Look, I get it. Traveling abroad can be a total pain. The marathon flights, the jet lag, the challenges with currency, the language barrier, the snobby attitudes toward Americans—sometimes you wonder why you even bother.
If only there was a place with all the great parts of international travel and none of the parts you don’t care for, right? The answer: the Quebec province of Canada and its two main cities, Montreal and Quebec City. Beautiful, clean and safe, these former French colonies maintain a great deal of their Franco-ancestry and deliver a bona fi de European atmosphere.
GO, THERE’S NOTHING STOPPING YOU
A nonstop flight to Montreal from Hartsfi eld has a total scheduled flight time of only 2 hours and 25 minutes—quicker than most places in the Caribbean. And Quebec is on Eastern Standard Time, so no jet lag. No parlez vous Francais? No problem.
While traveling in Canada, my wife and I didn’t meet a single Quebecois who was not also an Anglophone. Just about every sign, menu or bit of written information was in both French and English. Quebec TV in French might be a little annoying, but you’ll live.
While over in Europe our beleaguered currency is getting whooped by the Euro, the Canadian dollar and our greenbacks are virtually at par. If the bill is $50 CAD, you’re pretty much paying $50.
Worried about stereotypical snobby French attitudes toward Americans? Scratch that, too. Canadians are like a loving sibling who sticks by you even if you have gotten a little out of line. Bienvenue a Quebec!
Montreal
Head 45 miles north of the New York state border and arrive in Montreal, an island city on the St. Lawrence River connected to the mainland by 19 bridges and tunnels. One of the oldest cities in North America and the second largest French-speaking city in the world, Montreal played host to the Summer Olympic games back in 1976.
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Vieux Montreal, or Old Montreal, occupies a few dozen blocks near the Old Port and creates the charm of a little European town. The clip-clopping of horse-drawn carriages on cobblestones reverberates through the streets, which are lined with historic buildings, churches, and cafes. On one end, the spectacular Basilique Notre-Dame, at one time the largest church in North America, marks one end of the old town, which spills down to the river. Nearby, the green copper-roofed Hotel de Ville, Montreal’s infamous town hall, flanks Place Jacques Cartier, a delightful square lined with outdoor cafes and street performers.
A short ride away is Mont-Royal, an actual mountain around which the city was built—think Kennesaw Mountain if it were situated where Inman Park is. The same designer who did New York’s Central Park and Atlanta’s own Druid Hills designed a network of hills and trails around the surreal views of downtown skyscrapers where locals, depending on the time of year, skate, cycle, paddle-boat, toboggan or cross-country ski.
Montreal is certainly not Paris, nor does it strive to be. But you can easily cover the city in 48 hours, and with the short flight, get international cosmopolitan experience in a standard-issue weekend. Eat your heart out, Paris.
QUEBEC CITY
Just up the St. Lawrence from Montreal lays Quebec City. While a few tall buildings punch the skyline, Quebec City feels much more like a hamlet than a metropolis; eschewing modernity for the preservation of a walled village that easily could pass for a western European berg.
Four hundred years ago this year, the French settled a place where the literal translation for Quebec occurs—“where the river narrows.” The old town, Vieux Quebec, is one of the most pristine examples of a fortified colonial city in North America. Everything survived: the walls, the ramparts, the bastions, gates, and other defensive apparatuses.
Amble through one of the massive gates to the old city and you have arrived in a cobblestoned world of outdoor cafes and intimate squares filled with monuments of famous Quebecois. Just about every block could grace the cover of a travel magazine, and it’s hard to judge if it would be more beautiful to experience the city in the lush warm months or covered in winter white.
Take a funicular down the hill to the Quartier Petit Champlain, a village founded—and still inhabited—by artists and craftsmen. There you can walk on pedestrian promenades, shop and, if the weather is right, dine al fresco in one of the dozens of French or Italian restaurants.
A short ride out to Parc de la ChuteMontmorency delivers jaw-dropping waterfalls higher than even Niagara. Ride a cable car to the top, where you can experience the mighty flow of water cascading over the cliff from a sturdy suspension bridge strung right across the mouth.
Massive lifelike murals depicting the history of Quebec City adorn sides of buildings and other structures throughout the town, but the city itself is like a giant, three-dimensional postcard. Pound for pound, it’s as gorgeous as any city in North America.
■ GREAT SITES TO PLAN YOUR VISIT: For Montreal: www.tourisme-montreal.org. For Quebec City: www.bonjourquebec.com
■ GETTING THERE:
Delta flies nonstop from Atlanta to Montreal several times a day. Quebec City has a major airport; however, a stop will be involved. www.delta.com
■ PILLOW TALK:
For lodging in Montreal, check out the Embassy Suites downtown. It’s more like a W Hotel; sleek and plush with a rocking bar. Doubles start at $209 a night.
www.montreal.embassysuites.com
■ In Quebec City, Hotel Chateau Laurier is a charming, modern hotel located a few blocks from Old Quebec City. Doubles start at $189 a night. www.vieux-quebec.com. Also, the Lowes Le Concorde Hotel boasts bird’s eye views of the city and the river, especially from its 28th-floor restaurant, La Astral, which revolves 360 degrees while you dine. Double start at $189 a night. www.loweshotels.com
