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.

Laura and Ken
Thank you for your nice words about my dad’s service and our family gathering at Arlington. It’s been a long wait to be scheduled. Dad passed in February 2025. That’s part of the reason why I had difficulty planning the Montreal/QC trip - I wanted to combine the two trips and it was tough waiting on Arlington for over a year. Anyway, all is good now. I’ll be checking a bag this time, as I’ll hand carry dad’s ashes through security. It went fine from San Antonio to Seattle last year, so I don’t anticipate any problems. I’ll alert TSA and they will take it from there.

Laurie, thanks for the transit link and info about OPUS card. Also, I appreciate confirmation of the better market to explore given my other planned activities.

I have thought about taking the train between QC and Montreal and looked at some YouTube videos of the journey. It does look lovely

Linda, I hope the weather here in DC cooperates, so you have good weather for the service at Arlington Ceremony.

This is the walking tour we did in QC: https://hqst.ca/old-quebec-classique-walking-tour-with-funicular/

Thanks Melissa. I’ve signed up for the classic tour the day after arrival from Montreal. Appreciate the recommendation

You don't need an entire day to see Montmorency Falls. You can take a coach bus to get there for close to 10 times the money of the city bus or take the city bus to get there. QC is a small city -Montmorency falls is only about 13 km outside of the city core. The terminal stop of the city bus is a short walk to the park where MF is located. There is an entrance fee to the park. The Museum of Civilization is excellent.

In Montreal, consider going to the McCord Stewart Museum across the street from the main entrance to McGill University- it's another great museum- not art- more social history exhibits.

Also the Point a Callieres Museum is very interesting and covers the history of Montreal / Hochelaga. Chateau Ramazay was mildly interesting but disappointing - yes it was French governor's house, but the signage is minimal and somehow lacking - I was at both earlier this year. It had been decades since I spent time in old Montreal/ downtown on my own.

I'm sure by that time the leaves will be many beautiful colours.

Forgive a quick piggyback question....Flying R/T Montreal from LA (price considerably better than Quebec City, open jaw or R/T), train or bus to Quebec that day. Then four full days in Quebec City (or is five better?), sleeping there 5 nights. Train or bus to Montreal and four (or five) full days there. Total of 10 nights minimum, 12 maximum. Should we allocate five full days each in Miontreal and Quebec City? Enough time? (Slow movers in our 80s)

@Judy

I took a Road Scholar tour that had 4 nights in Montreal and 4 nights in Quebec City. I would have liked more time in Montreal as it was bigger and there was more to see. However, the split really would depend on personal preference; I could have spent more time in each place. We took the train between the two cities as part of the tour but our guide said the bus was generally more reliable and recommended the bus for people going to the airport.

Thank you, Laura. that is just the kind of info I was looking for. When this trip finally comes about (been on the back burner for way too long), I will plan on five days in each city. I have a kind of long list of things to see and do in both cities, and five days will allow for non-hurried visits. Maybe, finally, next April or May!

Judy, we did 5 nights in Montréal in May and it wasn't too much time. We got to most of what we wanted to see/do without feeling rushed.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-montreal-may-2026

Thank you, Mary.

Susan, thank you for agreeing with taking the city bus to the Falls. I’ve looked over the transportation website and think it will be bus #800. Would you say that is correct?

Also, thanks for the museum tip near McGill University- I plan on stopping in.

I checked my notes- yes, route 800. I got on at the stop across from the train station - It's not directly across the street more like the "cross corner" if that makes sense. You will know when you get to the end of the route. The bus stops in a parking lot and I think almost every one that went to the end was going to the Falls.

Bookmarking this thread for my spouse who has never been but wants to go...last time I was there was 1972 😄

Thanks again Susan - very helpful

Also adding, if you want to take a cable car to the very bottom of the falls there is a charge for that. If you do that you can walk across another bridge to the opposite side of the base and walk along the other side of the river.
There are quite a few stairs for the upper portion that doesn't involve the cable car. But even if you only cross the upper bridge above the falls and look from there and at the platform at the house it is impressive!