on my first visit but have chosen to stay elsewhere in subsequent visits.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn near McGill University during my last visit (probably not what you are looking for - and honestly, not what I usually look for either) but it was clean, I got a fantastic deal and it was in a nice, central location.

Will you be in Montreal on a Sunday during your stay? If so, you must go see the tamtams at Mount Royal Park. It's a drum circle of sorts...lots of fun, great people watching too.

yellowrose477

travfan222 - Why would you say that you were glad that you stayed in the Old City on your first visit?

I checked airfare flying into Burlington, VT as opposed to Montreal and OMG what a savings. Whereas from Minneapolis to Montreal is $505 right now, it is only $283 from VT. Am I understanding correctly that it is only about an hour to Montreal from Burlington?

Vttraveler

Probably more like 1 1/2 hours to get to Montreal from Burlington, more to get to your destination in the city. There can also be delays at the larger border crossings at times although you can avoid this by getting off the main highways and using the smaller crossings. The Burlington airport is small and easy to navigate.

One thing that occurred to me about a choice of B & B in Montreal: Old Montreal would be more similar to Quebec City.

zootsi

Driving from Burlington to Montreal is a piece of cake - about 80-90 minutes of mostly farmland. The border crossing can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 1/2 hour - it's usually worse coming back in, especially on a Sunday night. If you have any free time, Burlington is a very pretty and fun little city.

yellowrose477

I think for the difference in price in air fare, we can't go wrong flying into VT. I have only driven through VT once was I was in my early 20's (which was a LONG time ago) as we went mountain climbing in N.H. So I would not mind seeing Burlington - maybe for the night before the flight. Thanks for the info

travfan222

Yellowrose: The Old City was a great place for me to start. It's touristy - and I was a tourist! In subsequent visits I didn't feel the need to spend a lot of time there though; kind of a 'been there, done that' sort of thing.

I drive from Burlington to get to Montreal - Burlington's a great little college town to stop in. If it provides significant savings on your airfare, definitely go for it! A nice afternoon strolling up and down Church Street is fun!

yellowrose477

Thanks for all the responses. I gain so much knowledge before a trip by all of your experiences and by those who live there. It's hard for me to look at a map of a strange city and know where we should stay. I think we will go through Burlington. My goodness, we will save almost $1,000 on air fare. That will pay for the rental car and then some! travfan222 so you normally spend the night in Burlington before your flight out?