Montreal Bachelorette Guide
I had the privilege of planning my best friend’s bachelorette this August in Montreal, Canada. Having been there earlier this summer for a weekend trip, I was excited to go back to the fabulous city. Planning a trip for 10 women was a bit overwhelming at first, but it all came together into the perfect weekend. Read on for our itinerary!
Day One:
We flew on a direct flight from Washington, DC in to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, located about 20 minutes from Downtown Montreal. This was about 30 minutes from our VRBO, which was in the Mont-Royal-Plateu neighborhood. We rented through VRBO, but specifically with the MTLVacationRentals company. The group was incredibly easy to work with and responsive.
The house location was perfect – convenient for walking to eat and shop. Some people may want to stay in Old Montreal, which is far more touristy, but our group was not looking for that vibe. The neighborhood on Mont Royal has a laid back artsy vibe and really gave us a taste of what living in Montreal could be like (essentially we’re all ready to pack up and move across the border).
So many cute shops! Loved seeing all the sprawling ivy and steep staircases.
After checking in to the VRBO, we headed towards our BEYOND THE MARKET food tour with Spade and Palacio. The 3.5 hour tour lived up to the hype. Daniel, our tour guide, was super knowledgable and engaging. From the first stop over puposas to the last stop with fried chicken in the park, we all agreed that the tour was one of the highlights of the trip!
Exploring Jean-Talon Market was a highlight! This is one of the largest open air markets in North America! It is open year round and only closed at the Christmas holidays. Beer tasting at Harricana The perfect ending to the tour – sitting in the sunshine over fried chicken and beers!
Dinner that night was at Escondite on Drummond. There is also a location in Old Montreal, which if I could do it again, I might choose that location, but that is only to have more post dinner activities within walking distance. The service was great with high energy and the food was tasty! The restaurant interiors were V instagrammable – think neon signs and floral backdrops!
Day Two:
Our second day started with brunch at Rosewood. We were one of maybe 10 other bachelorettes there, no lie. It was a Bach HOTSPOT. Given the number of large parties, the staff was actually surprisingly patient and efficient. They do have a bottomless mimosa option for $25, however most of us agreed that the OJ to champs ratio was not ideal and we ended up ordered other drinks.
Following brunch, we popped over to the Terrasse Place d’Armes rooftop. The rooftop has a great view of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. It was a perfect stop off before heading to our afternoon activity.
The rooftop has a great view of the Basilica!
Our day two activity was pole dancing at Milan Pole Dancing Studio. First off, pole dancing is a freaking workout. Add in champagne and it is especially tough. We were able to reserve a private class and bring our own alcohol. Our teacher taught us a few different moves before teaching a full choreographed dance! Don’t worry about needing to have any sort of skills to do the class – just don’t take yourself too seriously and you’ll get lots of great laughs out of it (plus sore arms the next day!).
After our class, we stopped at one more rooftop – the Terrasse William Gray. This is a must. The views are great and the vibe is fun. The rooftop is definitely a scene and we loved it!
Night two dinner was our “nice dinner night” – after looking at tons of reviews and different lists for places to go, I settled on Monarque. There are so many wonderful places to eat in Montreal, but this spot was perfect for our larger group. The restaurant was very responsive in the planning process. I loved that they had special menus printed for us and allowed me to personalize it. It is a small detail, but really helps create the whole experience. We all know that decision making with a larger group can be very difficult, so the fact we were able to do a 3 course meal ($70 CAD a person) made the ordering process MUCH easier!
After dinner, we popped next door to Bord’elle – a boutique bar and eatery. You can have dinner there (it is a supper club), but by the time we arrived, dinner was cleared and it was a FULL ON club. The DJ was awesome and there was burlesque dancers. It was VERY crowded. Another club spot I heard good things about, but we didn’t make it to, was Flyjin.
Day Three:
We were moving slowly on our last day, but the weather was gorgeous and we wanted to soak up as much as we could. We had lunch at Le Darling – a funky spot with eclectic interior decor. The food was tasty and it was a perfect spot to stop in before our hike up Mont Royal.
We almost didn’t make it on the hike, but thankfully we rallied and all encouraged each other to just do it! There were tons of other people enjoying their Sunday in the park – having picnics, biking, running.
Our final dinner was at Kampai Garden – an awesome indoor beer garden with major vibes (*think Drake playing loudly*) and a lively buzz. Beyond the beer, there is a cocktail and wine menu for those non-beer drinkers (like myself). The menu was made up of small to medium shareable dishes with a variety of flavors – tacos, poke bowl, fried rice, sashimi with vegetarian friendly options! We didn’t stay out late this night, but if we had, it would have been a perfect night to have cocktails at the Coldroom – an awesome speakeasy in Old Montreal.
If you have never been to Montreal, I can’t recommend it enough. Whether it is for a bachelorette or a weekend getaway with your significant other, it is a great destination! If you have any questions or just want to chat about your mutual love for Montreal, leave me a note 🙂
XOXO, Kel
