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How to live your best winter life in Montreal

Performer La fée Gwendoline at the 2023 Montreal en Lumiere Festival
(c) Frédérique Ménard-Aubin
Performer La fée Gwendoline at the 2023 Montreal en Lumiere Festival.

A vibrant, multicultural city sits just a few hours from Vermont’s border with Canada. Montréal has it all — food, cultural events, outdoor activities and more. The city hosts more than 100 festivals a year, including many in the wintertime. So how do you pick where to go when you visit?

We compiled travel recommendations for Montréal and the Eastern Townships from Seven Days food editor Melissa Pasanen, Montréal Lumière Festival program director Maurin Auxéméry, Lysandre Michael-Verreault with Eastern Townships Tourism, and the Vermont Edition audience.

FOOD

Nouilles de Lan Zhou noodle makers
Daria Bishop / Seven Days

Nouilles de Lan Zhou noodle makers

Melissa Pasanen's recommendations:

Larry's - small plates
Drogheria Fine - street gnocchi
Cafe Olimpico - Italian
Nouilles de Lan Zhou - Chinatown, handmade noodles
Qing Hua Dumpling - Chinatown, dumplings
La Maison de Mademoiselle Dumpling - more dumplings! (never enough dumplings)
Aube Boulangerie - bakery
Hof Kelsten - bakery
Guillaume- bakery
Boulangerie Marguerita - Italian
Omnivore - Lebanese
Ma Poule Mouillée - Portuguese
Frite Alors! - poutine
Patati Patata Friterie de Luxe - poutine
L'Entrepôt - breakfast poutine (!!!)
Pichai - Thai street food

Articles referenced in the show:

Listener recommendations:
Bvrger - Vegan
Mango Bay - Caribbean
Caribbean Curry House - Caribbean
Le Nil Blue - Ethiopian
Arahova Souvlaki - Greek
Daldongnae - Korean
Dunn’ Famous - smoked meat
Kamuy - Haitian

FESTIVALS

Montréal en Lumière
Victor Diaz Lamich
Montréal en Lumière

Montréal Lumière Festival - Feb. 29th-Mar. 10th
Nuit Blanche - Mar. 2nd
IglooFest- Jan. 18th-Feb. 10th

EASTERN TOWNSHIPS

Spa Bolton
Daphné Caron
Spa Bolton

Grand Prix-Ski-Doo de Valcourt- Feb. 9-11
Eastern Townships wine route
Nordic spas
The Townships' four national parks

Towns to stop by on the way to Montréal:
Frelighsburg, Quebec
Sutton, Quebec
Bedford, Quebec
Lacolle, Quebec (specifically the IGA on Route 202)

Broadcast at noon Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
As Director of Content Partnership, Eric works with individuals and organizations to make connections leading to more Vermont stories. As Producer of the Made Here series, Eric partners with filmmakers from New England and Quebec to broadcast and stream local films. Find more info here: https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/made-here