An Abbreviated Visit to Montréal, Québec - October 2026

Just got back from a fairly short visit to Montréal, Québec.

For a very long time, this was a normal, almost routine place for me to visit during a typical year. At least to pass through. I would make a point of going to either Montréal or Québec City at least once - and often twice - a year.

But then there was a bit of a slowdown in the late 2010's. It seemed like I was not making it there as frequently. There were two visits in the autumn of both 2018 and 2019. Then the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown hit, and the annual trips to Canada stopped. Technically, my son and I ushed in the New Year of 2020 in Canada (Niagara Falls for the free Bryan Adams concert), but we would not get to Canada again until 2023, when we visited Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Then I would not make it back to Canada again until earlier this year. About a month ago, actually, when my brother and I visited Niagara Falls and Hamilton, particularly the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Yet, I had not been to Québec - anywhere in the province, really - since that last trip in autumn of 2019. That marked the longest absence for me making a trip there since we first started going all the way back in the summer of 1983, when my grandparents took my brother and me to Montréal.

In short, it had been about seven years since my last trip to Québec. And it felt long overdue.

I had wanted to go back to Montréal, specifically, because there were things which I had visited before, but not in a very long time. These places included the Parc Jean-Drapeau (La Ronde was already closed for the season for this trip), the Botanical Gardens, the Stade Olympique, and the Place des Arts. There are other places which I have been wanting to go back to in Montréal, but those were the main ones which I intended to focus on for this return trip in particular.

When I heard that one of my favorite musicians, Renaud, was going to have a concert at the Place des Arts on Friday, October 9th, I did everything in my power to make a trip out of it. This was not the first time that I made a trip either to Montréal or Québec City for a show. My father and I saw Johnny Halliday in 2000, I saw Pearl Jam in 2003 and again in 2005, happened to see the Tea Party (the band) in the summer of 2005 at the Plains of Abraham, Paul Piché in 2006, and then Paul McCartney giving a free show at the Plains of Abraham in 2008. Obviously, however, it had been a while. But Renaud is one of the very few artists remaining whom I would have dropped almost everything in order to go see him. And I did.

However, the weekend allowed me a chance to visit most of the places which I had wanted to visit, as well as a bit more, to boot.

Below are some pictures from the still very recent trip. Now that said, the phone was giving me more problems than usual, being particularly slow. So I decided to get some of the best pictures from this recent trip and publish them. I had originally intended to do them site by site, and still aim to do that. However, that will be delayed. For now, this is a general post about my overall trip to Montréal, with some of the best pictures (at least the way I feel).

Enjoy.

Drapeau de Québec/ Flag of Québec (sometimes referred to as le fleurdelisé)

The Biosphère de Montréal (The Montreal Biosphere), which formerly had been the United States Pavilion for Expo '67. It is one of the last structures remaining from the famous world fair hosted by the city in the summer of 1967. It used to be a round glasshouse, but a fire destroyed the windows. Nevertheless, it remains an attractive and appealing landmark for the island. I am glad that they did not tear it down like so many other things from the Expo '67.

The skyline of the city of Montréal

The Fort de l'Île Sainte-Hélène (Saint Helen Island Fort) on the highest point of Île Sainte-Hélène, now a part of the Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Some cobblestone streets in Vieux Montréal (the old town). This top one looks like it could be in Europe, or a fog shrouded section of old London town.

The gardens behind the Château Ramezay in Vieux Montréal.

The Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, or the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal (Basilica of Our Lady of Montreal), which is arguably the biggest and most iconic attraction in Vieux Montréal.

The statue of Maisonneuve facing the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal.

 The Jardin de Chine (Chinese Garden) at the Jardin botanique de Montréal ‧ Botanical Gardens of Montreal.

Le Jardin japonais (Japanese Garden) at the Jardin botanique de Montréal ‧ Botanical Gardens of Montreal.

More pictures from the Jardin botanique de Montréal ‧ Botanical Gardens of Montreal.

Stade olympique (Olympic Stadium)

Place des Arts in the Quartier des Spectacles actually ranks as Canada's largest cultural and artistic complex. Inside of this building was the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, where I saw the actual Renaud concert last evening.

The Place des Arts at night.