Tell me about Montreal/Quebec City

[DocRafiki]

Going to Montreal -- should I go to Quebec City? I only have 4 days in the area.

Tell me about the language use. Is it rude to speak English right off the bat. Should I TRY to speak French first, like they like you to do in France?

What are the must-sees for a short trip? Know any good inexpensive hotels? Not much time for planning. How's the public transportation? I have a "Top 10" travel book; just wanted to get more personalized recommendations.


TIA!

 

[Banzai]

I loved Quebec City. I went for Carnaval last year, and we stayed at Lowes Le Concorde. Prices vary from what I understand on their website from 89-150 CDN. I spoke French for the most part in Quebec City, as some people spoke no English. However, I did request English at some points.



Montreal, however, I spoke English for the most part. The restrauents I used some French.

 

[2disneywego]

I sent you a PM.

Montreal is an absolutely amazing city, very safe with incredible public transportation.

Don't miss the Biodome, it's wonderful.

 

[DocRafiki]

THanks, guys!

Banzai -- you prefer Quebec City over Montreal? Even if it's not during Carnival?

 

[Banzai]

Their lies the problem. I was only their during Carnaval. And we spent more time in Quebec as well.

 

[damo]

They are completely different. Montreal is very metropolitan where Quebec City is very quaint. Montreal is a large city and Quebec City is quite small.

You can speak whatever you want as both cities are mostly bilingual and very few are offended if you don't speak English.

Most people will speak to you in French. If you reply in English, they will continue the conversation in English. My son and I were in both cities last summer. He is bilingual and I can understand French but not speak it very well. People would talk to him in French and me in English. There was no problem and nobody really cared one way or another.

 

[Michelemouse]

The two cities are quite a distance apart and each has enough to do for 4 days so I would concentrate on just one of them. I much prefer Quebec City, although both places are great. I just prefer the European feel and the quaint, charming atmosphere of QC. It is the only walled city in North America and you really do feel like you are in another world. You'll get a bit of that in Vieux Montreal (the old part of the city). Montreal is much more citi-fied and much like major cities in the US, except for the language difference. I think you'll find that English is widely spoken in Motnreal and less so in Quebec City. I would be more likely to speak French first in QC than I would in Montreal.

Hope that was helpful.

 

[olena]

Montreal is gorgeous. I speak French, but I noticed many employees in hotels and restaurants could speak both easily and often in the same breath.

 

[missypie]

Before our trip to Quebec, a co-worker who was from another province in Canada told me that the people in Quebec spoke English, but that they would be rude when you spoke to them in English. HOwever, we didn't know any French at the time and everyone in Quebec City was great to us. A college girl working at one of the restaurants told us that you are required to be bilingual to work in the old part of the city.

Later in the week we spent some time at a resort outside of Quebec City. We were sitting in the hot tub talking to a man from another province in Canada. He said that folks were very rude to him in Quebec City when he spoke English.

My conclusion: People from Quebec might be rude to other Canadians who don't speak French, but they don't expect Americans to speak French.

 

[damo]

I'm Canadian and no one was rude in either city when I spoke English. I find that if you are polite to start with, people will be polite in return. Everyone needs to practice tolerance and respect when they are a tourist in their own country or a foreign country.

 

[Nutsy]

You should try shooting faithinkarma a PM. I think you'll find she lived in Quebec before moving to NY.

 

[Sonya]

YOU MUST GO TO QUEBEC CITY! It is one of my most favoritist cities in the world. I can't wait to take DS there this summer, and he won't even remember it yet. It is so romantic and quaint and European. The people are all so nice (at least to me) and the city is beautiful. You can go to the Citidale and take a a tour, walk along the Dufferin Terrace, go shopping all over the city, enjoy some great meals, see the Quebec museum, walk through the Chateau Frontenac, take the ferry across to the island for a different view, tour the National Assembly, and go to the 31st floor of the observatory to see the city from above. You can walk everywhere! If you have a car, drive east to see the cathedral of St. Ann and drive up in the mountains to a sugar shack and get some real maple syrup.

I usually start with Bonjour and see where the conversation goes from there, I speak French and DH speaks English, we have had no problem.

As for Montreal, I have been there several times and really haven't gotten into the city. The old square is a nice place to hang out and the botanical gardens are very nice, and Mont Royal is good for a hike, but there didn't really seem like there was a lot for us there. It's a big city.

Sorry to sound like a total plug for Quebec, but I really fell in love with the place. I get up there about every other summer. And I believe the 2 cities are about 3 hours apart.

 

[clh2]

I had the opportunity to visit Quebec City many years ago, due to a conference that was held there.

I loved that city and hope I have a chance to go back! It is very quaint, and had a very European flair to it. Our conference, if I remember correctly and if I can spell it correctly was the Chateau Frontenac.


Nobody was offended at my lack of French!

 

[swea_pea1]

DH and I did a train tour of Europe. Spent three days in Montreal and 2 in Quebec City. As others have said, the cities are quite different, but either one could easily occupy you for 4 days. I will say that in retrospect, we'd always said we'd like to go back to Montreal because we thought we missed more there only being there for a short time. We could have spent a week there!

I never tried to speak French in Montreal, but did in Quebec City. They caught my American accent right away and spoke to me in English, even if I started with "bonjour". We found absolutely no rudeness either place.

Originally posted by clh2
Our conference, if I remember correctly and if I can spell it correctly was the Chateau Frontenac.

We stayed at the Chateau Frontenac and it was phenomenal! I had never stayed at a nicer hotel before that and never have since. We had told the staff that we were on our honeymoon when we checked in. They gave us a beautiful suite (honestly, bigger than our apartment at home) and when the bellman brought our bags, he asked us who we were. We were pretty confused and said that basically, we were just tourists. He told us that they put us in one of their best rooms, and actually the one Fergie and Andrew stayed in when they were there! So that's my claim to fame...I slept in Fergie's bed!!!!

 

[DocRafiki]

Oh, THANKS, everyone! Now I'm getting excited! Well I'm definitely going to Montreal (going to a concert there). Now I really want to go to Quebec City, esp after Sonya's glowing review. I really do like metropolitan areas, though, so I'm sure I'll be plenty happy with Montreal. Maybe I will just have to give Quebec City a try sometime when I have more time. Now I'm just worried about the COLD. I will have to buy some cold-weather clothes! Eek!