Ring in fall with a jaunt to magnifique Montreal,
Montreal offers all the perks of a European vacation — but closer and cheaper
FLIGHTS to Paris in the fall can cost upwards of $500 round-trip, even with lowcost carriers driving down trans-Atlantic flights. But, from New York, it’ll also take seven hours each way, and the outbound leg is likely to be a redeye to maximize time away and minimize vacation days used.
Meanwhile, flights to Montreal are often less than $300 — and under 90 minutes.
Folks short on time and cash — or who simply want a vacation closer to home and sans jet lag because Quebec’s biggest city is, conveniently, in the same time zone as New York — should opt for Montreal.
The US dollar is strong against the Canadian dollar right now, with $1 fetching 1.32 Canadian dollars.
Once on the ground, embrace Euro-style cycling culture and download the app for Bixi, Montreal’s popular bike share system. It costs about $4 for one day of unlimited rides and $11 for three days of ’em — plus it’s a way to take in the city’s striking street art and quaint storefronts right alongside commuting locals.
Undock a bike and pedal west of the historic city center to Jean-Talon Market, one of the city’s best farmers’ markets. Fruit, flowers and produce fill colorful stalls that tout their locally grown wares with handwritten signs; I chuckled at one that said “Cantaloups - WOW!” Rub shoulders with Montrealers in Jean-Talon’s open-air square and at the surrounding restau
rants and boutiques of the oldschool Little Italy neighborhood. Also on offer are artisanal treats that make great souvenirs, like syrups in maple-leaf jars; some are less than 100ml for transport home in a carryon.
Like any trip to Europe, Montreal will leave your stomach blissfully satiated. Head to Maison Christian Faure for the best chocolate croissants and macarons, Au Pied du Cochon for duck and its associated fats served in a million delectable ways and L’Express for peppery steak tartare in a bistro setting that would be at home in Paris. There’s Bouillon Bilk for trendy takes on French fare and a vibe akin to what you’d get in Williamsburg, and skyscraper-topping L’Enfant Terrible for cocktails and bites with a view of downtown and the city’s eponymous Mont Royal (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame).
Other tried-and-true — and can’t miss — spots include StViateur and Fairmount for bagels and Schwartz’s for smoked meat. Some more insider-y tips: Get gnocchi in a paper cup from Drogheria Fine’s tiny shop with dessert from next door’s Kem CoBa, an ice cream joint with a range of flavors from rosewater to salted butter, many with Vietnamese influences.
Another reason to feel like you’re in Paris: Montreal has its very own Notre-Dame Basilica, with gorgeous Gothic arches and colorful stained glass. Modern architecture delights, too, especially the convention center, whose facade is lined with colored glass that projects rainbows onto pedestrians outside and worker bees inside. Montreal’s summeropened Four Seasons is big news, but there are other affordable and centrally located options. Around the corner from NotreDame and dangerously close to the pastries at Christian Faure, Le SaintSulpice (from $140) is on a charming narrow cobblestone street. More sleek is the year-old (and higher-rise) Hotel Monville, whose rooms showcase city vistas out of floor-toceiling windows (from $150).
It’s hard to believe you’re not in Paris. Just stroll along the St. Lawrence River (like the Seine!) — on whose banks an observation wheel rotates (like the Tuileries!) — and stop to fill up on pain au chocolate before the blessedly short flight home.
And before winter arrives.