Sometimes the best wrong turns are not physical but virtual. I cam across the following websites that provide great suggestions places that you would find only by taking wrong turns. Check them out!

• Spotted by Locals

• Barcelona.unlike

Rue Bernard in Outremont compliments of spacingmontreal.com

Everyday is an adventure in Montreal. Whether you are into museums, shopping, gardening, films, music, food, sports, there is something for you in Montreal. I have cousins who visit Montreal for 3 months to participate in the Montreal World Film Festival. They may see as many as 3 movies in a day!

As I mentioned in Montreal Eating, I have only visited the city in summer when people are biking, hiking, walking, running, swimming – you name it. However, what I have heard is that Montreal transforms itself in Winter into a sportsperson paradise. At lunchtime, people snap on their skies and head for the slopes. The following are my tried & true Summer activities in Montreal:

Neighborhood/streets that I like to explore:
Discover Montreal’s list of neighborhoods.

Le Plateau including Mont Royal, St. Denis, St. Laurent and Rue Prince Arthur (walking tour map): This hip neighborhood has lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes. The best métro stop is the Mont-Royal station. I would recommend just walking up and down St. Denis and St. Laurent and the streets in-between the two. Rue Prince-Arthur is a fun pedestrian street is filled with bars and restaurants. Five short blocks later, rue Prince-Arthur ends at Square St-Louis. This public garden plaza is framed by attractive row houses erected for well-to-do Francophones in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Thanks to TurnhereTravel.com for producing this great video.

Mile End/St. Viateur Street is contained by rue St-Laurent on the east, avenue Du Parc on the west, rue Bernard in the north, and boulevard St-Joseph on the south. St. Viateur Street was once a Polish ghetto. Today, the Mile End is a funky, artsy neighborhood with cafes, restaurants, indie shops and is the home of the famous St. Viateur bagel shop. Welcome to Mile End on urbanphoto.net is a thorough post on the neighborhoods with fantastic photos.

Another great TurnhereTravel.com video. “>

Outremont, located on the western ends of rues Laurier and Bernard, is a tree-lined, elegant neighborhood with great restaurants, galleries, shops and 20 parks dotting the landscape. It is home to Le Bilbouquet, the delicious glacier that I write about in Montreal Eating.

Plaza St. Hubert, close to the Jean Talon Market, is one of the craziest, diverse, interesting shopping malls that you will find (map). It has everything from fancy ball gowns and wedding dresses, hip-hop urban clothes and fetish stockings to candy stores, cafes, and toy stores. The streets are heated in the winter so you can shop all year ’round. I love this place!

Museums:
Montreal has a plethora of museums, from fine art to Montreal history. Musees Montreal presents a complete list of museums. Here are a few of my favorites:

Musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) – The modern annex on the left side of Rue Sherbrooke was added in 1991 and is connected to the original stately Beaux Arts building (1912) across the street by an underground tunnel that doubles as a gallery.

Centre Canadien d’Architecture (CCA) is an international research centre and museum on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on its extensive Collection, exhibitions, programs, and research opportunities, the CCA is a leading voice in advancing knowledge, promoting public understanding, and widening thought and debate on architecture, its history, theory, practice, and role in society today. This museum ALWAYS has interesting exhibits that are really well curated!

Musée McCord has an eclectic and often eccentric collection of over a million objects, images, and manuscripts. Folk art, beaded costumes, photographs, fine-china place settings, and more reveal elements of city and rural life from the 18th to the 20th century, and Amerindians are well represented.

Map of Downtown Montreal Museum District Don’t forget to stop by Nocochi for some cookies and coffee to rest your weary feet.

I am an historic house museum junkie and I not ashamed to admit it.

Château Ramezay Museum, located in Old Montreal, offers provides a glimpse of 500 years of Montréal and Québec history through its exhibitions and the Governor’s Garden. The small exhibits are always interesting.

Maison Saint-Gabriel’s 300-year-old house is one of the finest examples of the traditional architecture of New France. Maison Saint-Gabriel portrays the various aspects of rural life in the 17th century and the extraordinary adventure of the King’s Wards. This museum is rather difficult to reach (metro and bus and walking) but well worth the effort. The docents are excellent.

Outdoor Activities:
Jardin Botanique/Montréal Botanical Garden is a wonderful place. What can I say besides – dahlias bigger than your face and cypress bonsai smaller than the dahlias. A must for gardeners and non-gardeners alike!

The Olympic Park complex, a crazy architectural feat, was built to accommodate the 1976 Summer Games. Since then, people visit the facilities, either to admire the magnificent views from the Observatory, located at the top of the world’s tallest inclined tower, to attend a sporting event or trade show at the Stadium or work out at our new Sports Centre. Swimming in the olympic-sized pool is wild.

The Lachine Outdoor Sculpture Museum is a permanent exhibit that includes close to fifty monumental sculptures created by renowned artists, both local and foreign. A visit to this outdoor museum (as well as the historical Lachine Museum) is a great outing. A bit out of the way, here is a link for directions.

Parc la Fontaine is Plateau Mont-Royal’s biggest park. It has ponds, the Théâtre de Verdure open-air venue, sports fields, a dog park, picnic areas and playgrounds, wading pools, several pieces of memorial statuary and many trees including numerous imposingly huge poplars. Bike paths run along the park’s western and northern edges. In wintertime a large section of the pond is cleared for skating with the park chalet functioning as changing room and snack bar; there’s also a hockey rink. If you are going to picnic, stop by La Vieille Europe at 3855, Rue St. Laurent, a gourmet store where you can buy cheese, chocolate, meats, sausages, soups, coffees, breads from all over Europe.