Montreal + Beyond: 2 Day Quebec Trip
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Two days is tight for a day-trip base, so this one uses day one for a fast pass through the Montreal core and day two for the closest genuine day trip: Montérégie and Mont-Saint-Hilaire, forty to forty-five minutes out. If you want the classic city-only version of these same two days instead, our Montreal 2-day itinerary covers that.
Day-by-day at a glance
| Day | Focus | Est. spend (excl. hotel/car) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Basilica, downtown | ~$55-85 |
| 2 | Montérégie / Mont-Saint-Hilaire day trip | ~$45-75 |
Book these before you go
- Notre-Dame Basilica ticket : the daytime visit is quick to book but worth reserving ahead in summer.
- A rental car for day 2, Montérégie isn’t reachable by STM metro or bus.
Day 1: The Montreal core, fast
Morning: Old Montreal, cobblestone streets, free to wander, then Notre-Dame Basilica, the deep blue and gold interior tells the story of the city’s founding. Daytime entry is about $16.
Afternoon: Downtown: the RÉSO underground city and Sainte-Catherine Street, plus the Museum of Fine Arts if there’s time (about $31, free for 25 and under).
Evening: A dinner featuring the two names worth knowing on a short trip: La Banquise for poutine or Schwartz’s Deli for smoked meat, since 1928. Budget the 14.975% sales tax and an 18-20% tip.
Day 2: Montérégie and Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Morning: Drive out to Montérégie, the closest true day trip from Montreal at forty to forty-five minutes. This region is apple and cider country, at its best in early fall.
Afternoon: Spend it at an orchard or cider producer around Mont-Saint-Hilaire, this is the one day trip on the list you can do without an early start or a rushed return.
Evening: Back in Montreal for dinner, the Plateau and Mile End both work if you want a bagel-shop stop, Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel are a block apart.
Is 2 days enough to use Montreal as a base?
Barely, and honestly: two days gets you a fast look at the city and exactly one day trip. If you want more than a single taste of what’s outside Montreal, our 3-day itinerary adds Quebec City on top of this same city core.