Friday after Thanksgiving, Jill and I drove to Montreal to visit Le Grand Marché de Noël de Montréal, or Great Christmas Market of Montreal. After visiting Christmas markets in Lisbon and Paris, we had high expectations. The Montreal market was not bad, but, as many people told us, the Quebec City market is better. We’ll find out next year.

The afternoon was devoted to walking all over the Old Port, and occasionally ducking into shops to warm up. Later, we did the usual Christmas market things: Drank mulled wine, shopped, sampled all kinds of goodies, and ate sugar on snow. After a couple of loops through the market we called it good and walked a few blocks to Chinatown for cocktails and dinner.

Recommendations

Bar Leonor: I’m biased because Jill and I celebrated our engagement there, but it’s my favorite bar anywhere. It’s comfortable and unpretentious, and the bartenders are friendly magicians.

Restaurant Dobe and Andy: We ate roast duck and pork, with heaping sides of fried rice and bok chop. We did not leave hungry. Everything we saw looked delicious, and the vibe is laid back.

Marché St. Laurent: My favorite place to get my coffee and graphic design fix.

Hotel Monville: Wonderful hospitality, and they spent money on all the right details. The rooms are small, but the clever layout makes them more comfortable than expected.