After 3 years of living in Toronto, we finally decided to go to Montreal. However, we only had a little over 24 hours to spend in Montreal including a night stay. There are 100s of things that you can do in Montreal but considering our timeline we had to pick our favorites. We were also on a tight budget and decided to make it a budget trip. If you also are on a limited timeline but still want to get the best out of your Montreal Trip, here is the list of things we did.
- Transportation – We don’t drive. Hence, we had to take the route of public transport. However, considering how last minute our plan was, all the Via rail or Mega Bus tickets were either sold out or super expensive. And that is where Kijiji came to help. I remember seeing those rides share to Montreal adds on Kijiji. We booked our to and fro tickets with one of those rideshare providers. It cost us $45 for each site and $90 each for a round trip. After we reached there, we took a Montreal transit day pass which cost us $10 each. This was really a good deal especially when I hear the horror stories of public parking costs and availability in the city.
- Accommodation – We always wanted to live in a travel hostel and this trip finally provided us the opportunity to do so. We booked 2 bunk beds in a 10-bed dorm in the beautiful “HI Montreal” hostel which cost us about $35 each for the night. The hostel offers a central location, a very chill vibe with a fully equipped kitchen, a café-bar, and a creative lounge. The staff is helpful. They offered us storage space for our luggage before and after our check-in can check out times. You can also chill in their lounge if you have arrived earlier than your check-in time.
- Places to visit – The hostel staff suggested to us at least 18-20 places to check out. Considering our timeline, we handpicked a few of our favorite things.
- Mt. Royal Hike – We love nature and the first thing we wanted to do was the Mt. Royal hike. From our hostel, it was a 30-35-minute walk away. The journey offered beautiful architecture, wildflowers, and a mesmerizing view of the city. The hike is entirely uphill, so, go prepared for the challenge. You can either walk the roads to take a shorter route via stairs. The hike might be tiring but totally worth the lookout. And it costs you $0 to admire the city views.
- Graffiti Ave – If street art amazes you, you would not want to miss going to Saint Laurent Boulevard. This busiest street in Montreal holds some of the most amazing Murals on different buildings and alleyways. Don’t hold back and admire the free art if you are there.
- Shopping – Being the admirers of vintage and thrift clothing, we could not miss out on vintage stores on Saint Laurent Boulevard. If you are lucky enough you can get your hands on some amazing pieces at affordable prices.
- Food – No trip is complete without food. Although we were on a budget trip and mostly ate from McDonald’s and Tim Hortons, we still managed to visit a few good places. The first on the list is “Juliette & Chocolat” where we went to curb our cravings for chocolate, and it did not disappoint us. Later that night, “Hurley’s Irish Pub” was our drinks destination. Since they closed the kitchen, we got food from the only restaurant opened nearby. “Sana Restaurant” happened to be Indian and “oh my god” the food was YUM.
- Old Port of Montreal – Every google search will suggest this as the top place to visit and I have no reason to disagree. Along with its beautiful architecture, it gives a European vibe which will give you the feel of a “traveler in a foreign city”. It has numerous things to offer, ranging from visiting museums, shopping, grabbing food and drinks to “La Grande Roue de Montréal”, the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada.
Well! Well! Well! These were our 24 budget hours in Montreal. We have a lot more to do and I am pretty sure there will be more trips to Montreal and this time longer ones. Let us know in the comments, what else can a person cover in their 24 budget hours in Montreal.
