Howl Guide to Montreal — the howl mag

Sights + Thoughts | Fatima Hussain

Day One: Downtown Montreal

Is it a tourist trap? Yes. Should you still go? Absolutely. There’s a long line outside but it moves very quickly so don’t be intimidated. We decided to start at Notre Dame to work our way down from the more “Must see” to the hidden gems.

The majority of our first day was spent at MAC (Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal), Montreal’s modern art gallery. We caught the Rebecca Belmore and the Francis Alÿs exhibits. Check out what they have on during your visit on their website: https://macm.org/en/exhibitions/

Before heading home we managed to squeeze in a trip to what may be my favourite vintage store in Montreal, Eva B. It’s walking distance from the MAC, so you can head over once you’re done there. You won’t regret it visiting Eva B, but your wallet might. That being said, it’s also cheaper than many of the other vintage stores in Montreal, despite being more centrally located.

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We grabbed lunch between the MAC and Eva B at a Japanese hot dog place called Hotto Doggu. I had the chicken karaage hot dog, which is essentially Japanese fried chicken in a hot dog bun with some kind of spicy mayo. If you were on the internet a month ago you may have caught the social media battle between fast-food chains over who was the best chicken sandwich. Well if you count a hot dog as a sandwich then Hotto Doggu is my winner. When I got back to Toronto I desperately tried to figure out if Toronto has anything similar, and the unfortunate answer is we don’t.

Day Two: Picnic in Mont Royal

We started day two by going to a grocery store and a farmers market to pick up supplies for our picnic. What or if you go to a farmers market depends on where you’re staying. We happened to be near the adorable Atwater market so we headed there. Worst comes to worst you can just head to the nearest grocery store and that will work just as well. And don’t forget to bring a picnic blanket!

The picture really says it all here. Just walk up to Beaver lake, pick a spot, load up a playlist, and relax.

From Beaver lake, you can take the 11 or 711 bus to the Belvédère Camillien-Houde lookout. From there you can look down at the whole city. We were there in the morning but if you time it right you can come during the sunset and watch the city light up.

Day 3: Mile End

We spent the entirety of our last day exploring the neighbourhood of MIle End. Only a subway ride a short walk away from downtown and you’ll find this oasis of independent art galleries, record stores, book stores, vintage stores, and whimsical cafes. Oh and there’s also a skate park.