Niagara to Montreal Itinerary
My first out-of-town trip to Canada. I was invited by a friend of mine to accompany her to Montreal, a famous province in Quebec to visit her relatives. Of course, I have to say yes I was delighted with excitement. I guess my itchy toes just can't get enough traveling eh?! Besides our accommodation and food expenses were covered the only thing I'm spending on is our bus fare. We traveled before our school's reading week even started just to make sure our work plans won't be affected. Let's go!
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Travel Tips
If you're still looking for plane tickets check out Skyscanner, It's a great platform that our family used to compare flight tickets and we always get the best deals there.
Be wise enough to arrange your transportation before arriving at the airport, especially if you have small children, as it gets really crowded at the airport. If you're planning to rent a car Enterprise is a reliable car rental service that we have personally used without any issues. Consider renting a car for the whole duration of your trip as it may be more affordable than just renting for a short period.
Places To Stay Around Montreal
Our family trusts booking.com when it comes to hotels with great deals. Try to find accommodation near Montreal as that will save you time traveling and make the most of your vacation days.
2 Days Montreal Itinerary
A short trip from Feb 24-28
Budget: 200 cad - 250 cad
We didn't drive to Montreal and that took a lot of our time. Technically, the itinerary is more like 2 days strolling around Montreal.
Feb 24, 5:30pm - 5:30am How to get there: Niagara Falls to Montreal
- Connecting Transfer from bus terminals
- By BUS: Niagara Falls Bus Terminal to Toronto Union Station, Toronto Union Station to Ottawa Bus Station, Arrival the next day in Ottawa Bus Station then hop on to another bus to Montreal.
- Ticket price: 102.26 CAD (booked Greyhound bus via Busbud website)
Feb 25 Relax
- Reminders: Purchase your STM Card at any train station for easy access to the buses and trains all over town. For 24 hrs unlimited ride is around 10 cad, there are 3 days and more to choose from on the list.
Feb 26 Old Montreal, Chinatown, Movie Night at the Forum (Filipino Film)
- How to get there: by train.
- Alight at Place Place-d'Armes Station (Orange Line)
Feb 27 Mont Royal Park, Notre-Dame Basilica, St Joseph Church
Feb 28, 8:00am - 2:30pm Montreal to Toronto Union Station
Useful French words:
What to do in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Reminders: Purchase your STM Card
By train alight at Place-d'Armes Train Station (Orange Line)
Old Montreal
Forum - Hockey stadium turned into a Theater
By train alight at Peel Train Station (Green Line). Outside the straight walk straight up in Peel Street till you find a small hill to Mont Royal Park.
How to get there: Notre-Dame Basilica
Where am I going next?
- How to get there: Notre-Dame Basilica
- By train alight at Place-d'Armes Station (Orange Line)
- How to get there: Mont Royal Park
- By train alight at Peel Train Station (Green Line). Walk straight up in Peel Street till you find a small hill to Mont Royal Park.
- How to get there: St Joseph Church
- By train alight at Côte-des-Neiges Station (Blue Line)
Feb 28, 8:00am - 2:30pm Montreal to Toronto Union Station
- How to get there: Bonaventure Station
- By train alight at Bonaventure Station (Orange Line)
- By BUS: Megabus at Bonaventure Station to Toronto Union Station
- Ticket price: 49.44 CAD (booked via Megabus website)
- By BUS: Toronto to Niagara: 26.55 CAD (booked at the station)
Useful French words:
- Thank you - Merci Beaucop
- Excuse me - Excusez-moi
What to do in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Feb 24, 5:30pm - 5:30am via Greyhound Bus Service (Booked Online)
Friday night departure from Niagara Falls Bus Terminal to Toronto Union Station, transfer from Ottawa Bus Station the next morning to Montreal Bus Station/Drop Offs
Ticket price: 102.26 cad
It was a long ride from Niagara Falls to Montreal, I've kept myself busy with a few snacks and a good book. One thing I love about long travels is catching up on my book reading. The book I had with me is "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin S. Sharma. Second time reading this book. I'm feeling lost right now, I believe this book will guide me back to where I'm supposed to be. Maybe I'm wrong but it's worth the shot. There's nothing much to see when traveling at night, it's either your eyes are on your phone, getting some sleep or talking to your companion. It made me realize how much I miss the feeling of traveling. My travel buddy was in Cambodia at that time getting soaked with sunshine goodness while I was getting frosted on our way to Montreal.
Firstly, we took a coach bus from the Niagara bus terminal to Toronto. Two-hour dinner break. Then I took another bus from Toronto Union Bus Terminal to Ottawa. At Ottawa bus station we got lucky. Instead of waiting for five hours for our real bus to Montreal, my friend bravely asked a driver if we could take an earlier bus to Montreal. She found out that there was a bus that goes exactly to our destination in a matter of minutes, the driver was fine with it and off we drove to our destination. We asked to be dropped off at Montreal Airport as my friend's relatives are just 30 minutes away from there.
Reminders: Purchase your STM Card
Feb 25 Arrival, Relax at home
Reminders: Purchase your STM Card at any train station for easy access to the buses and trains all over town. 10 CAD for a 24-hour unlimited ride, there are 3 days and more to choose from in the ticket machine.
Feb 26 Old Montreal, Chinatown, Movie Night at the Forum
How to get there: Chinatown, Old Montreal
We didn't know about the unlimited card access to public transportation except when the night ended. One ride cost around 3.25 CAD, and I emptied all my coins at the end of the day. Make sure you've got the STM card if you're going around the city. Chinatown was our first stop when we roamed around downtown. I love Chinatown's most colorful place in any town. The food is great, people are friendly, the shopping is cheap and everyone seems to be having a good time. After months of graving for milk tea, I've finally found what I'm looking for. The cold weather didn't make me think twice about getting my hands on that milk tea. We also had some authentic Chinese food which simply reminded me of my Singapore days.
Old Montreal
Old Montreal was just around the corner of Chinatown. I love the old rusty-looking buildings, the brick-like roads, and the number of windows I see in each corner. Someone said, "Look at the window?" and I responded with a confusing nod. There were just plenty of windows, it was like all the establishments were made of windows. I actually love it there. It takes me back in time when people go to coffee shops to talk with friends and hang out for no reason.
Forum - Hockey stadium turned into a Theater
Afterwards, we went to Forum, a hockey stadium turned into a theater near Place D'Arts MRT station, a walking distance away from Place D'Armes Station. Silly as it may sound that was my first movie in Canada and it was a Filipino movie.
Feb 27 Mont Royal Park, Notre-Dame Basilica, St Joseph Church
How to get there: Mont Royal Park
The following day we went to Mont-Royal Park, the highest spot in the city. It has a beautiful overlooking view of the city of Montreal. It wasn't that hard to find the park, we just looked for Peel Street outside the train station, walked uphill, broke some sweat, and spotted some cool houses until we found the snow-white covered park. The entrance showcases around 400 wooden planks that staircase your way up to the top. Thou it was cold I'm sure we lost some calories around those stairs.
I certainly love the feeling of being with nature, even thou it's just a little bit away from the city. We played in the park, and we started playing with the snow like little kids. I threw it up in the air like I just didn't care. Snowball fights and lots of laughter filled our time in the park. We went down the hill with red tingling faces, purple numb hands, and oh-so-wide grins from ear to ear. Never lose your childish enthusiasm, it's the most important thing, as was said in my favorite movie "Under the Tuscan Sun."
I certainly love the feeling of being with nature, even thou it's just a little bit away from the city. We played in the park, and we started playing with the snow like little kids. I threw it up in the air like I just didn't care. Snowball fights and lots of laughter filled our time in the park. We went down the hill with red tingling faces, purple numb hands, and oh-so-wide grins from ear to ear. Never lose your childish enthusiasm, it's the most important thing, as was said in my favorite movie "Under the Tuscan Sun."
How to get there: Notre-Dame Basilica
By train alight at Place-d'Armes Station (Orange Line)
In the afternoon we visited the famous gothic church Notre-Dame Basilica, which was just a walking distance from Chinatown and Old Montreal. Afterwards, we roamed around Chinatown for a few hours before heading to St Joseph Church.
How to get there: St Joseph Church
By train alight at Côte-des-Neiges Station (Blue Line)
Feb 28, 8:00am - 2:30pm Montreal to Toronto Union Station
How to get there: Bonaventure Station
By train alight at Bonaventure Station (Orange Line)
By BUS: Megabus at Bonaventure Station to Toronto Union Station
Ticket price: 49.44 CAD (booked via Megabus website)
By BUS: Toronto to Niagara: 26.55 CAD (booked at the station)
Have fun and be safe ^__^
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you. Some links on this site might earn me a small commission if a product/service is purchased." ^_^
Planning your travel is crucial, and using a Travel Planner can make the process much easier. Whether you are planning a short weekend getaway or a long-term travel adventure, a travel planner can help you stay organized and make the most of your trip.
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