For my wife and I—and my two children, Elena and Adam, who are 14 and 10, respectively—the middle of August is the time for our big annual family adventure, in which, hopefully, we get swept up by new surroundings and experiences and even feel a little renewed as a family. Last summer we went north, hop-scotching from Montreal to Quebec City and finally to the Charlevoix. I don’t know why I waited my whole life to visit Canada—and there’s a lot more of the country that I want to explore. But last summer’s trip was so right on I can still recall what we did each day as if we just returned. Indeed, I have a harder time remembering the rest of the year.
Montreal
To maximize our time in Canada, we decided to fly to Montreal and later rent a car for travelling to Quebec City and beyond. For me, Montreal has the appeal of urban vibrancy and open-mindedness and culture and people who value all that, tempered by a mellower pace of living and a more down-to-earth vibe than NYC. It’s also a very family-friendly city. In truth, I’d recommend a quick jaunt there with kids or, dare I admit, without them. Our highlights included visiting their memorable city garden (which had an astonishing topiary exhibit), and the historical downtown district (which had a history fest with period costumes and food and games). Montreal is loaded with special summer festivals, so be sure to time a trip according to any special events that you might be interested in. Coming from New York, we felt we had to make a special pilgrimage to the legendary St-Viateur Bagel Shop—and if I’m to judge fairly I would say that their lean tasty bagels can contend with the best I’ve ever had in the Big Apple. Foodie families should plan for a dinner at Le Filet. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal, which for all its tasteful opulence, has a welcoming vibe (there were lots of families) and prices that are commensurate with the hotel group’s quality but that aren’t for zillionaires only. For what it’s worth, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered two more helpful concierges—which is nice when you have a big cool city like Montreal to explore.
Quebec City
After Montreal, Quebec City felt like the perfect compliment, trading big city excitement for a deep plunge into old-world charm. As much as we liked walking around the old city and playing tourist, we really got into the history of Quebec. Touring the Citadel and seeing the changing of the guards is a must, and Les Musée de La Civilisation has a wonderful permanent exhibit on Quebec from the region’s origins to now. We stayed at the legendary Château Frontenac, a Fairmont hotel, which with its grand towering presence is still Quebec City’s most famous icon. When we were there the hotel was about to let designer David Rockwell give its expansive lobby a modern makeover, which should be something to behold.
The Charlevoix
The vast rural expanse to the north of Quebec was the trip’s surprise hit for us. The wise tourism planners up there like to emphasize its agricultural and gastronomic appeals, and we jumped right in with visits to a cheese factory, duck farm, and a bee farm. Please, for me, take your children to meet the beekeeper at Miellerie de Charlevoix—and don those suits! We also went whale watching in the St. Lawrence. Who knew a river could be that long and wide and beautiful? Another must. Maybe our favorite family night on the whole trip was dinner and rock-n-roll at the Maison du Bootlegger. For lodging, we stayed at another Fairmont property, Le Manoir Richelieu, which once upon a time was an old-world summer oasis for the very rich. It’s still grand and lovely…but now it’s accessible to you and me. Enjoy!
Oh, Canada! Thank you for all these good memories.
