One of my favorite things about Montreal is that it feels like nowhere I have visited in the US, whereas Toronto to me felt like Chicago. Montreal is not only very diverse ethnically but it has a strong French feel to it, from the language people speak to the road signs to the food you eat.
The nightlife on St Laurent St. is more French Canadian than Crescent Street, which is more American meat-market type of scene. Walking around Montreal you see a lot more sights in my view than Toronto. Old Montreal will make you feel like you’re walking around Amsterdam or Copenhagen, and many movies that are set in Europe are filmed here. In the nicer months, Montreal is alive especially during the Grand prix or Jazz Fest.
Quebec City from what I have heard is gorgeous although a lot smaller and not as diverse. It is even more French than Montreal and, while cold in the winter, actually cold as hell in the winter, I have heard that is the best time to go there. The Old Town (which is walled) is supposed to be incredibly quaint.
My visit to Toronto was dissapointing. I had such high hopes for that town and was shocked that it didn’t feel more international. It’s a nice town but it’s like I said no different feeling than a normal US city. That may have something to do with the fact that of the 3, TO has the most international business influence. I personally was also dissapointed that it was such a “club” city for nightlife. I’m not a big fan of clubs in general, much less having to go through metal detectors to get into one. While on vacation.
Montreal and other locations in Canada are so close to the US yet not nearly as many Americans visit as could/should. I’m a huge proponent of Montreal as a perfect long weekend trip or heck, even a fly up there Friday afternoon fly back Sunday evening type of trip. I’m not sure why it is that more people don’t go up to Canada to visit. Canadians are great people in general and great hosts.
Everyone I know who I’ve taken up there has been such big fans of the place. It can satisfy all the following desires: culture, cuisine, partying, sightseeing, shopping, foreign, sports, etc.
Montreal is a city with an amazing cultural wealth. You can see there plenty of architectural monuments and interesting edifices. There are lots of museums and art galleries. You won’t have any time to get bored at all.