Seeing how I was in Montreal for a solid 10 days and after hearing wonderful things from my best friend, I went around to see what was up with this city. Needless to say, the weather was a huge shocker, as it’s freaking cold there.
Even though I’m a broke university student, I’m still trying to enjoy the good things in this city. So, here are five cost-friendly things in Montreal that you should definitely check out!
1. Montreal Poutine
First thing I did when I got to Montreal was try authentic poutine, since the poutine in Vancouver is expensive and not that great. My friend took me up to this cute little diner-looking place called AA. We ordered a family size poutine for about $10 and it was huge! It was literally a freaking entrée—not those small little dishes of poutine we get in Vancouver for $10. The fries were crispy throughout, even though it was soaked in gravy and cheese curds.
2. The Metro
Montreal has an underground subway, as opposed to our skytrain system. Each metro station looks super cool. Some are filled with murals and designs, similar to the murals and paintings we see at Waterfront station. Some stations have graffiti displayed as art, which gives off a whole “street” kind of vibe.
3. Underground Malls
Something interesting when you ride the subways is that you’ll notice there are malls connected to the Metro. There are three major malls underground—Le Centre Eaton, Complexe Les Ailes (also a historical building!) and Place Montreal Trust—but it seems like a never-ending mall because everywhere you walk, there are so many shops. Definitely worth a visit if you want to shop indoors and out of the cold.
4. McGill and Concordia
As we all know, SFU does not have super big campuses. So, when going to Montreal, I suggest you take a trip to McGill University. The campus is very large, with super big buildings and spreads across the entire downtown. In addition, Concordia is also located downtown and their campus is very urban. It’s quite interesting to see other schools that are very different from SFU.
5. Old Port (Old Montreal)
When preparing for my trip to Montreal, many of my friends recommended that I go to Old Port in Old Montreal. There is a giant skating rink located at there, where you can skate around and look at the beautiful buildings and views of Montreal. They play classical and jazz music, which kind of makes it rather memorable when you’re skating around.
Of course, there are plenty of other things to do in Montreal, but you can always Google those ones. Montreal is definitely a beautiful city, but it’s very cold. If you ever decide to visit during the winter, bundle up!