Planning Part 18 - Days Twenty One through Three Montreal

As we're nearing the end of the trip planning, I find myself longing for more time (time for the trip that is, not the planning). It seems like we're leaving so much undone, and that even an extra day in each place would give us so much more opportunity. And while I appreciate the reality of our situation and the conscious decisions that have been made in that regard, I can't help feel this time crunch profoundly when it comes to Montreal. We'll likely arrive late on the evening of the 21st day, and will need to leave by noon on the 23rd. As such, we'll only have one full day to truly explore the city. There's a lot to see here, so decisions will need to be made wisely.



Day 22

It's been twenty years since I last travelled Montreal, but I still recollect being disappointed I didn't have time to visit Botanical Gardens. As I've researched the sites and attractions of Montreal, images of the unique topiaries and stunning landscaping have only served to heighten my interest. So hopefully I can get the family on side to spend half a day at Space for Life, which houses the Biodome (the Olympic velodrome that has been converted to house replicas of four North American ecosystems), Botanical Garden, Insectarium and Planetarium.

The rest of our day will likely be spent wandering Montreal's downtown neighbourhoods. The most notable, of course, is Vieux-Port de Montreal. Some of the things to see there include:

• Place d'Armes
• Basilique Notre-Dame 
• Saint-Paul Street
• Place Jacques Cartier
• Montreal Town Hall
• Bonsecours Market

Other areas  to explore include Mount Royal, Mile End and Marche Jean-Talon.