Detailed Itinerary

Drive to Montreal, or fly into Montreal International Airport (YUL) and pick up your rental car at the airport.

Montreal: 2-3 nights at Le Saint Sulpice Hotel Montreal

Le Saint Sulpice Hotel Montreal

Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel Montreal is my favorite property in the city, and this is for several reasons: it is a beautifully designed luxury boutique hotel that offers spacious suites with kitchenettes, friendly staff with consistently exceptional service, and it enjoys the perfect location in the heart of Old Montreal.

Rooms here have luxurious bathrooms with L’Occitane bath products, comfortable plush bedding, and some have fireplaces.

TIP: For a bit of private outdoor space, book a room with a private balcony, or a large terrace.
They have great views overlooking the garden courtyard or historic streets below.

Spend some time exploring the winding historic streets of Old Montreal at your leisure.

Start just around the corner from Le Sulpice, at the Notre Dame Basilica - a lovely neo-Gothic cathedral that was once the largest in Canada. Let your heart guide you along cobblestoned paths in any direction to discover fantastic local boutiques, cafes, and restaurants, many of which have street patios in the summer months.

Stop to enjoy the bounty of local Quebecois fare at every turn, including fantastic charcuterie boards, soups, sandwiches (like a cheesy croque-madame), poutine, plats du jour, desserts, and more. Montrealies truly know good food!

Montreal is a very artistic city, and a great place to view and purchase art. Carve out some time to browse the many art galleries throughout the city. Walk along Rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, one of the best streets for contemporary art, aboriginal art, and landscapes. Or visit downtown's Belgo Building (on Rue Sainte Catherine West), which boasts five floors packed with contemporary art galleries.
You can also see a collection of vibrant murals and street art along Saint Laurent Boulevard, the site of the city’s annual Mural Festival that takes place in June.

There are lots of nice spa’s in Montreal, but for a unique and special spa experience out of the ordinary, I recommend booking at Bota Bota Spa-Sur-L’eau.

It is a spa built within a moored ferry boat on the St. Lawrence River in the Old Port of Montreal, with nice views from its dry sauna and its outdoor headed pools (pictured). You can book a treatment or massage, try the water circuit, relax in the pools, and dine (in your robe) at the on-site restaurant La Traversée.

It is a relaxing and peaceful setting in which to unwind.

Montrealites also appreciate fashion and great style, so shopping is another top activity in Montreal. The city has grown to house a thriving fashion industry, from couture to small boutiques, with a history that reaches back to the earliest trade in furs and leather. Rue Sherbrooke is one of the high-end shopping streets, where you’ll find both international and domestic designers, luxury shops, art galleries, and the Holt Renfrew department store.

Also downtown, Rue Ste-Catherine is home to the city’s top department stores and mid-priced shopping. Starting at Rue Aylmer and heading west along Ste-Catherine there is a 12-block stretch of stores that range from high-end jewelers like Henry Birks to moderately-priced Simons department store, and much more in between.

The Laurentians is an area of picturesque small towns tucked within a scenic mountain range just outside of Montreal. 

Step into a more relaxed pace and get connected to nature, taking advantage of the abundant forest trails, mountains, rivers and lakes to be discovered. As Lonely Planet comments, “a visit to this natural paradise is like putting your feet up after a long day”.

TIP: Consider when you want to visit, and book early.
With such close proximity to Montreal, you can expect this area to get pretty crowded during high season, which includes the summer months and Christmas time.

The Laurentians is at its most spectacularly beautiful during the Fall months, when the foliage changes and the landscape explodes with vibrant colours. It is an annual natural event that is a world-renowned phenomenon of beauty, and a quintessentially Canadian experience that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.

For your base during your time here, skip the overly busy & touristic hub of Mont Tremblant village in favour of a lesser known hidden gem (and save Tremblant for day trips).

My finace’s family is from Quebec. They own a cottage at the base of Mt. Saint Sauveur, one of the cute towns of the Laurentians;
so, I am lucky enough to have become intimately familiar with this gorgeous area.
After extensive exploration over the past 5 years, I found this absolute hidden gem of a resort:

L’Esterel Resort

Bordered by three navigable lakes, lush Laurentian forest and a Nordic spa, Estérel Resort is an ideal setting for a relaxing rendezvous with fall colours. They offer two accommodations to choose from, both with spacious suites each featuring a king-size bed, fireplace, small living room and kitchenette.

The rooms are spacious yet cozy, and some feature private balconies with gorgeous lake views. It is pampered resort living, in a stunning natural setting.

One standout feature is the resort’s unique four-season spa, which offers indulgent treatments accompanied with breathtaking views of the lake.

Also at L’Esterel, you will find 3 gourmet restaurants, an extensive wine cellar (tastings available), an 18-hole golf course, outdoor fireplaces, multiple pools, and beautiful Lake Dupuis to explore. In the winter, part of the lake becomes an 8 km skating rink!

Snowshoeing and snowmobiling along forest trails are also popular winter activities, not to mention many great skiing hills nearby (especially Mt. Tremblant). Golf, canoeing, hiking, and mountain biking is available in the Summer, Spring, and Fall seasons.

One of the must-do activities while in this area is to bike along the Petit Train du Nord (pictured below), a beautiful 232-km trail that winds through the landscape of the Laurentians, through thick forests and past flowing rivers. It is a fairly flat and well-maintained pathway, making it a very easy walk or ride along at a leisurely pace.

You can also rent electric bikes in town for a zippy, less strenuous ride (highly recommended, and so much fun!) - especially in the Fall, this trail would be absolutely magical. Read more about the Petit Train du Nord here .

There are several lovely small towns to visit nearby that can feel like you’ve stepped into an alpine village in France - my favourite of which is Saint Sauveur. There are quaint streets to walk around, several locally-owned clothing and houseware shops, a pretty church, and many great local restaurants.

No matter what time of year you visit, make a day trip (or even half-day trip) to Mont Tremblant. It is a fantastic skiing destination in the winter, probably the best ski hill outside of BC and Alberta. But it also has a cute little village built into the hill that is open all year round, full of restaurants, spa’s, and stores (pictured below). You can try all the best Quebec treats here: maple candy, Beaver Tails, freshly-made crepes, pea soup, and more.

While I find Mont Tremblant to be quite touristy and not as authentic as the other lovely small towns nearby (which is why I wouldn’t recommend staying here), it is a really lovely place to spend a day, even if you’re not a skiier. You can wander around, shop, people watch, and grab a nice lunch, or a drink. You’ll find meals and activities here are more expensive than elsewhere in the area, but no better in terms of food or service.

Take the enclosed gondola up to the top of Mont Tremblant, where you’ll be treated with gorgeous views of Lac Tremblant and the surrounding area from above (as long as the sky is clear).

With so much natural beauty, and a unique quirky culture - combined with so many activities to do all year round - the Laurentians is
an often overlooked corner of Canada that should definitely be high on your list.

Quebec City: 2-3 nights at the Chateau Frontenac

Quebec City is an old-world gem

It is very cold in the winter, and with the steep, cobblestoned streets it can get very icy and slippery.

Chateau Frontenac

We have saved the grandest of all Quebec hotels for last, to wrap up your Quebec Sojourn in the most special way possible.

As your Quebecois holiday winds down, check out of the Chateau Frontenac, and drive back home. Or, drop off your car at Québec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) and fly home.