Tourists like Montreal in the winter because of the beautiful and ornate lighting displays the city puts up throughout the downtown district, from the middle of November to the middle of February. But there are many more reasons to visit this French Canadian metropolis if you’re looking for safe and sane travels this coming winter. You can drive in, fly in, or even hike in from surrounding national parks that stay open all winter with special indoor facilities for those who love to brave the cold.
Ritz Carlton Montreal
Maybe you can’t afford to stay there, but you can always afford to enjoy a few meals at their string of bistros along the ground floor. Their filet-mignon is world-renowned, and has been known to make chefs in Paris turn green with envy. It’s surprisingly inexpensive.
Grillades DaSilva
They do one thing, and they do it well. Portuguese chicken. This hole-in-the-wall cafe is open all night, and it’s where everyone goes in the wee hours for the chicken and a last glass of wine before calling it a night.
Mount Royal Park
The ‘Central Park of Montreal.’ Horse riding in the summer and sleigh rides in the winter, past some of the most gorgeous landscaping north of the Hudson river. There are several large municipal skating rinks open from 7 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.