We’ll admit it. We are partial to Montreal. Montreal is a world-class city where buildings from the 19th century share the streetscape with glass-clad towers. It’s a beautiful city, a river island, actually, whose rich heritage and cultural diversity is unrivaled by almost any other North American city. Even so, Montreal remains friendly, with the approachable vibe of a college town.

We were fortunate enough to spend three days in Montreal recently, and here is how we spent some of our 72 hours.

CHECKING IN

Le Germain Hotel Montreal, is a well-priced and well-located hotel with luxurious rooms. The room had everything today’s traveler needs: free wi-fi, iPod docks, Nespresso coffee maker, and a safe. An interesting architectural feature is the big window from the shower to the rest of the room. Wow! More things to love? The staff is very professional and friendly, and there is a free hot breakfast included. Located between two metro stations, and within walking distance to museums, shopping, and attractions, Le Germain is the perfect place to stay in Montreal.

EATING GOOD

If we lived in Montreal, we’d eat Indian food and bagels every day. Seriously.

Our favorite dining experience was at Darbar, a lively Indian restaurant located in an area called Quartier de Spectacles. Locals go here as much for the delicious Northern Indian food as for the gracious hospitality. We had the chicken tikka, lamb balti, shrimp curry, and other sides. We recommend this family-owned resto to anybody who enjoys food prepared in the Punjabi tradition. We dropped in on a crowded night without a reservation but the owner invited us to sit at the lovely bar. It was a lot of fun. You can sit at a table, on the floor, or on their outdoor terrace. 2027 Saint Laurent Blvd.

Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen opened in 1928 and is famous the world over for its smoked meat. The meat is cured and smoked at the deli and aged without chemicals. We came to the bustling restaurant to eat the classic Schwartz’s meal of a medium-fat sandwich, coleslaw, pickle, fries, and a black cherry soda. There’s a long line, but worth it. In the Le Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood. 3895 Saint Laurent Blvd.

Who knew Montreal is famous for its bagels? There are two great bagel bakers in Montreal: Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bakery. They are only blocks apart, so we tried both. We found Montreal bagels to be different from the dense bagels we’re used to in the U.S. We found the bagels at each bakery to be crusty and a little sweet, with Fairmont’s bagel being the sweeter of the two. If you only have time to visit one shop, we don’t think you’ll be sad with your choice. Both in the Mile End neighborhood. Fairmount: 74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest; St-Viateur: 263 Rue St-Viateur Ouest.

SEEING THE SIGHTS

Old Montreal: Why not start where it all began? We got our culture fix in the well-preserved historic center of Montreal. On these cobblestone streets is where we found most of the major heritage attractions — Notre-Dame Basilica, Place-d’Armes, and first rate museums. With over 500 shops and restaurants, there is always something happening along the narrow winding streets and public squares of Old Montreal. The atmosphere really is full of joie de vivre!

Mont-Royal Park: Affectionately called “The Mountain” by Montrealers, Parc de Mont-Royal is a beautiful park with a 764-foot-high peak. The park was designed by the architect of New York’s Central Park. We walked the winding trails for terrific views of the city and to take in the fresh air as we passed through lovely wooded areas to ponds, historical landmarks, and, even, two cemeteries. The Catholic cemetery in the park is the largest cemetery in all of Canada. At the very top is the sacred dome of Saint Joseph’s, the highest point in the city.

Olympic Park & Surrounding Area: This is where we found the Olympic Stadium, an architectural marvel built for the 1976 Olympic Games. In the same complex, we toured the Biodome. The Biodome houses thousand of plants and animals from four different ecosystems. Of course, this led us to the Insectarium where we visited creepy, crawling insects from every part of the world. Just outside the Insectarium is the Jardin Botanique — the third largest botanical garden in the world. We were exhausted by the end of the day!

Musée des Beaux-Arts: Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts is not just the city’s largest museum; it is also the oldest museum in Canada. In addition to the Old Masters, the museum has an eclectic collection: Inuit art, ancient artifacts from Greece, Victorian furniture, and contemporary works. The classical pavilion is a marble-covered beauty.

SWEET SHOPPING

Of course we visited candy stores and confectioners! Montreal is a great place to have a sweet tooth. We didn’t get to visit every confiserie because “real food” but here is a list of the places we visited during our stay, arranged by neighborhood.

Downtown:

Divine Chocolatier. Handcrafted artisanal Belgian chocolates and award-winning truffles.

La Confiserie CandyLabs. Craft hard candies made in front of customers.

Plateau Mont-Royal:

Freak Lunchbox. Candy store selling classic and novelty candies and pop culture items.

Juliette et Chocolat. One in a popular Montreal-based chain of restaurants/chocolate stores.

Les Chocolats de Chloe. Boutique where you can watch the owner make high-end chocolates with exotic flavors

Chinatown:

Dragon Beard Candy. Johnny Chin’s landmark confectionery for Chinese Dragon Beard candy.

Old Montreal:

Canadian Maple Delights. A shop that sells all things maple, including high quality candy.

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