Montréal Quebec City October - do I have too much planned?

I’ve visited both cities on different trips and it looks like you’ve done your research. Because Montreal is such a large city with infinite attractions and QC is quite compact —- you might consider taking one night from QC and adding it to Montreal. I’ve spent five days in Montreal and there was always more to see. Although Old Quebec City is jammed with attractions, three full days is enough if you stay, as you are, within the walls of Old Quebec. Additional days will allow you to revisit your favorite places. In Montreal, grouping what you see each day by neighborhood makes the best of your time. Being able to sit at a Cirque du Soleil show is really nice after lunch or to end your day in Vieux Port. Hotel Denis is in a great central location and St. Denis has great Jazz clubs open at night. The best way to see both cities is simply to hoof it, although a Metro ride in Montreal up to Mount Royal or returning to your hotel will probably be welcome relief to your feet.

Be sure to tour the Citadelle of Quebec near the Plains of Abraham. Looks like you have planned for that. Place d’ Armes is the oldest square in the Old City and dates from around 1650. It really feels like France here and lunch at the seafood restaurant “Bistro St-Malo” is a great way to top off exploring Le Quartier Petit Champlain. A ferry ride across the St. Lawrence to Levis is a great way to see QC from the river and only takes about one hour roundtrip. Boats cross about every 20 minutes. We drove to Montmorency Falls intending to see them. We actually could see parts of the falls from the roadway and, since we’ve been to dozens of the waterfalls in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, we decided to head for a Tim Hortons!

Quebec is an awesome destination— one of my favorites in Canada.

Have fun!

What careful research and an amazing trip!
In QC I found the small Museum of the Ursulines fascinating (even more so if you enjoy or appreciate fine needlework) for your Day 8- assuming I remember correctly it is quite near the Museum of Civilization (which was also fabulous and a nice size). In Montreal I wanted to see more of the cemetery but it was covered in snow and ice; beautiful views as far up as I was able to go (albeit many stairs). McGill's campus was lovely, too and I enjoyed the small museum there.
Have a wonderful trip!

I think day 2 is too full. You'll walk a lot and it'd be a shame not to have dim sum in chinatown. Maybe plan that for lunch.

We attended a very cool light and sound show (AURA) at the Basilica. I think that'd be better than the boring IMO and bladder-busting Circue du Soleil show out on the waterfront.

You can just take the public bus to Montmorency Falls

Thank you all for responding with such good ideas. I knew I could count on the Forum for help. I didn’t realize there is a public bus to the Falls so I will check into that. The museum of the Ursulines would be right up my alley as I do enjoy seeing fine needlework and the AURA show sounds great. I do love seeing circus performers and was curious to see the Cirque du Soleil school since I’ve seen several shows here in Seattle area over the years. Maybe I can fit both the circus and AURA into my plan.

The food on the menu at Bistro St Malo looks inviting. I’ll be dining solo and it looks like a place where I wouldn’t get stared at for being “alone” at dinner. Ive traveled solo most of the time over 20 years and there were only a few moments where I felt a bit insecure dining by myself. I usually take the time to catch up on journaling or reading a book while sipping my beverage. Oh, dim sum - YES.

Do you have a particular recommendation for a dim sum restaurant?

Also, Are my planned activities in good proximity to each other?

Thanks again for everyone’s help with this trip.

I saw the Cirque du Soleil show in May and thought it was fantastic.

In the Old Town, I had breakfast at Olive et Gourmando and liked it so much that I came back the next day for lunch.

Sammi & Soupe Dumpling in Chinatown or Harbin Dumpling in Le Plateau Mont Royale are the reqs from a college kid who lives there now.

Hi Linda, So, after taking a closer look at each day in your itinerary , most days are fine with scheduling the attractions you have. Day 3 though is a bit over- scheduled.
Little Italy and Outremont are quite a distance from your hotel and are on the far north side of Mount Royal. Ask at your hotel how to get there on buses.
Your hotel is close to “Berri-UQAM” which is a transit center for buses and the metro, and likely is also where you’ll catch your intercity bus to Quebec City.
You can easily include Little Italy and Outremont & the Marché Jean-Talon market during this day. Keep in mind that the Casa del Popolo opens at 5pm which may determine whether it works for you. Parc Jean-Drapeau, however is a park miles away on an island near the Old Port. I would drop it because it’s too far away to include on day 2.
My suggestion is, instead, to visit Mount Royal and see a bit of this incredible park and, especially, the panoramic view of the entire city from the “Mount Royal Chalet.” The views are stunning and this is one of Montreal’s most memorable places.

You can likely visit Mount Royal on Day 2 and, if not, you can easily see it on Day 4 when you’re visiting the Musee des Beaux Arts— a fantastic museum that takes a couple hours to enjoy. By the way, you can see McGill University and many of Montreal’s historic mansions and other magnificent buildings that played a role in the history of the city in this neighborhood. ( this is the genius of Montreal’s urban planners shining through)!
I would see the Beaux Arts Museum and substitute in Mount Royal for the Marché Atwater market as you already will be seeing the Marché Jean-Talon market on Day 2.
Buses travel up to Mount Royal.
Have fun in Canada!

Chris, thank you for the dim sum recs and Kenko, I sure appreciate you digging deep into my scheduling and I will switch some things around based on what you suggest.

Laura, I have Olive et Gourmando already tagged to visit. Thanks

I have read somewhere that there is a funicular connecting upper to lower town in Quebec City. Is this true and would I take advantage of that to save uphill climbs?

HI Linda, there is a funicular in Quebec City - we took it once (on our walking tour actually!) and it was a nice way to get from the lower area back to the upper part of the city. In the upper city, it lets out right outside Chateau Frontenac. Since it was part of the walking tour, I couldn't say how much it cost.

Melissa that is good info on the funicular. I might try it out.

If you don’t mind, what walking tour company did you go with?

BTW I see you are from DC - I want to mention that this Montreal/QC trip is an extension of the trip our family is doing to DC and, in particular, to Arlington for our father’s interment service. It is full military honors for him and we only have 3 nights there. At least it will be an opportunity to come together with family as we are all over the country in terms of distance (Kauai, San Antonio, South Bend, Tampa and Seattle).

When I was in Quebec City in June, the funicular was 6 CAD and they only took cash.

I want to mention that this Montreal/QC trip is an extension of the trip our family is doing to DC and, in particular, to Arlington for our father’s interment service.

I hope you have perfect weather for your father’s service and there is a good chance that you will in October. The service will be moving and memorable (both my parents were laid to rest there and I grew up in Arlington, VA). I’m sorry for your loss.

Linda,

I just read your note about your family being in Washington DC for the interment of your father at Arlington National Cemetery.
I am so sorry for your loss.

We never know a whole lot about those who ask questions on this forum. Sharing this with us is illuminating.

My late father served in the U.S. Navy and Air Force, so your family’s upcoming reunion at Arlington is very heartfelt.

My condolences to you and to your entire family.
And thank you for your father’s service to this nation.

.-Ken

Linda, I am a big fan of Quebec! I have been to both Montréal and Quebec City during the same time of year. You have done a good job grouping most sites together. If you utilize the public transit, then you can easily connect multiple areas. (By the way, when you load your ride for the 747 bus on your Opus card, this gives you access to transit for 24 hours. You can learn more here.)

Some good suggestions have already been made by other posters. I prefer Parc du Mont-Royal to Parc Jean Drapeau. You can take a bus or a rideshare to avoid making the climb up Mont-Royal. Also, these is a very interesting cemetery you can visit there.

Marche Jean-Talon is pleasant to visit, but it leans more towards produce and flowers. I like Marche Atwater better. It's nice to visit at lunch and then eat a picnic along the canal. However, it makes more logistical sense to visit Marche Jean-Talon because it's closer to other sites. Marche Atwater only makes sense if you have plan to visit the canal.

I would trim at least one day off your time in Quebec City. I like Montréal more because it has so many different and varied neighborhoods to explore. In fact, I visited Montréal for a second time this summer, but I didn't feel the need to revisit Quebec City. At the very least, I would spend my final night in Montréal. I would be too nervous to travel from QC the same day I'm flying home.

Have you considered taking the train between the two cities? It is a really lovely experience.