Canadian members, any tourism suggestions?

Howdy, thanks to USairways going under I have to cash in my free tickets now before its too late. My spring break is in early March and seeing as how I'm tired of the usual beach fare, I was thinking of heading up to either Toronto or Montreal. I have a few questions for our Canadian friends, or any other members who've visited either of the two cities.

- Hows the weather? I've read that the average temperature in march in either city is about 31 degrees F, which isn't bad at all for an average. Is it comfortable enough outside to walk around either city or is the weather really uninviting?

- Which city is better for the standard American student tourist? I should have around $500 canadian to spend on a four to five day trip. Is that enough to have a decent time?

- Are Americans treated well in Montreal? No offense or anything, but I understand there is some animosity between english speaking Canadians and Quebecians, so I was just curious if it extended towards US citizens as well.

- Whats there to do? Bars are always good, but the wifey and I aren't into clubs, I'm more of an artsy fartsy museum/theatre/film kind of guy while she's into blowing all of her money on Burberry crap...so wine tasting/expensive restaurants/shopping/etc. are more up her alley. Any suggestions?

- I'm trying to make this as romantic as possible, so any inexpensive, easily accessible (via subway or taxi), mushy ideas would be nice.

- Lastly, hows public transportation? Subways, buses, taxis, etc, are they safe in Montreal and Toronto?

Thanks for any help, its greatly appreciated!

Funny you should post this as I just spent Thrs-Sunday in Toronto.

As for getting about, I was mostly driven, but the trollies, er, streetcars, were $2.25. Fo what I've seen, there are no metro buses. Didnt get onto the subway, but I'd assume they were $2.25 also.

I went to this place, I think it was called the Palladium, which was a pretty cool arcade.

The weather was a hair colder than NYC's..

Well, Montreal has an established history of being one of the most "cultured" cities in the country. I've been to both Montreal and Toronto(I actually grew up in Toronto), and both could pretty much offer the same sort of experience if you know where to look.
It should be noted that Montreal is typically colder on average, probably by about 5 degrees or so.
Toronto is probably the most accessible place, catering more to tourism and whatnot.
To dispute what the above poster said, there are definitely metro buses which run 5-10 min apart generally at most hours of the day, so public transportation is quick and affordable($2.25 in Canadian currency). You can basically get anywhere in the city on public transport in under an hour. Also, the buses run 24 hrs(though the night buses are scaled back in frequency). Subways run till about 1 or 2 AM and can get you where you're going very quickly.
Lots of artsy type stuff including galleries, theatres, stage performance etc etc...and for your significant other there is a lot in the way of upscale shopping(out of my price bracket ).
So, I'd say Toronto would be the safer bet....try http://www.toronto.com...

edit: re the english/french thing...Only a small part of the population is of French heritage. It is very ethnically diverse in the major urban centers. There is sometimes animosity, but that is usually due to cultural ignorance I guess, as I was born in English Canada and have never had a problem with anyone from Quebec, and I work with quite a few french people.
Re Americans? Well , I think any problems my country has with America is more to do with foreign policy and poitical issues. Americans as tourists are generally well accepted in cities like Toronto.

BoriquaSNK said:

Howdy, thanks to USairways going under I have to cash in my free tickets now before its too late. My spring break is in early March and seeing as how I'm tired of the usual beach fare, I was thinking of heading up to either Toronto or Montreal. I have a few questions for our Canadian friends, or any other members who've visited either of the two cities.

- Hows the weather? I've read that the average temperature in march in either city is about 31 degrees F, which isn't bad at all for an average. Is it comfortable enough outside to walk around either city or is the weather really uninviting?

- Which city is better for the standard American student tourist? I should have around $500 canadian to spend on a four to five day trip. Is that enough to have a decent time?

- Are Americans treated well in Montreal? No offense or anything, but I understand there is some animosity between english speaking Canadians and Quebecians, so I was just curious if it extended towards US citizens as well.

- Whats there to do? Bars are always good, but the wifey and I aren't into clubs, I'm more of an artsy fartsy museum/theatre/film kind of guy while she's into blowing all of her money on Burberry crap...so wine tasting/expensive restaurants/shopping/etc. are more up her alley. Any suggestions?

- I'm trying to make this as romantic as possible, so any inexpensive, easily accessible (via subway or taxi), mushy ideas would be nice.

- Lastly, hows public transportation? Subways, buses, taxis, etc, are they safe in Montreal and Toronto?

Thanks for any help, its greatly appreciated!

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We're having a very mild winter so far in Montreal compared to last year. It's very comfortable to walk around and by March you shouldn't have any problems.



500$ is about enough to have a good time in Montreal. Toronto is a more expensive experience if you ask me. While Toronto might seem like your average American city, Montreal has a more European touch( and especially Quebec city).



As long as you're not from Boston you should be ok. There is hardly any animosity between english Canadians and Quebecers and when there is it's mostly from deliquant teens and idiots. Don't worry it's not the 60s anymore.


Downtown is mostly clubs, caffees, restaurants and shops at every block. There's a lot of sightseeing to do though. I guess you should check out some websites like www.tourisme-montreal.org You can't go wrong with a nice romantic walk on Mount-Royal. You'll get a nice view of Montreal up from the belvedere and there's lots of animals to feed. Birds will fly up to and eat right from your hands. The old port is nice and so is the Quartier Latin. Theaters and cinemas abound with lots of artsy stuff. Awesome record shops. Montrealers tend to be proud of the city's multiculturalism but that's the case with every big city so I don't see what the fuss is about.


Public transport is great in Montreal and fares are cheaper than in Toronto. The subway and buses can take you anywhere. Check out www.stm.info A weekly pass is 18$ just make sure to buy it at the beginning of the week. You can get a 3 day tourist pass for 16$ but that's fucking stupid when you got the weekly one for just 2$ more.



Well have fun in either Montreal or Toronto.

Thanks very much guys! Sorry for the ignorant questions, I really appreciate any input I can get.

Any other good experiences? I'm teetering towards Montreal, but so far hotel rates have been slightly cheaper in Toronto...I might have to priceline this one and see what pops up.

Ever thought of vancouver?

I like going to toronto for weekend getaways.... Clean, Safe and fun...

I recomend the Xian Xu Resturaunt on Spidina.

The Leafs rule the world, ergo go to Toronto.

I can say that the Toronto subways & buses can be a bit cheaper. If you buy 5/10 tickets tokens the price falls to $1.90 each. Day passes are available for $7.75 I think, good until 6:00 a.m. the next day. Otherwise it's shit, they only bring out week passes for two weeks during Christmas holidays.

If you are into artsy stuff a good long stroll down Queen Street West will please you. http://westqueenwest.ca/

The CN Tower is kind of fun for a little bit, just to apprciate how much green space there is in the city...... which come to think of it would not of course be green right now.

Museums are all over the place so you should have no problem finding some of interest.

While weather is typically bitched about by anyone just because they can you should be warned: there will still be snow. The worst of it will be over, but there will still be snow. We no longer get tulips coming up then.

$500 should be okay I suppose. If you walk around the downtown areas you can sooner or later find some pretty well-priced places to eat that you will actually enjoy eating at. In terms of shopping there are certainly enough malls/posh stores to occupy some time of yours. You can even stroll all around the underground city (an underground shopping centre that covers quite a sizable area with steps up to the outside world scattered about). Just keep on the move and don't spend.

Pity you won't be here for the film fest, in any case you can pick up a newspaper and find a good bit of stuff going on. Musicals, opera, comic shows, should be able to catch an independent film here and there if you're into that.

If you get bored you can venture to all the ethnic areas of the city, the Chinatowns, little Italy, the Greek/Portugese/Indian/etc. areas.

Hmm what else, not sure if they have anything exciting going on at the Harbourfront, but probably. They always do. You might even be able to take a tour around the waterfront on a boat. Personally I don't know.

Hope these scattered semi-awake thoughts are of some help.

Whatever you do...DO NOT come to Saskatchewan it's boring as hell. There's nothing to do and nothing to see. Yeah...it's damn true.

Well, I decided on Montreal. Toronto seems a bit too much like New York City, so I think a little bit of cultural change might be more rewarding. I'm looking at a few of the attractions there and I found the Biodome...is this interesting at all? It seems like it might be cool in a very hippy sort of way, but it also looks a little bit pricey.

Casinos are allright...I'd just be playing hold'em the whole time though.

The theatre seems interesting but I'm at a loss since I don't speak french...might be a little frustrating.

Oye...this is gonna be an adventure. I'm excited though, can't wait.

Now that the Expos have left Montreal, I can't think of a reason to go there. $10 Box seats sure did sound swell.

I'd wait until summer to visit canada, going there in January is a little bit like visiting winter's home town. i.e a frosty clusterfuck.

During this time of year....

Florida>>>>>>>>>>>>Canada.

PS. Norton I've actually seen the Expos play in their home stadium. It was a pretty depressing experience (like going to shea except not as sad) around 1997-8.

Scanline said:

I'd wait until summer to visit canada, going their in January is a little bit like visiting winter's home town. i.e a cold clusterfuck.

During this time of year....

Florida>Canada.

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Yeah, but I'm a little tired of going to the beach every year. I just want something different.

BoriquaSNK said:

Well, I decided on Montreal. Toronto seems a bit too much like New York City, so I think a little bit of cultural change might be more rewarding. I'm looking at a few of the attractions there and I found the Biodome...is this interesting at all? It seems like it might be cool in a very hippy sort of way, but it also looks a little bit pricey.

Casinos are allright...I'd just be playing hold'em the whole time though.

The theatre seems interesting but I'm at a loss since I don't speak french...might be a little frustrating.

Oye...this is gonna be an adventure. I'm excited though, can't wait.

Click to expand...

The biodome is nice. You get to see animals in their "natural" environments. The planetarium might have some cool show too. You can catch a good movie at the Excentris or the Cinema du Parc. No major sports event unless for some football maybe. There's always some concert you could see at the Club Soda or Metropolis. The sound sucks at the Bell Center.


The expos were depressing but not more so than the weather in Florida. It's sunny day after day and becomes so predictable. It's nice to visit but I wouldn't live there unless I was retired.