I’ve traveled the majority of my life and yet, I’ve never hated anything more than feeling like a tourist. Obviously, it’s inevitable—you can’t visit Washington DC without seeing the Mall or London without riding on the Eye or Cleveland without visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. However, I think there’s something to be said for trying the local (or at least more unknown) places.
So, that’s my mission, to bring the local flavor of a city to your visit (which arguably should still include all the museums and sightseeing you want). This week, I’m focusing on Montreal and Quebec City, both located in the Quebec province of Canada.
1. Both Vieux-Montreal and Old Quebec City have a distinctly European feel—make sure to always stop for street entertainers, random street fairs and keep an eye out for free food!
2. There are lots of French speakers, particularly in Quebec! Many of them speak English as well but it wouldn’t hurt to learn your basic, “please,” “thank you” and “where is…?” in French.
3. Take a beer tour of Montreal—or even better, walk into any local pub or bar. Montreal has some of the best local and craft beer in Canada!
4. Stop in a casse-croûte, which literally translated means a “light portable snack,” to grab road-trip food. But be warned—oftentimes, there aren’t any English-speakers in the casse-croûte, so be prepared to at least Google translate your order.
5. Eat poutine, period. It’s french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Who can resist that? Hint: You’ll know it’s really good poutine when the gravy is hot enough to melt the cheese curds.
6. Visit Montmorency Falls! It’s a beautiful site year round, but if you see it in the summer, it glows yellow from the iron content in the water. It’s located on the outskirts of Quebec City.
7. Walk around Old Quebec City—it’s full of boutiques and amazing restaurants! Although it is a tourist-rampant area, the locals love it too. Plus, there’s always some sort of street entertainment.
8. As you walk through Montreal, whether city-center or the historic district, keep an eye out for street art. You can find plenty of murals from local and international artists alike!
9. Try maple syrup taffy! It’s sweet enough for two people to share, if you’re not worried about germs. Fair warning, it melts fast!
10. Walk into any church in either of the two cities. The churches are a fascinating blend of the French-English, as well as Catholic-Protestant, a combination that pervades the Canadian existence.
11. Visit Place Jacques-Cartier in Vieux-Montreal for a real life history lesson of how the city was literally built around the port. It’s full of beautiful buildings and amazing views of the St. Lawrence River!
12. Whether you’re dealing with a Canadian heat wave or a long winter, take a walk through the Underground City of Montreal, which is a series of tunnels underneath the city center that connect hundreds of buildings. It’s air-conditioned as well as heated!
13. For early-morning walks, leisurely picnics or to see the city lights reflect over the river, take a walk around the Plains of Abraham, a large battlefield that the government converted into a large public park.
14. Visit Mount Royal Park in Montreal and see how the locals celebrate Sundays—the tam-tam. A gathering of dancers, drummers and local artisans, this experience is more for the hippie-at-heart than anyone else.
If you love your hometown or have a city you’re particularly familiar with, and want to show tourists what the locals love, please contact me at hewittr@kenyon.edu and I’ll happily sit down with you to work out an article that showcases your love for your city.
Image credit: Regan Hewitt, gomontrealtourism.com