Montreal in October: A Travel Guide

This October brought with it the excitement of revisiting one of Jesús and my favorite places ever and my goodness am I excited to share about it.

In a perfect world, Montreal would be my second home, and we would be there all the time.

It’s a place where I feel so at home - a city where I can feel both at rest and also eager to get to work and create.

Jesús and I planned our visit back to MTL far in advance this year with only one real excuse in mind to start out: these two Florida people wanted to see some fall leaves. We also wanted to take a little break from work, dance in and photograph said leaves, freeze our booties off, and eat tons of good food. I’m so happy to say that we did all of those things.

The new and old places we saw and the differences in this trip from our last one makes my heart beam. To watch my love for this city only continue to grow, alongside my eye for photographing our travels is really quite something.

As we were eating, relaxing, and bundling up from the cold, I did what I truly love to do and took note of all the places that we visited in order to share my second follow up travel guide on enjoying time in Montreal! Cafes, Restaurants, Bars, and our favorite non-food+beverage stops (yes, we do have a few of those too). I also did something a little extra special and took note of the songs that played in the background of these places while we spent time in each!

I put them together into a playlist on Spotify in hopes that you might enjoy an October week in Montreal through the songs that I heard, while taking in the places pictured below. Here’s the link to that!

Special thank you’s to my friend, Rachel, for loaning me the gorgeous coat that kept me warm - and to my friends, Audrey and Nada for sharing some wonderful suggestions and their beautiful city with me!

Here it goes!

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General Advice:

• Still similar to my first guide! Only with more layers this time, and perhaps less time spent lounging in the park - ha!

When booking a trip and finding accommodations, I cannot express my love for Airbnb and the Plateau / Mile End sections of Montreal enough!

Coffee Shops:

* Dispatch (arguably our favorite)

* Pastel Rita - perhaps the most beautifully designed coffee shop I’ve ever visited

* Tommy - IG aesthetics + the best chai latte

* Edmond Café Cantine

* Pikolo Espresso Bar

* Nocturne

* Crew Collective & Cafe

* Cafe Myriade

Breakfast/ Brunch/ Lunch:

* Café Parvis - my favorite!

* Olive & Gourmando - amazing brunch/lunch in Old Port! Be prepared for a line.

* Gypsy Cafe + Bar - the avo toast of my dreams!

* L’Avenue - delicious diner style breakfast/brunch spot that’s worth the wait through the line out the door! They don’t take reservations, so I recommend coming early or at an odd time to avoid that long line.

• Fairmount Bagels - best bagels I’ve ever had. Order the fresh sesame bagel, and eat it warm right outside on a bench with some cream cheese and salmon! Gah. Open 24 hrs!

* Chez José Café - delicious Portuguese breakfast and lunch

* Omnivore - great Mediterranean food

* Falafel Yoni - great pitas and super cool shop design!

* LOV - gorgeous vegan restaurant!

Dinner:

* Patati Patata - BEST poutine

* Café Parvis (as well!)

* Sparrow - one of my favorite places for dinner. Unique and delicious food, cocktails and cool cozy vibes.

* Mange Moi - burgers / poutine

* Ichigo Ichie/ Yokato Yokabai - Ramen!

* Bocadillo - arepas

Drinks:

* Bar Darling - The Moctezuma cocktail was amazing!

* Reservoir - love to sit on their terrace in the summertime!

* Pub BreWskey - craft beers in old port

Dessert:

* Chocolat Favoris - dipped soft serve - a favorite every time (even when the weather is freezing)

• Kem Coba

Activities/Excursions:

* Montreal Museum of Fine Arts! Free to anyone under 31 excluding visiting exhibits. We really loved our afternoon at this museum!

* Bota Bota - a floating spa on a ship in old port - basically the coolest, most relaxing place I’ve ever spent an afternoon. Highly recommend a massage, and the water circuit!!

* A hike up the mountain (Parc du Mont Royal)!

* Take a day trip to Quebec City - and if you do, you MUST visit Café Saint-Henri (Saint-Roch) for the most amazing donuts and specialty coffee!