I’m only part way through our Puerto Rico series, but I’m interrupting to tell you about a fun family of five trip to Montreal! It’s the polar opposite of sun and sand — snow and deep chill … but all the good winter vibes to go with it (plus, it’s French! It’s coastal! Well, close enough — an island, and the St. Lawrence River is huge)!

March is a brutal month in the Northeast. You’d like to think it’s going to be sunny and springy, but the fact is the meter barely moves. There’s a lot of gray and gloom getting through the last weeks of winter. Getting away to Montréal (especially before the onslaught of spring sports) is a great idea because there’s *lots* going on this time of year!

Snow is still on the ground, so all the winter sports activities are still doable. The city embraces winter, capping it off with the Montréal en Lumière festival, from late February into the second week of March, when the city is bathed in displays of light. It is also sugar mapling season, so sugar shacks pop up all over the city. Did you know Quebec produces 72% of the WORLD’S maple syrup?

Our family of five headed north over Presidents Day weekend, and enjoyed the strange sensation of unwinding while being in the bitter cold. It’s hard to explain .. it just works! To enter Canada by car, you’ll need passports for anyone over 16, and birth certificates for those under. The crossing only took us about 15 minutes on a Friday evening.

Here’s a look at where we stayed, and what we did on our family of five trip to Montreal:

Hotel: Le Square Phillips, 1193 Place Phillips

I cannot understate the VALUE of this place. It’s my first time in this city, but I’d venture to say it’s the best place for a family to stay in Montréal. For around $310 USD, including parking we had a PALACE of a 2-bedroom suite, complete with full eat-in kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, and a living area with a pullout sofa.

Breakfast is INCLUDED (not great, but more than adequate). There’s an indoor pool/workout room, and the downtown location made getting to points of interest easy.

You also have in-out parking privileges so if you need to drive (or stupidly left your hats and gloves in the car… in CANADA), the valet will happily grab it for you (five minutes after they parked it). They even accept USD as tips!

ALL THAT SAID… there is major construction going on next door, so that may be why prices are low (for the square footage you get). We didn’t have any issues with noise, even being on the construction side. It was pretty frigid, so not a ton of work was going on while we were there.

Friday night: Le Central Food Hall + Patin Patin outdoor ice rink

Just a couple blocks from the hotel is a pedestrian walkway through the aptly named Quartier de Spectacles where we enjoyed the annual Luminotherapie (light therapy) display on our way to the Le Central Food Hall.

Inside we devoured fresh pasta, burritos, Portuguese chicken and of course, POUTINE — Quebec’s famous fries with gravy and cheese curds. The kids enjoyed soft drinks, and the grownups tested out a local craft beer. Off to a good start.

Fat and happy, we rolled catty-corner to the Patin Patin outdoor ice rink where the music was thumping, compliments of a live DJ.

The rink’s rental area is easy to navigate and everyone is bilingual, so there’s no fear of ending up with too many skates in all the wrong sizes.

There are cubbies built into the changing seats for your shoes and indoor bathrooms right off the ice — enter with your skates! The crowd was young and diverse, and the ice was packed with revelers ranging in ability. They coned off one end for beginners so don’t shy away if you’ve never tried it.

If you’re with a family member who isn’t into skating, they can hang out rinkside by the heated lamps, or head indoors and upstairs to the second floor observation cafe!

Saturday: Mont Royal Park + the Underground City + Montreal Canadiens

Mont Royal Park sits atop the mountain the city was named for (mind blown). This vast park was designed by Olmsted — the same landscape architect responsible for Central Park in NYC, and near our home, Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT. It is possible to walk or take public transit, but we opted to drive since we were bringing our snow gear.

This is WHERE THE LOCALS GO to skate, snowshoe, cross-country ski, toboggan, or take a leisurely winter stroll. I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers with a new sport like XC skiing, so we all tried out out snowshoeing for the first time.

Rentals were, again, easy and the clerk quickly explained how to use them (in a heavy French accent, “We say they give you SUPERPOWERS!”).

Even in 15 degrees F, it was a total success for our crew. It felt like we had superpowers indeed, as we emerged from the woodsy trail to find we’d trekked to the massive cross overlooking the historically Catholic city.

We enjoyed an above-average lunch in the cafe above the rental returns and overlooking the ice rink. Rosy cheeks all-around.

Once we defrosted, we headed out in search of the city’s famous Underground. Miles and miles (km and km!) of city are connected keeping you out of the elements and busy with shopping, eating and entertainment. We entered just a block from our hotel at the colonial-era Hudson Bay Company, and could easily explore Eaton Centre (massive mall with a twin in Toronto), Time Out Food Hall and the arcade.

We wanted to see how far we could get, and got lost and confused more than once — it’s surprisingly hard to navigate without the usual cues of streets and sunlight. The underground isn’t contiguous in Montreal like it is in Toronto, but for killing a couple hours without freezing it didn’t matter!

That evening, we attempted to get tickets to the beloved Montreal Canadiens, but only true fans need apply with tickets starting at roughly $200. They did drop to around $100-150 in the days before, but not with five in the same section.

We decided to watch at La Cage aux Sportives, a sports-themed restaurant chain with giant-screen TVs and plenty of locals cheering on their Habs. The food wasn’t memorable, but I’d recommend their Old Fashioned made with local bourbon and maple syrup! On the walk home, we hit a crepe restaurant for dessert … needless to say, not a single bite was left on those plates.

Sunday: Notre-Dame Basilica + Old Montréal

I had designs on hitting the best bakeries and bagel shops in the city, but they were just far enough from the hotel to make it too difficult for a family with teenagers. Blessedly, there was a Tim Horton’s 100 yards from the hotel, and honestly, what’s better than Tim Horton’s? (Lalalalalalala, I’m not thinking about the French patisserie I’m not thinking about the French patisserie). They serve bacon/egg/cheese on a biscuit, the coffee is excellent, and served PIPING HOT. Perfect as we headed out into the snow for our walk to Old Montréal.

First stop was the Notre-Dame Basilica. Was it any accident we found ourselves here on a Sunday morning at 10:45 when there was an 11am service? No boys, it was not. Did Mommy succeed in keeping you there for an hour-long mass entirely in French? No. No, she did not. (We sheepishly exit before it begins).

It’s also why I don’t have my own photos of the STUNNING interior. You’re only allowed to take them during tourist hours. Naturally, my awesome mother-in-law, had been here before and gave me one to share. You just can’t capture the feeling … it’s humbling and just truly beautiful. Even the boys were impressed.

Across the cobblestone way, was the next item on my hit list — Le Petit Dep cafe. There are a few in town. I’d heard it was a crazy expensive, but just LOOK at it.

We didn’t need to eat (actually, had just dumped the rest of our coffees to go to church — sorry, honey) so let’s just pop in, maybe get the kids a hot cocoa. The place was packed, floor-to-ceiling quaintness, and filled with local products of every sort. The cutest Easter stuffies and goodies were highlighted. Nothing small had a price tag. We picked up three chocolate bars, three tiny pastries, and one hot cocoa for my youngest. The lovely cashier lilted ‘$80.’ I knew it was coming, yet I said out loud to my husband, ‘What just happened?!’ Thank God for the exchange rate (roughly 0.75 these days).

But the cocoa looked like this:

And my boys were huddled around a table, noshing, chatting and smiling, so I’ll pay all the money. (Well, once anyway).

Then we moved to the moment I’d been waiting for my whole life. That snow-softly-falling-on-a-North-American-but-European-looking-street: Old Montréal.

We shopped a little (tourist stores sit amongst formula one gear and furriers), and popped in for a Canadian classic beaver tail — deep fried dough with your choice of decadent toppings!

We drifted down into the Marché Bonsecours with its Inuit art offerings and maple syrup gifts, past the ‘Sailor’s Church’ on the St. Lawrence, to the Old Port’s Roue de Montreal for a unique look at the city and river.

About now, the painful cold set in. We scrambled to find something yummy, but not served with white linen napkins for lunch. After a bit of a struggle with the line out the door at Montréal Poutine .. and a misstep into a very cool rugby bar .. my husband found the best poutine we had all weekend. And arguably, the best fish and chips in North America. Brit & Chips on McGill Street has counter service, complete with fishmarket white tiles and beer on tap. The kids loved their fried chicken and popcorn shrimp, and besides us, it was all locals. I’m telling you… incredible food.

After stuffing ourselves, we braved the cold once more to reach the indoor ice rink, Patinoire Atrium le 1000.

The rental system was partly digital, but the clerk was helpful in explaining what to do. Three of us got on the ice one more time… no coats required. The other two of us chilled rinkside in the family seating galleries.

That evening, we ordered Vietnamese from place next door to the hotel, Pho Ly Quoc Su. It had a line out the door, in the cold, Friday and Saturday nights, so we were more than curious. The kids got takeout, and mom and dad had dinner out! We took the opportunity to plot a return trip… sans children. 😉