SKIP PARIS AND HEAD TO MONTREAL

Jamila
Apr 21, 2016
2 min read

There's an old Saying "Paris is always a good idea." Well I decided one summer to skip Paris and head to Montréal!

Old Montréal Feels Like Europe

When I arrived in Montreal i felt like I was in New York City and London at the same time. The city has great architecture and many of the streets are filled with cobblestone. I even decided to visit the Notre Dame Basilica very similar to Notre Dame de Paris. It was probably one of the best attractions you could find in old Montreal!

The Language

One of the things that attracted me to Montreal was the language. The offficial language of Quebec is French, however many people in Montreal still speak English which works great four tourist. I felt as though I was in Paris being greeted "Bonjour every time I walked in a store or restaurant. The street signs are also in French and even some of their menu boards. I went to Starbucks and the menu was in French but was somehow easy to read. I think my Spanish came in handy since there are some similarities being that they're both romance languages.

It’s Much More Affordable

Many people wish to visit Europe, however once there you have to pay for everything in euros. Enter Montreal, the much more affordable but equally amazing alternative. While the American dollar is currently holding up well against the euro, it is doing even better against the Canadian dollar.

With the current exchange rate being roughly $1 USD to $1.30 CAD, that means your money goes much further in Canada than in Europe. Spending 10 euros in Paris is the equivalent of spending about $11 USD, but spending $10 CAD in Montreal equates to less than $8 USD. That means you will have a much more budget-friendly vacation in Canada than in Europe, while still having a great time.