What to Do in Two of the Best Cities in Canada to Visit

Two of the best cities in Canada to visit are Montreal and Québec City. Both these cities have so much to offer and so much history within their city. Montreal is a little more modernized compared to Québec City. But Montreal does have some parts that are not as modernized.

Being from upstate New York, I have taken a fair amount of trips to Montreal, because it’s only a 3 hour drive. Montreal is a great town along with Québec City. Both places hold a tremendous amount of history, along with beautiful architecture, that if you have the chance to, you should take a trip up. Both these cities are some of the best cities in eastern Canada to visit. I’ve seen soccer games, shopped til I dropped, a ghost, been in interesting hostels, as well as a castle, seen very interesting night parades, met my dream cat, and so much more.

Thus, in this article you will learn about Montreal and Québec City, two of the best cities in Canada, famous cities in Canada, the best Canadian cities to visit in the summer and so much more.

This post is all about the best cities in Canada.

Best Cities in Canada:

What do See in Montreal

Okay, first I am going to take about Montreal, one of the most famous cities in Canada. the first place I would see in Montreal, is Old Montreal. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada to visit for all the buildings cobble stoned streets. Old Montreal, is just like it sounds, the oldest part of the city. It is filled with buildings that are hundreds of years old and beautiful architecture. It is much like Québec City. Both places are beautiful and really take you back in time. The public square in Old Montreal, Place Jacques-Cartier, is a great spot to relax at during a sunny day.

1. Eat at Le Jardin Nelson

Once you are in Old Montreal, the first place I recommend going, is the Le Jardin Nelson (Nelson’s Garden), and to order one of their exceptional crepes. It is located in Jacques-Cartier in Old Montreal. Just as it’s name implies, you sit in a garden. The restaurant has an inside, and then its main dining area, is under an open roof. And the dining area is filled with flowers, plants, ivy, leaves, birds, and is just such a peaceful and serene place. They are famous for their crepes, both sweet and savory, and both are delicious. Also, there’s no dress code, but you do want to look nice if you go here because everyone else is.

Also, the prices are very reasonable, most of their crepes will cost about 18 Canadian dollars, which is about 13 US dollars (and you do want to tip the same amount as you would in the U.S., 15-20%). Overall, I love this restaurant and highly recommend to anyone and everyone!

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2. Hike Mount Royal

Mount Royal, is a hill that overlooks downtown Montreal, and is very pretty on a nice sunny day. You can access this view from the Mount Royal park, at the Smith parking lot, however, you can not drive to the summit. This isn’t really a hike, it’s a walk, anyone can do it, it will take you about five minutes to climb to the top of Mount Royal. If you want to do more, the Mount Royal park offers so many walking, biking, cross-country trails. Thus, Montreal is one of the best cities in Canada to visit for the summer. Here is a link to look at further fun activities to take part in if you decide to visit Mount Royal park.

3. See a Soccer Game at Olympic Stadium

Next, if any of you are a soccer or Canadian football fan, you definitely want to see a game at the Olympic Stadium. During the 2015 Women’s World Cup, my dad and I were lucky enough to see a game in the Olympic Stadium. We saw Germany and France play against one another, and boy was it intense! This was both my dad and my first professional soccer game that we saw live. And boy, does the TV not do it justice, it was immensely fast paced, emotional (we were at one of the quarter final games), and cut throat. Germany did win, even though the French did play a better game, I have to say. Anyways, this was a great experience and I would recommend if you have the chance, to go see a game here. Here is a link to a list of their events.

4. Visit McGill University

Moving right along, the next sight I would visit, in Montreal, is McGill University. For a quick second, I almost thought about going there, until I realized McGill is a big science/engineer school, which is unfortunately, not my forte. It is located in downtown Montreal, at the bottom of Mount Royal between Peel and Aylmer Streets, north of Sherbrooke Street and south of Pine Avenue. It is a really gorgeous campus and worth the tour if you want to see another college.

5. Visit Rue Ste-Catherine

Next is a street, filled with main attractions. Rue Ste-Catherine is a street filled with shops, restaurants, music venues/live music, and great bars/night life. This is the street that has made me shop til I dropped, many times. There are stores ranging from H&M to Zara, the Loft to Urban Outfitters, to small boutiques, to cute cafes/coffee shops, to amazing restaurants, and great drinks, Rue Ste-Catherine has it all. Also, if you visit Montreal in the winter, they have an underground shopping center, RESO, which is located between Saint-Antoine Street West and Notre-Dame Street West, so you don’t have to walk in freezing temperatures.

What to See in Québec City

Alright. That completes our tour of Montreal, now moving on to Québec City! Also, if you did not find any activities that sound appealing, Montreal does offer many walking tours, great museums, and gardens to see.

1. Go on a Ghost Tour in Québec City

Anyways, back to Québec City, this city offers many attractions and first on my list is a ghost tour, because I actually saw a ghost. Québec City has many ghost tours to choose from as well as various different free walking tours. At the end of the tour, my friends and I went on, they locked us inside a church and turned all the lights off, however that was not the scary part.

On the way to our ghost tour, as I was crossing the streets, and I saw a figure in all black. They were wearing a black cape and hood, and then had black dots on their face. Looking back, I think this was probably one of the tour guides from another ghost tour, because some of the other tour guides did dress up as ghosts. But, when I saw this figure, I thought they were on another level of dressed up. Anyways, I am always down to go for a ghost tour!

2. Visit Montmorency Falls

Next on the Québec list, I would definitely see Montmorency Falls, it is remarkable. Now this site, you have to drive to, it is not in walking distance from Québec City, but if you have transportation, I recommend going to it. It is about a fifteen-minute drive from Québec City to the falls. This is a HUGE waterfall, like Niagara Falls, and you can zip line across the falls. However, when my friends and I went, unfortunately, we did not have time to zip line, there was a big line. Anyways, I really recommend seeing the falls.

3. Visit Rue du Petit-Champlain

Alright, I would visit Rue du Petit-Champlain, which is the street where Old Québec City is located. This is where you will find cobble stone roads, cute little bakeries, and beautiful and historic buildings. This area also is homed to great hidden restaurants and bars. It is definitely worth the visit.

4. Visit the Le Chateau Frontenac

Also, another great site is, Le Chateau Frontenac, which is a monumental hotel in the city. The hotel is located in Old Québec, specifically in the city’s Upper Town. Built over a hundred years ago, Le Chateau Frontenac, was one of the first grand railway hotels, and is still one of Québec’s most prestigious hotels. Seriously, it is quite the site to see.

5. Visit Québec City’s Parliament Building

Lastly, if you like history, you will love to take a visit to Québec City’s parliament building, located in the heart of Québec City, it is one of the oldest structures in Québec. It is really spectacular. Below the parliament building, you will find the Plains of Abraham, which is a battlefield park, with lots of open space, and walking/running trails for everyone. Above the Plains of Abraham, you can see/walk through the Martello Towers, that overlook the battlefield. Above all of these historical sites is the Observatioire de la Capitale, which overlooks the entire city of Québec. This observatory is located in Québec’s tallest building, at 221 meters above sea level, and also has a great view of the St. Lawrence River.

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Overall, Montreal and Québec City are some of the best cities in Canada to visit. There are many more places to see, the list above is only a handful of great, amazing places to see. Both cities offer an array of outdoor and indoor activities, historical sites, tours, food, shopping, night life, and more, that I’m sure you will enjoy. Let me know what your favorite places are and what Canadian City I should or you will be, visiting next, as always, take care and thank you so much for reading!

This post was all about Montreal and Québec City, two of the best cities in Canada, famous cities in Canada, the best Canadian cities to visit in the summer and so much more.