Towards the end of Brown’s notoriously long Winter Break, I received a text from some equally-stir-crazy friends about the possibility of a short trip to Canada. Not knowing many of the details, I took advantage of the opportunity and hopped on board. Thus began a fun-filled, crazy four days that I would recommend to anyone looking for an quick, easy, relatively affordable getaway (especially since February break is fast approaching!!!)
We decided to go to Mont-Tremblant, a cute touristy ski town about an hour and a half north of Quebec. Because our trip was so last minute, we decided to drive rather than fly. The drive was a little under eight hours from New York City, and to be honest it was one of the most fun aspects of the trip. The road trip was a great way to start off our trip and crossing the border was pretty easy.
We rented an AirBnB for the duration of our stay; it was about five minutes from the base of the mountain and had a view of the lake and mountain so absolutely stunning that we are all still bewildered that we only payed $85 a person for all three nights.
Mont-Tremblant village is adorable and aesthetically pleasing, not to mention made for tourists. Though Quebec province is typically french-speaking, almost everyone we interacted with was able to fully accommodate our limited linguistic knowledge. There were tons of restaurants in the village, and even two bars that made night life in the village exciting for college aged crowds. Plus, the drinking age in Canada is eighteen, which always makes everything easier.
As for daytime activities, Mont-Tremblant had something for everyone. We went skiing one of the days, which was a super fun. The mountain was accessible for skiers of all levels, which suited our group well. For those who didn’t ski, there was ice skating and tubing, as well as the option to just take the gondola up the mountain for the view. The one downside of all of this was Mont-Tremblant’s below-freezing temperatures. It was below 10˚F for our entire visit, and below –5˚F for most of it.
The trip exceeded all expectations and it was a great bonding experience. That being said, there are definitely a few things we could have done differently to improve our experience. Mont-Tremblant is not very up-to-date on the whole signage situation, and we would have benefitted from a little more research prior to embarking on our journey. A lot of places didn’t take reservations, but the best restaurants did and it was definitely worth it to take the time to plan ahead and make those reservations. There also aren’t Ubers in Mont Tremblant, so definitely research the cell phone numbers for several cab services before starting on your trip. Additionally, packing more layers than one could imagine is strongly recommended, because the cold that we experienced was unlike anything I’ve ever endured before. Lastly, if possible, choose a hotel or AirBnB that offers indoor parking because defrosting and scraping the car each morning was doable but certainly not ideal.
Restaurants We Went To
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Choux Gras, The Fairmont Hotel (Amazing and fancy restaurant, highly recommend, but very expensive)
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Microbrasserie La Diable (Fine food, affordable, good drink menu)
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La Maison de la Crêpe (AMAZING crêpes and Mac N Cheese, good après ski)
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La Pizzateria (solid option for dinner, affordable)
Activities To Do
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½ or full day ski (super fun, but FREEZING)
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Snow tubing (check the hours before driving there)
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Ice Skating (must be staying at a hotel that offers rental skates unless you bring your own)
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Walking around the village
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Riding the gondola
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Driving into Montreal
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Visiting a dispensary (it’s legal there, but, again, check the hours before driving there)