Frommer's montreal & quebec city 2004

by Herbert Bailey Livesey

Montréal &

Québec City

2004

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About the Author

Herbert Bailey Livesey has written about travel and food for many publications,

including Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, and Playboy. He’s the coauthor of several

guidebooks, including Frommer’s Canada, Frommer’s Europe from $70 a Day, and

Frommer’s New England.

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ISBN 0-7645-4124-2

ISSN 1084-418X

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Front cover photo: Québec City: Citadel, Changing of the Guard

Back cover photo: Montréal: Promenade on Place Jacques Cartier

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Contents

List of Maps vii

What’s New in Montréal & Québec City 1

1 The Best of Montréal & Québec City 4

1 Frommer’s Favorite Montréal &

Québec City Experiences . . . . . . .5

2 Best Hotel Bets . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Best of Montréal &

Québec City Online . . . . . . . . . .8

3 Best Dining Bets . . . . . . . . . . . .9

1 Visitor Information . . . . . . . . . .13

2 Entry Requirements &

Customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

3 Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

The Canadian Dollar, the U.S.

Dollar & the British Pound . . . .17

What to Do If Your Wallet is

Lost or Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

4 When to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Montréal & Québec City

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . .21

5 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . .24

6 Health & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . .25

7 Specialized Travel Resources . . .26

8 Planning Your Trip Online . . . . .31

Frommers.com: The Complete

Travel Resource . . . . . . . . . . . .32

9 The 21st-Century Traveler . . . . .32

Online Traveler’s Toolbox . . . . .34

10 Getting There . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Flying with Film & Video . . . . . .41

11 Packages for the Independent

Traveler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

12 Escorted General-Interest

Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

13 Tips on Accommodations . . . . .44

14 Recommended Reading . . . . . .45

2 Planning Your Trip to Montréal & Québec City 13

1 Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

The Neighborhoods in Brief . . . .50

2 Getting Around . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Fast Facts: Montréal . . . . . . . . .56

3 Getting to Know Montréal 46

1 Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Family-Friendly Hotels . . . . . . . .67

2 Vieux-Montréal

(Old Montréal) . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

4 Where to Stay in Montréal 60

1 Restaurants by Cuisine . . . . . . .75

2 Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Family-Friendly Restaurants . . . .81

3 Vieux-Montréal

(Old Montréal) . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

4 Plateau Mont-Royal . . . . . . . . .88

5 Mile End & Outer Districts . . . . .91

5 Where to Dine in Montréal 73

March of the Tongue

Troopers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

6 Early-Morning & Late-Night

Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

7 Picnic Fare: Where to Get It,

Where to Eat It . . . . . . . . . . . .97

6 Exploring Montréal 99

Suggested Itineraries . . . . . . . .99

1 The Top Attractions . . . . . . . . .100

Long May They Wave . . . . . . .105

2 More Attractions . . . . . . . . . .108

3 Especially for Kids . . . . . . . . . .112

4 Special-Interest Sightseeing . . .113

5 Organized Tours . . . . . . . . . . .115

6 Spectator Sports . . . . . . . . . . .117

The Great American Pastime

Goes North . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

7 Outdoor Activities . . . . . . . . . .118

7 Montréal Strolls 121

Walking Tour 1:

Vieux-Montréal . . . . . . . . . . .121

Walking Tour 2:

Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Walking Tour 3:

Plateau Mont-Royal . . . . . . . .133

Walking Tour 4:

Mont-Royal . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

8 Montréal Shopping 140

1 The Shopping Scene . . . . . . . .140 2 Shopping from A to Z . . . . . . .142

iv CONTENTS

1 The Performing Arts . . . . . . . .151

A Circus Extraordinaire . . . . . .153

2 The Club & Music Scene . . . . .154

3 The Bar & Cafe Scene . . . . . . .159

4 The Gay & Lesbian Scene . . . .162

5 More Entertainment . . . . . . . .163

9 Montréal After Dark 150

1 North into the Laurentians

(Laurentides) . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Lodging at Tremblant Resort . .180

Dining at Tremblant Resort . . .182

2 East into Montérégie &

the Cantons-de-l’Est . . . . . . . .183

Cantons-de-l’Est:

Wine Country? . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Hitting a Sugar Shack Near

Mont-Orford . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

Dragonwatch: 4bdrm, eat-in kit,

frpl, lake vu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

10 Side Trips from Montréal 165

1 Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

The Neighborhoods in Brief . . .203

2 Getting Around . . . . . . . . . . .203

Fast Facts: Québec City . . . . . .205

11 Getting to Know Québec City 199

CONTENTS v

1 Haute-Ville (Upper Town) . . . .209

Family-Friendly Hotels . . . . . . .212

The Coldest Reception

in Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

2 Outside the Walls . . . . . . . . . .213

3 Basse-Ville (Lower Town) . . . .215

4 A Country Hotel in the City . . .217

12 Where to Stay in Québec City 208

1 Restaurants by Cuisine . . . . . .219

2 Haute-Ville (Upper Town) . . . .219

3 On or Near the Grande-Allée . .223

4 Basse-Ville (Lower Town) . . . .224

13 Where to Dine in Québec City 218

Suggested Itineraries . . . . . . .228

1 The Top Attractions . . . . . . . . .229

Room with a View . . . . . . . . .233

2 More Attractions . . . . . . . . . .234

3 Especially for Kids . . . . . . . . . .237

4 Organized Tours . . . . . . . . . . .238

5 Spectator Sports . . . . . . . . . . .239

6 Outdoor Activities . . . . . . . . . .239

14 Exploring Québec City 228

Walking Tour 1:

The Upper Town . . . . . . . . . .242

Walking Tour 2:

The Lower Town . . . . . . . . . .249

15 Québec City Strolls 242

1 The Shopping Scene . . . . . . . .254 2 Shopping from A to Z . . . . . . .255

16 Québec City Shopping 254

1 The Performing Arts . . . . . . . .258

2 The Club & Music Scene . . . . .260

3 The Bar & Cafe Scene . . . . . . .262

17 Québec City After Dark 258

1 Ile d’Orléans . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

2 Montmorency Falls . . . . . . . . .269

3 Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré . . . . . . .270

4 Mont Ste-Anne . . . . . . . . . . .272

5 Canyon Ste-Anne &

Ste-Anne Falls . . . . . . . . . . . .273

6 The Charlevoix Region: Baie￾St-Paul, La Malbaie &

St-Siméon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

18 Side Trips from Québec City 264

vi CONTENTS

General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . .288

Accommodations: Montréal &

Environs Index . . . . . . . . . . . .297

Restaurants: Montréal & Environs

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298

Accommodations: Québec City

& Environs Index . . . . . . . . . . .298

Restaurants: Québec City &

Environs Index . . . . . . . . . . . .299

Index 288

1 A Look at French Canada:

Now & Then . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

Dateline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

2 The Politics of Language . . . . .285

3 Cuisine Haute, Cuisine Bas:

Smoked Meat, Fiddleheads

& Caribou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286

Appendix: Montréal & Québec City in Depth 280

List of Maps

Greater Montréal 48

Montréal Métro 55

Where to Stay in Downtown

Montréal 62

Where to Dine in Downtown

Montréal 78

Where to Dine in

Vieux-Montréal 83

Downtown & Vieux-Montréal

Attractions 102

Walking Tour:

Vieux-Montréal 123

Walking Tour: Downtown

Montréal 130

Walking Tour: Plateau

Mont-Royal 135

Walking Tour: Mont-Royal 137

The Laurentians (Laurentides) 167

Montérégie & Estrie 185

Québec City Orientation 200

Where to Stay in Québec City 210

Where to Dine in

Québec City 220

Québec City Attractions 230

Walking Tour: The Upper

Town 244

Walking Tour: The Lower

Town 251

Québec City Environs 265

An Invitation to the Reader

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants,

shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share

the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed

with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:

Frommer’s Montréal & Québec City 2004

Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5744

An Additional Note

Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is

especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirma￾tion when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held

responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us,

however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a

close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.

Other Great Guides for Your Trip:

Frommer’s Canada

Montréal & Québec City For Dummies

Frommer’s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality,

value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state,

and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices

and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (rec￾ommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and

regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star

(highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you

to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from

tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

Special finds—those places only insiders know about

Fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips

more fun

Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family

Special moments—those experiences that memories are made of

Places or experiences not worth your time or money

Insider tips—great ways to save time and money

Great values—where to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa

DC Diners Club MC MasterCard

Frommers.com

Now that you have the guidebook to a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com

for travel information on more than 3,000 destinations. With features updated regularly,

we give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At

Frommers.com, you’ll also find the best prices on airfares, accommodations, and car

rentals—and you can even book travel online through our travel booking partners. At

Frommers.com, you’ll also find the following:

• Online updates to our most popular guidebooks

• Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways

• Newsletter highlighting the hottest travel trends

• Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions

Value

Tips

Overrated

Moments

Kids

Fun Fact

Finds

What’s New in Montréal &

Québec City

Montréal continues its muscular

recovery from the economic malaise

and political agitations of the 1990s.

Optimism and prosperity have returned,

and with them, an era of good feeling

likely to last well into the future. The

Canadian dollar has strengthened

somewhat against its U.S. counterpart

(although not so much as to diminish

Québec’s desirability as a tourist desti￾nation), unemployment is the lowest in

many years, and a billion-dollar con￾struction boom continues.

One big change for residents was

the creation of a new megacity, effec￾tive January 2002. The 28 towns and

cities that occupy the Island of Mon￾tréal were merged into a metropolis of

1.8 million inhabitants, making it the

second-largest city in Canada after

Toronto. Almost inevitably, a move￾ment is afoot to reverse the action.

After 9 years of governance by the

avowedly separatist Parti Québecois,

which expended much of its energy

attempting to persuade the citizenry to

separate Québec from the rest of

Canada, the provincial government is

now under the power of the federalist

Liberal party. Separatist sentiment has

been muffled, at least for the moment,

and occupies much less daily discussion

than it used to. The cultural divide

between the Francophone majority and

Anglophone and Allophone minorities

hasn’t melted away, but it certainly

has mellowed. And while Quebecers

were even more vigorously against the

American-British war in Iraq than

other Canadians, their welcome for

individual American visitors remains as

warm and generous as ever.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP Even in

the face of a slide against several of the

world’s major currencies, the U.S. dol￾lar continues to be relatively strong

against the Canadian version, making

Québec an increasingly rare travel bar￾gain for American travelers.

While Montréal is one of the easier

cities to get around by private car, it

also has an excellent subway system,

the Métro, which reaches every attrac￾tion and neighborhood of interest to

visitors. Note that the name of the

stop formerly known as Ile Ste-Hélène

is now Parc Jean-Drapeau.

WHERE TO STAY A perhaps irra￾tional exuberance has caused a surge in

hotel construction, notably in the

historic riverside district known as

Vieux-Montréal (Old Montréal). An

unprecedented taste for boutique

hotels got underway in 2001 with the

stylish, 48-room Hôtel Place d’Armes,

701 Côte de la Place d’Armes (& 888/

450-1887). Recent additions to the

scene include Hôtel St-Paul, 355 rue

McGill (& 866/380-2202); the Hôtel

Le Saint-Sulpice, 48 rue Le Royer

(& 877/785-7423); the Hôtel XIXe

siècle, 262 rue St-Jacques (& 877/

553-0019); the Hôtel Gault, 447–449

rue Ste-Hélène (& 866/904-1616);

the Hôtel Nelligan, 106 St-Paul ouest

(& 877/788-2040); and the supre￾mely luxurious Hôtel Le St-James,

354 rue St-Jacques ouest (& 866/841-

3111). The largest has 120 rooms, the

smallest 30. In an admirable trend, all

seven are housed in rehabilitated struc￾tures dating from the 19th and early

20th centuries. Most of the boutique

hotels also opened restaurants of note,

ranging from competent to superior in

service and cuisine, notably Le Restau￾rant, at the Saint-Sulpice; and Verses,

at the Nelligan. See chapters 4 and 5

for more details on the hotels and their

restaurants.

In Québec City, a similar but less

explosive trend has seen a surge of

boutique hotels in recycled buildings

in the Lower Town. One of the first,

the superb Dominion 1912, 126 rue

St-Pierre (& 888/833-5253), has

been extremely successful. The more

conventional Hôtel Palace Royal,

775 av. Honoré-Mercier (& 800/567-

5276) is a new link in a small family￾run chain, with a faux-tropical indoor

pool and a good location near the

St-Jean Gate in the old city wall. See

chapter 12 for details.

WHERE TO DINE Québecois

were a little slow to open up to the

food revolution that swept most of

North America in the ’80s and ’90s.

Montréal’s better restaurants were

good to excellent, but they were

French, with a few Italian options

throw in. That’s changed, with a

vengeance. Area, 1429 rue Amherst

(& 514/890-6691), Le Blanc, 3435

bd. St-Laurent (& 514/288-9909),

Chao Phraya, 50 av. Laurier (& 514/

272-5339), Leméac, 1045 av. Laurier

(& 514/270-0999), are a clutch of

admirable newcomers. Another excel￾lent newbie is Savannah, 4448 bd.

St-Laurent (& 514/904-0277), an

airy renovated space on an upper

block of The Main. “Southern Fusion”

is what the owner and former chef

calls his divinely tasty food, as much

inspired by the specialties of the Car￾olina Low Country as the better￾known Creole/Cajun of Louisiana.

Very different, and also hugely popu￾lar, is Au Pied de Cochon, 536 rue

Duluth est (& 514/281-1116). It

looks like just another storefront

eatery, but what they do with such

damn-the-cholesterol fare as foie gras

hamburgers and immense slabs of

pork, lamb, and venison keep it

packed to the walls every night.

There have been sushi joints in

Montréal since the fad hit North

America 30 years ago, but they were

rare. Until now. Feeding a new explo￾sion of interest in artfully presented raw

fish is the four-outlet Québec chain,

Soto. Its Old Montréal location is at

500 rue McGill (& 514/864-5115),

where Japanese chefs hone their excel￾lent sushi-making skills.

Not one to sit around counting his

profits, chef-entrepreneur David

Macmillan has extended the formula

that made his Buona Notte and Globe

restaurants such hits to newcomer

Rosalie, 1232 rue de la Montagne

(& 514/392-1970). No question,

what appears on the plate is always

good, but that doesn’t explain how his

enterprises continue to attract legions

of chic locals, powerbrokers, and visit￾ing celebs by the limo-load. Join

them. See chapter 5 for more details

on the dining scene in Montréal.

Culinary changes are less frequent

in smaller Québec City, but one of its

most romantic eateries, Le Saint￾Amour, 48 rue Ste-Ursule (& 418/

694-0667), has regained its footing

after a couple of years of decline that

saw changes in ownership and in the

kitchen. The main room has been

expensively redecorated and the wait￾staff trained to a finer edge. Make

time for the Voodoo Grill, 575 Grand

Allée (& 418/647-2000). Geopoliti￾cal references are a little confused,

with a decor of African masks and

food from around the Pacific Rim, but

the eats are surprisingly good, and

assuming you don’t require Bach and

quietude with your dinner, you’ll

2 WHAT’S NEW

enjoy the energy of the good-looking

young clientele. For this year’s hot-hot￾hottest restaurant, get out of the tourist

district and find your way downtown

to Yuzu, 438 rue de L’Eglise (& 418/

521-7253). This knockout uses the

traditions of sushi as a launching pad to

rocket off in directions rarely experi￾enced in North America. Almost as

astonishing, the blokes behind the joint

are only in their mid-twenties. Don’t

miss it. See chapter 13.

Incidentally, new regulations now

require nonsmoking sections in

restaurants throughout the province—

no small thing in heavy-puffing

Québec.

SIGHTSEEING Utilizing a variety

of technological tricks and displays,

the new science centre (Le Centre des

Sciences de Montréal), King Edward

Pier, Vieux-Port, Montréal (& 514/

496-4724), intends to enlighten visi￾tors, especially young ones, about sci￾ence. Its most popular component by

far is its IMAX Theater, with powerful

images on a screen at least four stories

high. La Ronde Amusement Park,

Parc des Iles, Ile Ste-Hélène, Montréal

(& 800/797-4537), home to 35 rides

and the annual international fireworks

competition, was teetering on the edge

of bankruptcy when it was rescued

in 2001 by the Six Flags empire.

Improvements in maintenance and

attractions are slowly becoming appar￾ent, with several new thrill rides now

in operation. See chapter 6.

AFTER DARK Montréal’s racy

nightlife reputation dates from the

1920s Great Experiment south of its

border. Hearty partiers still pour into

the city for the season of summer

festivals that celebrate jazz, comedy,

and ethnic cultures.

Although some of Montréal’s newest

music bars, dance clubs, and otherwise

unclassifiable retreats are too hot not to

cool down, an incendiary list of possi￾bilities along St-Laurent includes the

Upperclub, no. 3519 (& 514/285-

4464), Orchid, no. 3556 (& 514/

848-6398), B’Bops Vodka Lounge,

no. 3603 (& 514/282-3332), and

Le Pistol, no. 3723 (& 514/847-222).

In the whatizit category is Oasis

Oxygène, no. 4059 (& 514/284-

1196), a New Age lounge that serves

no alcohol, but offers chair massage

combined with oxygen inhalation. See

chapter 9 for more details on the Mon￾tréal nightlife scene.

On Québec City’s boisterous

Grande Allée, two grungy new bar/

dance clubs are the Liquid Bar, 580

Grande Allée (& 418/524-1367), and

the Living Lounge, 690 Grande Allée

(& 418/521-1885). Crowds are in

their late teens and early twenties, and

T-shirts and jeans, or the cold-weather

equivalent, make up the dress code.

For chic adult crowds, Chez Dagob￾ert, 600 Grande Allée (& 418/522-

2645), and Maurice, 575 Grande

Allée (& 418/647-2000), still rule.

See chapter 17.

WHAT’S NEW 3

The Best of Montréal

& Québec City

The duality of Canadian life has been called the “Twin Solitudes.” One

Canada, English and Calvinist in origin, tends to be staid, smug, and work￾obsessed. The other, French and Catholic, is more creative, lighthearted, and

inclined to see pleasure as the end purpose of labor. Or so go the stereotypes.

These two peoples live side by side throughout Québec and in the nine

provinces of English Canada, but the blending occurs in particularly intense

fashion in Québec province’s largest city, Montréal. French speakers, known as

Francophones, constitute 66% of the city’s population, while most of the

remaining population speaks English—Anglophones. (The growing number of

residents who have another primary tongue, and speak neither English nor

French, are called Allophones.) Although both groups are decidedly North

American, they are no more alike than Margaret Thatcher and Charles de

Gaulle.

Montréal is a modern city in every regard. Its downtown bristles with sky￾scrapers, but many of them are playful, almost perky, with unexpected shapes

and bright, uncorporate colors. The city above ground is mirrored by another

below, where an entire winter can be avoided in coatless comfort. To the west

and north of downtown are Anglo commercial and residential neighborhoods,

centered around Westmount. To the east and north are Francophone quartiers,

notably Plateau Mont-Royal and Outremont. In between are the many dialects

and skin tones of the immigrant rainbow.

Over the past decade, there was an undeniable impression of decline in Mon￾tréal. A bleak mood prevailed, driven by lingering recession and uncertainty over

the future. After all, it still remained possible that Québec would choose to fling

itself into independence from the rest of Canada. Lately, though, passions have

cooled, in part because the separatist Parti Québécois was defeated in 2003 by

the federalist Liberal Party.

Something else is going on: Ripples of optimism have become waves, spread￾ing through the province and its largest city. The Canadian dollar has been

strengthening against its U.S. counterpart. Unemployment in Québec, long in

double digits, shrank to under 6%, the lowest percentage in more than 2 decades,

and below that of archrival Toronto. In another (perhaps connected) trend, crime

in Montréal (already one of the safest cities in North America), hit a 20-year low

in 2000. Favorable currency exchange and the presence of skilled workers have

made the city a favored site for Hollywood film and TV production. The rash

of “For Rent” and “For Sale” signs that disfigured the city in the 1990s has evap￾orated, replaced by a welcome shortage of store and office space and a billion￾dollar building boom that’s filling up vacant plots all over downtown. The

beloved old hockey arena was converted to a dining and entertainment center

1