Montreal in July

Welcome to the forums.
Sometimes information provided is too much, not enough, or makes things foggy.
Am I to understand that you live somewhere other than North America?.....or at least somewhere other than CT?
I did a little look and Air Canada has flights Hartford to Montreal. Once a day direct, otherwise stops in Toronto. But given that pricing is about $1000Cdn for the 2 of you, I would drive and park somewhere.
Montreal isn't my city and I am not there often, but you might find that you have to choose from romantic hotel in Old Town, or something accessible and affordable. Personally, I hate driving in Montreal and getting to Old Town during Jazz Festival week may take the buzz off any 'romantic'. Alternatively, research secure parking a little outside the area and take the subway in.
Canada will have had the weekend prior off for Canada Day July 1, so that eases up some tourist numbers, but Jazz Festival is world reknowned and brings in big namers.
Do some hotel checks via Booking or Expedia and see if they have increased prices beyond the norm. To start with, hotels in Old Town are expensive, so if they increase them, then you might want a plan B.
Toronto is a vibrant city, but further drive (~10 hrs), Ottawa is a pretty secondary city and every summer weekend has some festival or other.....but is ~9 hours.
One thing you need to keep in mind if driving is border crossings. Any of these 3 cities are on routes with major border crossings and can easily add 1-3 hours each way.

Have you considered Toronto? It's a quick flight via Porter Airlines, which gets you right into town and you won't need a car at all. Canada is a great place to spend the 4th because the weather was much more temperate.

I really like Montreal but I'm not sure I would drive that long back and forth (for only a long weekend). It's quite a big city and I would spend a minimum 5 days there, probably no less. Quebec City is much smaller (although further out), and perfect for 3 days.

Trouble with Porter is cost and the fact that though not mentioned, it flies out of Newark. In my book that is as bad as LGA. But, once in the air, central to Toronto. If you want a small break from the concrete jungle, there are lots of parks and if you visit during the week, Toronto Island has beaches and nature.

Let me just first say that July in Montreal can be hot, hot, hot, and I am not referring to the Jazz Fest, so be prepared for that. Old Montreal is interesting and fun, with countless good restaurants but I recommend staying in downtown Montreal. A hotel I have always admired is the Chateau
Versailles, on Sherbrooke Street, close to museums, bus and metro transportation, and walking distance to dozens of restaurants, bars, interesting shops. I think they have parking available, if you decide to drive, but not sure. You can easily get to the Jazz Fest if that is your pleasure, or up to the mountain for a walk, or to Vieux Montreal.

Anyway, have a wonderful anniversary wherever you go!

PS. The much vaunted Jazz Fest does not feature much true Jazz any longer, much to my late husband’s disgust.

Where are you driving from in CT? 7 hours seems long, although you never know how the border crossing will go. And how are you going through both NY and VT? The only way I know to do that is to drive through the Lake Champlain islands or take a ferry across the lake, both of which would slow down your drive vs. taking I89 all the way to Canada.

Check for weekend deals on luxury business hotels. I've wound up staying at the Intercontinental a bunch of times for peanuts (although you may not find many deals during Jazz Fest). It is in a good location for sightseeing and easy to drive to with parking right there.

Be prepared for road construction on your way into the city, which I seem to encounter on every trip (although I haven't been up in about a year, so maybe you'll hit a quiet time); Montreal is always improving itself.

For lunch in VT, there are a number of restaurants with good reputations in Waterbury (exit 10) that are near the interstate. Just Google and find one that appeals to you. There are also tons of options in Burlington, but the better ones are harder to get to.

Enjoy your trip! Norma is right, Montreal can be hot in July, but it is a lot of fun!

-- Deb

Thank you all for you replies -

We live in Fairfield Ct and will be leaving from there. We estimated 7 hours because everything always takes longer than you expect! I am a native New Yorker (NYC) so hot summers are not a problem for me. As far as the drive, to be honest I have not plotted it yet so I do not even know what route we would take. I have a friend whose daughter when to McGill and she mentioned stops in VT and NY on various trips. I did not even know about the ferry!

Thank you all for the hotel recommendations and I will look into them all - and will see about stopping in Waterbury too. I would prefer to fly, but the airports in the CT/NY area are such a hassle, especially on a holiday weekend, if we flew the trip would probably end up being 7 hours anyway!

Ok, from Fairfield you could either go west and pick up I87 all the way through NY to Canada or you could go east and take I91 to I89 through Vermont to Canada. But you wouldn’t hit both NY and VT on the same drive unless you wanted to do some slower (but scenic) driving across Lake Champlain.

I’m not sure which route is quicker. I hate traffic and tend to stay away from the western CT/Westchester county area (I lived in the New Haven area for years), so I’d head up 91 regardless, but that’s just me.

Have a great trip!!

Hello!

I am a Montrealer who is very proud of our City and SUPER excited about the Jazz festival every year.

You could easily walk around every night and take in all the free shows. There are many indoor shows and sometimes the quaint little theatres are the most fun if you don't have a favorite artist in mind. It is very crowded in the area in front of a stage with a "big name" artist. But you could just avoid that stage.

Montreal has so VERY much to offer. You will have plenty to keep you busy.

You can park your car at the hotel and leave it there. Public transport is very easy to follow and safe. When I had family from Europe last year, we took a hop on hop off bus. This was a first for me, in Montreal, and I found it a great way to visit.

I imagine the hotels are more expensive during this time. I would not book a place in the Old city or smack in the downtown area, if you are looking to save money. There are so many places a little away from the area with a subway close by. All depending on your budget.

Vermont is very cute. There are many places to eat on Church street. And church street is in all honestly the only thing to see in Vermont aside from Stowe.
Let me know if you need more info
Maria