Montreal, Canada: The Trip That Started It All

This post accompanies Episode 27 of Marrying Your Passions, "Montreal Travel Guide: Old Montreal, Mont Royal & Notre Dame Basilica." Listen to the full conversation for the stories, the laughs, and everything we could not fit into this post.

Nathan and Alicia visiting Mont Royal way back in 2006. Their first trip EVER together as a couple!

Before marriage. Before the 50 state marathon quest. Before any of it, there was Montreal.

This one goes back further than almost anything else we've ever written about. Back to August 2006, when we took our very first trip together as a couple, and back again to 2023, when we finally made it back and got to see it all with completely different eyes.

Where It All Began

It was the summer between Nathan's undergraduate and graduate degrees, and Alicia was already in law school. We'd been officially dating for about five or six months, honestly probably less than that when the trip actually got planned, which looking back was a pretty quick timeline for a brand new relationship. But it turned out to be a sign of things to come.

Nathan's mom had given him some graduation money, and he wanted to use it to travel. He'd studied French in high school and one semester in college, and Montreal had a reputation for feeling like a European city without ever leaving North America. So he planned the whole trip on his own, then asked Alicia if she wanted to come along.

She said yes, and off we went.

We drove up from Asheville, North Carolina, where Nathan was staying and working that summer. Alicia had actually driven up to Asheville to see him earlier that same summer, but this was the first time we ever traveled anywhere together. In hindsight, driving to Montreal from the same city she'd just driven to for him feels like an early bit of foreshadowing for the life we'd end up building. We love thinking of great travel ideas, asking "why not," and then making them happen! We loved it then. We love it now.

We spent about four nights total in the city.

Where We Stayed

Our first two nights, August 7 and 8, were spent at Le Sous-bois, a hostel on St. Vincent Street in the Quartier Latin. We were grad students trying to save money, and it did the job. Hostel listings show mixed reports on current availability, so it's worth confirming before you book.

The next two nights, August 9 and 10, we stayed at a bed and breakfast called Studios Montreal & Au Coeur de la Ville, on Sainte-Famille Street in the McGill Ghetto area, just off Prince Arthur. It was a beautiful old Victorian style townhouse, run by a couple named Nadège and Thierry. Unfortunately, it isn't a B&B anymore. The address is now a private residence, so you'll need to find your own lodging if you're headed that way.

One less fun memory from that stop: our car got broken into while parked outside the B&B, and an iPod Nathan had left inside was stolen. Lesson learned. Don't leave valuables visible in a car with out of state or out of country plates.

What We Saw on That First Trip

Mont Royal. A huge park in the middle of the city, up some genuinely steep hills, with an overlook that gives you a beautiful view over Montreal. We have a photo of Alicia sitting on the edge of that overlook wall from this trip that still hangs in our bedroom today.

Alicia at Mont Royal on 2006 with the city behind her.

Olympic Stadium. Home of the 1976 Olympics and the former home of the Montreal Expos, who had already left the city by the time we visited. Nathan is a huge baseball fan, so even without a game to see, touring the stadium was a lot of fun. Tours are still offered today.

A duck boat tour. We had no idea these existed before stumbling onto one. It's an amphibious bus that drives you around the city, then turns and drives straight into the St. Lawrence River, transforming into a boat mid-tour. We passed the Molson brewery along the way, and the smell of bread and beer drifting off it was so memorable that Nathan bought Molson six packs back in the States for months afterward, just for the nostalgia. This attraction has closed since we first visited, but there are many other options if you are looking for a boat ride on the St. Lawrence River.

The Underground City. The largest underground pedestrian network in the world, over 20 miles of tunnels, shops, and transit hubs beneath downtown Montreal. It felt strange and a little disorienting, in the best way, especially coming from Florida where going underground usually means you're in trouble.

Visiting McDonald's in Montreal's Underground City back in 2006

Notre Dame Basilica. A masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture and one of Canada's most visited historic landmarks. Built in 1829, it's genuinely one of those places that makes you forget you're still in North America. We have visited on both of our trips and highly recommend it.

The beauty of the Basilica is breathtaking.

Old Montreal. Cobblestone streets, small shops, cafes, and restaurants, all wrapped into a walkable historic core along the waterfront.

The cobbled streets of Old Montreal.

Fast Forward to 2023

Seventeen years later, we found ourselves back in Montreal, on May 29, 2023, for a very different kind of visit.

We were staying in Burlington, Vermont for the week after Nathan ran the Vermont City Marathon and Alicia ran a leg of the marathon relay. We have friends in Burlington, and since we were already in the area, a day trip up to Montreal felt like an easy add. It's about a 90 -120 minute drive each way on the main route, and getting through customs was smooth in both directions.

We loved visiting La Grabne Roue (Montreal Eye) in the Old Port area

We spent most of the day in Old Montreal, walking the same cobblestone streets from 2006, browsing the shops along the water, and taking in just how much and how little had changed. We rode the Montreal Eye, a 60 meter observation wheel in the old port that wasn't there on our first trip, at least as far as we can remember. We went back up Mont Royal on purpose, specifically to recreate that photo of Alicia at the overlook, seventeen years apart. And we went back to Notre Dame Basilica too, just as moved the second time as the first.

Back at Mont Royal seveneen years later. This time in 2023!

For lunch, we found LOV, a fully vegan and vegetarian restaurant right in Old Montreal on Rue McGill. It's the kind of meal we'd go back for in a heartbeat, and the good news is that location is still open today.

The food and drinks at LOV are delicious! We highly recommend it.

On the drive back south, still on the Canadian side of the border, we made a point of stopping at a Tim Hortons. It holds a special place in Nathan's heart, since he worked at two different Tim Hortons locations back in Ohio, once during grad school while he was single, and again during the first year of our marriage.

What Changed Between Trips

One of the more interesting parts of comparing these two trips is how much simply crossing the border changed. Back in 2006, before the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect in 2009, you could cross into Canada by land with just a driver's license and a birth certificate. That's actually how we crossed. By 2023, that had changed completely. Now you need a valid passport, a passport card, a NEXUS card, or an Enhanced Driver's License to cross by land, a standard license alone won't do it. Worth knowing if it's been a while since you've made a land crossing into Canada yourself.

Currency wise, it's Canadian dollars, so it's worth checking the exchange rate before you go. And while French is the official language of Quebec, English is spoken widely enough in Montreal that it's an easy city for English speaking travelers to get around in.

Our Biggest Takeaway

Looking back on both of these trips, our biggest takeaway is a personal one. That 2006 trip foreshadowed so much of who we'd become and the life we'd end up building together. We were already, in a lot of ways, the people we were going to be, and there's something really interesting, and honestly fortunate, about finding someone that early who already fit that future.

The 2023 trip feels very on brand for us too, in a different way. We were staying in Burlington, realized we were kind of close to a city we loved, and just said, let's make the four hour round trip up and back for the day. That's very us.

More broadly, this one is just another reminder of what we always say: take the trip, do the thing!

Things We'd Love to Do on a Third Trip

There's still plenty we haven't done in Montreal, and we'd love a reason to go back a third time.

Cirque du Soleil. We've never made it to a show, but it's one of the things Montreal is most known for internationally. It was founded there and is still headquartered in the city.

Montreal bagels. There's a genuine bagel rivalry worth experiencing, St-Viateur and Fairmount are the two names that come up again and again.

The Montreal Marathon. After we finish our fifty state quest, we want to run each of the Canadian provinces too, and the Montreal Marathon, held every fall, is already on that list.

Fall in Montreal. Nathan has always had a special affinity for Canada, the beauty of it, the seemingly remote feel of it, and a genuine love of cool weather. A trip during the fall season is high on the wish list.

Notre Dame Basilica: What to Know Before You Go

The beautiful altar area of the Basilica.

Since it's one of the most visited landmarks in the city, and a place we've now visited twice ourselves, it's worth a few practical notes. Tickets run CA$16 for adults, CA$15 for seniors, CA$14 for students, and CA$10 for kids 6 to 16, with children under 6 admitted free. It's still an active place of worship, so visit respectfully, but don't skip it. The architecture alone, inside and out, is worth the stop.

Give It a Listen

Two trips, seventeen years apart, and a whole lot of memories in between. If you're planning your own Montreal getaway, chasing a future Canadian province marathon, or just love a good "we were already who we'd become" kind of story, this episode is for you.

Not someday. Today.

Visiting Old Montreal seventeen years later

Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel and Adventure podcast is hosted by Nathan and Alicia Adams, married 19 years and DINK by choice, who travel, run marathons, scuba dive, and eat their way through life together. This is a space where your latest adventure is the opening line, not your kid's age. Whether you're a DINK couple, empty nester, or anyone ready to adventure NOW, this podcast is for you. New episodes every other week. Subscribe, leave us a review, and keep adventuring!