48 Hours in Montreal: Where to Eat, Wander & Stay

Montreal is a city made for wandering. The best days here aren't necessarily built around a checklist of attractions, but around neighbourhoods, long lunches, great coffee, beautiful streets and whatever you happen to discover along the way. From the cafés and boutiques of Mile End and Outremont to the cobblestone streets and waterfront of Old Montreal, this is my take on spending 48 hours in Montreal; where to stay, where to eat, what to see and, most importantly, where it's worth slowing down.

Stay: Make Old Montreal Your Home Base

For a short visit, I love staying in Old Montreal. Find yourself a beautiful loft-style hotel in the Vieux-Port and make it your home base. You'll be able to walk out the door in the morning onto cobblestone streets, wander down to the waterfront and, perhaps most importantly, easily return when your feet have had enough.

With only 48 hours, location matters. I'd rather stay somewhere that feels like part of the trip than spend my time commuting back and forth to a generic hotel room.

Day One: Mile End, Outremont and a Very Good Dinner

Start where you are.

Have breakfast at Olive et Gourmando, a bustling café on Saint-Paul in Old Montreal. It's popular for a reason, so arriving earlier is a good idea.

Then head north toward Mile End. This is where Montreal rewards you for putting away the itinerary for a while. Walk. Look around. Duck into places that catch your eye. Make a stop at Cheskie's for some rugelach to nibble on as you wander, then work your way west toward Outremont and Laurier Avenue.

Outremont is one of my favourite Montreal neighbourhoods for exactly this kind of afternoon. It's beautiful without feeling like an attraction, and Laurier Ouest gives you plenty of reasons to linger.

My don't-miss shop is Billie Boutique. It's an independent women's boutique with a beautifully edited mix of clothing and accessories — the kind of store where I invariably find something I didn't know I needed. And conveniently, lunch is practically next door.

Settle in at Chez Lévêque, a classic French brasserie. When I was there, I had a fabulous gazpacho — exactly the sort of simple, memorable dish that makes a long lunch feel justified. It has that wonderfully unhurried neighbourhood-brasserie feeling that suits Outremont perfectly.

After lunch, head back east toward Boulevard Saint-Laurent for some vintage shopping. Annex Vintage and Citizen Vintage make an easy pairing and are the sort of places where it's worth actually digging through the racks rather than rushing through.

After a full afternoon of wandering, head back to the hotel to regroup before dinner. Put your feet up, have a shower and enjoy the fact that you don't have anywhere to be for a little while.

One of my firmly held travel opinions is that you do not have to spend every waking minute of a city break accomplishing something. You'll need the energy because dinner is Joe Beef.

Take an Uber or transit and make the evening about dinner. Joe Beef is one of those Montreal restaurants that deserves to be the event rather than something squeezed between activities.

Eat well, stay too long and call it a night.

Day Two: Slow Right Down

Day two is deliberately different. Spend the morning in Old Montreal. Get a coffee. Wander the streets. Poke into shops. Walk toward the water.

There is no need to cross the city looking for another attraction because today's destination is floating right in the Old Port: Bota Bota. Have lunch there and then give yourself the afternoon. Do the water circuit. Enjoy a massage (remember to pre-book via the website or call) . Sit. Read. Luxuriate. This is not the afternoon to schedule efficiently.

A RobbieLane note: Bring flip-flops and a good book. Phones aren't part of the spa experience outside the designated areas, which is actually one of the pleasures of being there. Once you've stopped instinctively reaching for yours, you can disappear for a few hours.

Pack this: The Calamity Club. I just finished it and it's exactly the sort of book I'd tuck into my bag for an afternoon at Bota Bota. Find somewhere comfortable between circuits and actually read — uninterrupted.

After your massage, take the long way back along the waterfront. Then return to your hotel and have a nap.

Yes, a nap.

This is RobbieLane Living, not The Amazing Race.

One Last Montreal Dinner

For your final evening, you have two choices.

If the spa, massage and nap have left you feeling extremely content and not remotely interested in crossing town again, stay in Old Montreal. Barroco is an atmospheric spot on Saint-Paul and an easy choice for a last dinner without undoing the wonderfully lazy rhythm of the afternoon.

But if the nap has worked its magic and you're ready to explore again, head up to Le Filet on Mont-Royal. It's a destination rather than a neighbourhood convenience, which is exactly why I'd save it for the traveller who wakes up thinking, Actually, I could go out again.

Either way, make a reservation, order something wonderful and don't rush.

The RobbieLane Take

Forty-eight hours isn't enough to do Montreal — and that's precisely why I wouldn't try.

I'd rather spend an afternoon wandering Mile End and Outremont than race between five attractions. I'd rather have one long lunch, browse a few independent shops, disappear into a spa for an afternoon and have two memorable dinners than return home needing a vacation from my vacation.

And there will still be plenty left for next time.

Jean-Talon Market deserves a visit of its own. So do Montreal's vintage shops, bagels, bakeries and all the restaurants I couldn't possibly squeeze into one weekend.

That's the beauty of Montreal.

You don't finish it.

You just start planning your return.