2 days in Montreal: Weather, Transportation, Things to do

Getting from Ottawa to Montreal

Our 2 days in Montreal were combined with a visit to the capital of Ottawa in November. We used the Orleans Express bus to get from Ottawa to Montréal which cost us C$39.55 each and took two hours to get there. Tickets were purchased the night before our travels.

Day 1

On arrival at Montreal’s bus terminal at 10:00, we walked to our Bed & Breakfast. Most of our walk on our way there was through St Catherine Street and here is where we got our first glimpse into what was going to be a recurring theme during our stay in Montréal. The street was rampant with homeless people.

We got to our hotel unbothered after around a twenty-minute walk and were welcomed by our host at Le Cartier Bed & Breakfast. We left our bags in our room and headed to the city’s subway. Steps away from the subway entrance, we witnessed a woman in her mid thirties lying on the floor in what seemed to be an overdosed state. Some people had already gathered and called for help by the time we got there. 

Once inside the station, we purchased a three-day pass at C$20.50 each and heavily used it for the rest of our two day stay in Montréal. This turned out to be a huge time saver for us since the city is well connected through the subway system. There was no way we could have visited as many sites in the short time we had in Montréal if we hadn’t used the subway.

The first place we visited was Mount Royal. Started off at Jeanne-Mance Park and walked our way up to the top of the mountain. It was a nice and easy walk and views of the city from the top were quite nice.  

Day 2

Our second day was mainly in and around Old Montréal. We started off with a nice stroll on the St Lawrence River and the Ferris Wheel. Then walked around the neighborhood and the cobblestone streets which do indeed have a European feel to them. We visited the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Centre Bell, Olympic Stadium and Verdun Beach. The tiny beach that is Verdun Beach was not part of our original plan but was certainly a nice addition to our itinerary.

What to expect

In terms of language, everything is mainly in French (subway announcements only in French). In general, this was not an issue for non-French speakers like ourselves. Considering that we visited Montreal in November, weather was also really nice and managed to get away with light long sleeved shirts and jackets.

Montréal was a nice short and well worth trip. Things certainly got off on the wrong foot but it then turned out (mainly thanks to Old Montréal) to be a nice two day stay.

Are 2 days enough in Montreal?

Yes, 2 days are certainly enough if you intend to visit the below main spots:

• Mount Royal 
• Old Montréal
• Notre-Dame Basilica
• The Centre Bell
• Verdun Beach
• Olympic Stadium

Getting from Montreal to Toronto

We finally used Megabus to get from Montreal to Toronto Union Station which was a seven-hour ride and cost C$75.87 each.

Check out our Banff National Park post for information on how to get there, what to do, and more.