Old Montreal at dus

Need a sweet treat instead? Montreal is a chocolate lover’s dream, boasting dozens of chocolate shops throughout the city. Don’t miss Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois for handmade versions of the rich confection, or pop into Suite 88, a hip chocolate lounge and boutique that treats chocolate like precious jewels, serving up distinctive flavors like lychee-ginger, limoncello and almond amaretto.

Dinner options are too plentiful to mention here, but you won’t want to miss funky La Fabrique near the city’s Latin Quarter. This modern restaurant with an industrial look features an open, center-stage kitchen and walls lined with jars of pickled ingredients, which pop up on the menu. Handmade ingredients (right down to the ketchup) and fresh, seasonal ingredients are the mainstays of this contemporary lineup. Start with chilled apple and fennel soup served in a charming little jug, followed by celery root and black olive risotto, and cap things off with the petite lemon meringue tart. Really, nothing is a disppointment here.

Celebrate the City
Now that you’re perfectly plump with Montreal cuisine, take to the streets for another local indulgence: summer festivals. Montrealers love their festivals, whether centered on music, comedy or fireworks, so take comfort in the fact that these parties are not mere tourist traps – you’ll celebrate right along with those who live here.

From July 6-18, the annual Just for Laughs comedy festival will fill downtown with raucous improv acts, lively street performers and legendary stand-up acts. This year’s lineup includes Jerry Seinfeld and Cheech and Chong. Nearly 2,000 artists and 2 million festivalgoers take part in this world-renowned event, so be sure to stake out the events you’d like to attend early.

Another festival has garnered worldwide attention but for an entirely different reason: competition. Montreal’s International Fireworks Competition, officially known as Le Concours International d’art Pyrotechnique de Montréal, pits different countries against each other in a pyrotechnic showdown, featuring a jaw-dropping half-hour fireworks show on Saturday nights throughout the summer, rain or shine, until the winning country is announced in August. For the closest view, head to La Ronde, a nostalgic amusement park where the fireworks are synched to music. (You can get so close, in fact, that you may have to dive out of the way of falling fireworks shrapnel.)

Crowds also gather at Old Port and different points throughout downtown for equally stunning (and admission-free) views. This year’s lineup includes the U.S. on July 17, Canada on July 24, Sweden on July 31 and France on August 7 before the closing show and awards ceremony on August 14. Let the show begin!

Atwater Market

GUIDEBOOK

Sleep & Stay
Montreal Marriott Château Champlain
1 Place du Canada, 800 200-5909, montrealmarriottchateauchamplain.com

Activities
BIXI Bike Rentals: bixi.com/home/

Just for Laughs Festival: montreal.hahaha.com

International Fireworks Competition:
internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/

Marché Bonsecours: 350 Saint Paul Est St., 514-872-7730, marchebonsecours.qc.ca

Mount Royal Park: montreal.com/parks/mtroyal.html

Notre-Dame Basilica: 116 Notre-Dame Ouest St., 514-842-2925, basiliquenddm.org

Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History: 350 Place Royale, 514-872-9150, pacmusee.qc.ca 

Eat & Drink
Atwater Market: marchespublics-mtl.com

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois: several locations, chocolatsgrandbois.com

Restaurant La Fabrique: 3609 Saint-Denis St., 514-544-5038

Schwartz’s Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen: 3895 Saint-Laurent Blvd., 514-842-4813, schwartzsdeli.com

Suite 88: 1225 de Maisonneuve Ouest Blvd., 514-284-3488, suite88.com

Weather
Average temperatures (High/Low)
July: 90/68 (Montreal’s warmest month),
August: 89/66, September: 82/58

Information
tourisme-montreal.org