How to Plan the Perfect Montreal Winter Vacation — Luxury Hotels, Snow Adventures, and Incredible Restaurants

Bundle up and bring an appetite for all things artisanal.

The historic streets of Montreal are enticing at any time of year, but they're especially magical under a blanket of winter snow. Between December and March, the city hosts a range of winter festivals and offers endless things to do like indulging in Quebec's comforting local cuisine. As you stroll down the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal and sip mulled wine under strings of twinkling lights, you might feel like you've been transported to a Christmas market in Europe — minus the long flight.

While there's no sugarcoating the weather (temperatures average between 23 and 27 degrees Fahrenheit in January and February), Montrealers have cracked the code to making it bearable: good food, fine wine, and plenty of events to warm the soul. And since the French-Canadian metropolis offers both old-world and contemporary delights, there's something for everyone on a Montreal winter getaway.

Start with something sweet.

The fun continues into maple syrup season, which typically lasts from February to April. Cabanes à sucres (sugar shacks) pop up around the city during these months, serving maple taffy and other treats that celebrate Quebec's sweetest natural resource. While there's a chance you've had Quebec maple syrup before — the province produces more than 60 percent of the global supply — your trip to Montreal wouldn't be complete without getting a taste of the stuff where it's made.

Attend a winter festival.

The people of Quebec love a party. La Belle Province, as it's known, hosts more than 500 festivals every year, and many of its most epic events take place in Montreal. Despite the cold, winter in Montreal is packed with activities, and the season kicks off with Christmas markets like the massive Christmas Village held each year at Atwater Market.

Electronic music lovers flock to the city for Igloofest, which takes place over four weekends in January and February. As one of the only EDM events held outside in the winter, it calls itself "the coldest music festival in the world." Later in February, Montreal trades bumping music for bright lights, courtesy of Montréal en Lumière. This multi-week event illuminates the city's downtown cultural district with an array of interactive light shows. It also brings recreational and dining events ranging from ice skating to high-end tasting menus. Be sure to visit during Nuit Blanche, the one-night centerpiece of the festival, when more than 200 art installations stay open for viewing all night long.

Get active outdoors.

It would be a shame to visit Montreal without partaking in one of Canada's favorite winter pastimes: ice skating. The city has no shortage of rinks, but one of the best is at Esplanade Tranquille, a 16,000-square-foot rink. For other urban winter sports, head to Mount Royal Park, where you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and even fat bike on snowy trails crisscrossing the mountain that gave Montreal its name.

Warm up inside with arts and culture.

On particularly blustery days, Montreal's museums, art galleries, and historic buildings offer a perfect reprieve from the windchill. The Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal is a must-visit for the French-inspired Gothic Revival architecture alone, but it's also worth attending the award-winning Aura light show, a ticketed immersive art experience that enhances the basilica's features using light, sound, and video mapping. Inside the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, you'll find an impressive permanent collection and rotating exhibits.

Sample Montreal's classic dishes.

Artisanal cheese, wood-fired bagels, and smoked meat sandwiches are just a few of the delights that attract epicureans to Montreal. Cheese lovers often make a beeline to Jean-Talon Market, one of the largest open-air markets in North America, while Schwartz's Deli is the place to go for smoked meat sandwiches and La Banquise boasts endless varieties of poutine. If you still have an appetite after trying these treats, put your bagel-judging skills to the test at St-Viateur and Fairmount — two establishments that have long battled for the title of best bagel shop in Montreal. They both serve the city's classic style of crispy, golden bagels, which are boiled in honey water before being cooked in a wood-burning oven.

Dine at locally loved restaurants.

As one of Canada's most culturally diverse cities, Montreal is a hub for international cuisine. In the hip neighborhood of Griffintown, cozy Italian restaurant Nora Gray serves stick-to-your-ribs pasta dishes, while Tiradito in the nearby business district excels in Japanese-Peruvian fusion. Alternatively, Fleurs et Cadeaux is a sushi bar housed in an old flower and gift shop with an expertly curated sake list.

You'll want a reservation for hot spots like Toqué, which boasts a delectable seven-course farm-to-table tasting menu. Place Carmin is a bold French eatery from the creators of beloved Montreal restaurants Bouillon Bilk and Cadet and the slow-food mecca Cabaret L'Enfer is another favorite, thanks to its ever-changing menu focused on seasonal Quebecois ingredients.

Pick a great hotel.

There is no shortage of splurge-worthy options when it comes to the best hotels in Montreal. Housed in two historic buildings in the heart of Old Montreal, Hotel William Gray is perfectly located for those wanting to explore city-center landmarks like Notre-Dame Basilica. With a cool communal library, vinyl collection, and year-round pop-up events, it tends to pull in a creative set. The beloved coffee-and-pastry spot Café Olimpico has an outpost on site, so be sure to stop by to enjoy breakfast like the locals do.

The city's first luxury hotel, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, has been a grand metropolitan hub since it opened across the street from the train station in the 1950s. It still drips with midcentury glamour, though its 950 guest rooms were given a modern update during a renovation in 2017. Music lovers can even book the John Lennon and Yoko Ono Suite, where the couple stayed during their famous "bed-in for peace" in 1969. The Four Seasons Hotel Montréal is another luxurious destination in Golden Square Mile, a well-heeled central neighborhood filled with Victorian mansions, museums, and designer boutiques.

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