Romantic Getaway Ideas For Montreal

Montreal is considered the ‘Paris of North America.’ And given Montreal’s amazing culinary scene, wonderful art & architecture, romantic ambiance and its warm French speaking population, set to a backdrop of 374 years of history, it’s a fitting comparison. Montreal is also one of the best cities in North America for a lively night on the town, making it an ideal destination for virtually everyone. For North Americans, romantic getaway ideas for Montreal offer many of the indulgences and intimate moments you’ll find in Paris, without the epic jet lag!

Crepes in Montreal, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Living in Boston, which is less than a six hour drive from Montreal, we knew Montreal would be the perfect place to celebrate our milestone 10 year wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, a work emergency arose last year and our 10 year anniversary plans needed to be altered around that. So we left our Quebec visit for a long weekend to celebrate our 11 year wedding anniversary. We also spent two nights at the wonderfully relaxing Esterel Resort in the picturesque Laurentides region.

Romantic Getaway Montreal

A Romantic Stay in Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal)

We stayed at the luxurious Le Saint Sulpice, adjacent to the beautiful Notre Dame Basillica in charming Old Montreal. Le Saint Sulpice is an award winning 4 diamond hotel featuring 108 suites. Every suite features a kitchenette, Nespresso machine, fireplace and boutique toiletries by L’ Occitane en Provence.

Asides from being the perfect stay for a romantic getaway to Montreal, Le Saint Sulpice is a hotel that fully appreciates the arts. Suites include a copy of the book titled ‘Suite Stories’, which contains short stories written by 14 writers who have previously stayed in the hotel. Le Saint Sulpice also helped produce an award-winning 15 minute mystery film, called La Valise, which takes place at Le Saint Sulpice.

St Sulpice Hotel, Montreal
Le St. Sulpice breakfast at Sinclair Restaurant, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Le Saint Sulpice is right around the corner from St. Paul Street, one of Montreal’s most charming streets to eat, drink and shop. We enjoyed delicious crepes at charming Creperie Chez Suzette, which oozes Parisian-esque character.

One evening we concluded our night at Philemon Bar, which has a lively late night atmosphere for drinks. Old Montreal features a wide variety of great restaurants and hangouts, like Montreal’s first champagne bar, La Champagnerie, which is perfect for an anniversary celebration or other special occasions.

Maison Birks – a historic jewelry store in business since 1879

If you’re visiting Montreal for a special occasion and want to buy some beautiful jewelry as a gift – Maison Birks is the place to shop. Maison Birks used to house a scrumptious restaurant, but Birks Cafe has closed. The cafe is said to have inspired the popular Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The historic jewelry store, in business since 1879 remains open.

Birks cafe, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Hire a Private Guide

For couples short on time in Montreal, it’s an excellent idea to hire a private guide so you can get the most out of the city. Nathalie Thivierge, founder of Native Tours, gave us an excellent 2 and 1/2 hour private tour of Montreal in her comfortable SUV that also included great stops on foot. She personally caters her tours to the interests of her clients and her car was extremely clean, comfortable and spacious.

Download the Free Montreal en Histoires App

Nathalie showed us how to use the fantastic Montreal en Histoires app, which has been developed for the upcoming 375th anniversary of Montreal next year. The free app allows you to discover Montreal through an amazing multidimensional experience.

With the app, your phone will present images of what certain buildings looked like centuries ago. It also allows you to place yourself in shots that merge past and present! If you don’t hire a private guide, this can be a wonderfully romantic way to discover the city with your loved one.

Montreal en Histoires App, Montreal in History App, Romantic Getaway Montreal
Montreal en Histoires App photo, Montreal in History

Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal)

A visit inside the stunning Notre-Dame Basilica is an excellent idea for many couples visiting Montreal. Set to dazzling blue and gold colors, Notre-Dame Basilica was originally built in 1829. We’ve seen fantastic houses of worship all over the world, and we still left extremely impressed. During a visit, be sure not to miss the lovely Chapel of Notre-Dame du Sacre Coeur. Situated just behind the main section of the basilica, this ornate chapel is crafted entirely of linden wood.

Notre Dame Montreal, Romantic Getaway Montreal
NotreDame cathedral

Discover Montreal’s Unique Architecture

Our private guide, Nathalie, pointed out Montreal’s unique modern architecture built for the 1967 world’s fair. From the Old Port, we gazed across the St. Lawrence River at Habitat 67, a unique cubist structure which has been converted into apartments. As it was cold, she discussed the massive geodesic dome, the Montreal Biosphere, while passing it in her car. The Biosphere is now an environmental museum, originally built by the same architect, Buckminster Fuller, who designed the Epcot Center ball, Spaceship Earth.

From a wonderful vantage point atop Mount Royal, Nathalie discussed the world’s tallest inclined tower above Olympic Stadium, built for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Measuring 574 feet (175 meters), the tower’s cables are used for the stadium’s retractable roof. Despite the Expos baseball team leaving in 2004, it’s still an impressive site for avid sports fans.

Enjoy Quebecois Beers at a Gastropub

Nathalie also drove us through the trendy Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods. This allowed us to get a personal overview of Montreal in a short period of time. Rue Saint Denis is lined with hip hangouts. Nathalie pointed out L’Amere a Boire as an excellent place to enjoy delicious craft beers and great pub food. And that was a recommendation we thoroughly enjoyed for dinner that night.

We loved everything about L’Amere a Boire. Its unique menu features delicious items like pilon de canard (duck drumsticks) and the lapin burger (rabbit burger). There were a lot of couples hanging out there. So it is ideal for fellow craft beer lovers wanting a casual romantic night out.

collage - Montreal Microbews

Visit the World Class Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

For art loving couples, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musee Des Beaux Arts) is fantastic. More than 45,000 works feature a wealth of Quebec, Canadian and internationa art. We were impressed with the collection of over 220 mosaics, frescoes, statues and artefacts on the special Pompeii Exhibition. A multidimensional theatre experience elevates their special exhibitions.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts also has a wonderful permanent collection. We particularly enjoyed impressionist works by Monet and surrealist paintings by Picasso.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musee de Beaux Arts
collage - Pompeii exhibit

Enjoy Tasty Cocktails in Mile End

In Montreal’s hip and artsy Mile End, we highly recommend cocktails and tapas at the Portuguese influenced Bar Henrietta. Their citrusy ‘Belle Jaune’ cocktail was refreshing and paired well with the unique and tasty black pudding chorizo tapa.

Bar Henrietta is perfect for couples looking for a lively and upscale night on the town. After a visit here, just walk down Boulevard Saint-Laurent. There is a wealth of other great options a stone’s throw away.

Bar Henrettia, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Relax and Pamper Yourself at a Unique Spa

A relaxing idea for couples on a romantic getaway in Montreal would be a visit to the Bota Bota spa. Bota Bota has a unique setup on a boat docked in the Old Port of Montreal. It offers picturesque views of the city from the ship.

While we would have otherwise loved to enjoy their spa and perhaps a massage, our time in Montreal was short. We also knew there was a nordic spa at the Esterel Resort in the Laurentides, where we headed immediately after Montreal during our 11 year wedding anniversary getaway.

Bota Bota Spa, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Watch the Sunset over Montreal from Mount Royal

Another romantic idea for couples is to visit Mount Royal at sunset. In summer, you could plan to pack a picnic and stroll around the park. And if you visit in winter, you can even toboggan in Mount Royal! Unfortunately, as the weather warmed prior to our March visit, the tobogganing had ended. While Mount Royal is pretty in all seasons, the autumn foliage is meant to be the best time to visit.

Montreal deserves its title as ‘The Paris of North America.’ The only city on the continent that compares to it is Quebec City, which is smaller. Montrealers embrace their rich history and French speaking culture. The city’s culinary scene rivals any destination in the world. This makes it the perfect destination to celebrate a wedding anniversary or another romantic occasion.

Mount Royal sunset, Romantic Getaway Montreal

Disclosure: We were hosted by the Quebec Tourism Board (#QuebecOriginal) and Tourism Montreal (#MTLmoments). We thank them for their wonderful hospitality during our amazing 11 year wedding anniversary weekend. But all opinions and photos in this article are our own. Also, this article contains some affiliate links. 

Author

  • Alex&Bell

    Alex and Bell originally met while solo traveling after finishing university in 2002, in Brugge, Belgium. Alex grew up in the USA and Bell hails from Australia. During our nearly 20 year marriage we've lived around the world, including spending six years living in the Netherlands and Ireland. We have traveled to nearly 70 countries and enjoy giving readers authentic and quality travel tips. Alex is an award winning travel journalist and travel planner, who also freelances for other outlets. Bell is an award winning PhD scientist who currently works for a non-profit lung cancer advocacy research organization called Lungevity. Happy travels and if you have any questions leave a comment or drop an email!

14 thoughts on “Romantic Getaway Ideas For Montreal

    1. Thanks, Connie! Notre-Dame Basilica is really beautiful. Montreal is wonderful but it gets very cold in winter. That still works great for a romantic getaway, but couples should map out a few great indoor spots and this should definitely be on the list.

    1. Thanks, Kaley! We really had an awesome time on our long anniversary weekend! Montreal’s nightlife is the best in Canada so that might also interest you among the many reasons why it’s also a great city for solo travelers!

  1. I’ve been planning to visit Montreal for a while, so your post was very useful for me. I’m going to bookmark it for future reference. I would rather visit it in spring or fall though, rather than in winter. I’m sure it will be more crowded, but still a great destination. Lovely photos of the Notre-Dame du Sacre Coeur!

    1. Thank you and we’re thrilled that you’ll return to look at this again before a future trip to Montreal! We would love to see Mount Royal in the fall, when the leaves change. Our private guide, Nathalie from Native Tours, told us that’s the most beautiful time to visit the park. But yeah, a little later in spring would also be fantastic when the flowers start blooming. Our visit was March 9th-11th and fortunately it didn’t dip below freezing at night 🙂

  2. I completely agree! Montreal is so romantic with the gothic churches and the cobbled streets. It’s like having a small part of Europe in Canada.

    1. Hi Christina. Absolutely! It’s wonderful to have this slice of Europe driving distance from Boston!

  3. Montreal looks like an awesome destination, didn’t realize there was so much to do. A Tiffany’s inspired breakfast is on our list now 🙂

  4. Very nice, I lived in Montreal over 25 years (still have my condo there) and you almost made me miss the place. And you get my thumbs up because not once did you mention either poutine, bagels, or smoked meat. I get so upset when people associate these things with Montreal – a city that has incredible and varied cuisine and where only the tourists eat that crap.

    And I’ve eaten at all the places you’ve mentioned. Sounds like you appreciated some of the best of Montreal.

    Frank (bbqboy)

    1. Thanks for the compliment, Frank! That means a lot given you lived in Montreal for 25 years.

      We did eat Poutine at Poutineville with some friends in Montreal (recommended by them, and it was very good). We just didn’t mention that in this article. We’re planning to recommend that poutine in a future Montreal article and now you have me feeling a little self conscious about it!

      You’re absolutely right, Montreal’s cuisine is very diverse. But some people do prefer simpler foods. We consider ourselves foodies, but we still appreciate good bagels. If the ingredients are fresh and prepared well, we’ll probably like it.

      Thanks for commenting, appreciate the tips from a long time resident and happy travels!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.