"Must see"s in Montreal in an afternoon

[Birdnutty]

We will be arriving in Montreal around 1 PM, off the early Quebec City Via Rail train.  We have a flight out of Montreal the next morning.  What would you recommend as being the best places to visit to catch a flavor of the city in a half day? Also would like some recommendations for hotels to stay in that are not terribly expensive and might be within a walkable distance of some of the sights, restaurants, etc. Hoping to find one with a shuttle to the airport, but if that's not going to happen, we'll probably Uber into the airport the next morning, if Uber is even available at 4 or 5 AM.

 

 Looking for any and all suggestions.  Thanks in advance!

[princeton123211]

On 5/4/2024 at 10:28 PM, Birdnutty said:

Also would like some recommendations for hotels to stay in that are not terribly expensive and might be within a walkable distance of some of the sights, restaurants, etc.

If you really want to maximize your time in Montreal consider staying at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth which is directly above the Gare Centrale train station you'll be arriving in from Quebec City. You can literally take a discreet elevator from the station up to the lobby of the hotel. It is not a budget property but it usually isn't the most expensive either (although it can be). Super central to most things you'd want to walk to. 

 

On 5/4/2024 at 10:28 PM, Birdnutty said:

Hoping to find one with a shuttle to the airport, but if that's not going to happen, we'll probably Uber into the airport the next morning, if Uber is even available at 4 or 5 AM.

No downtown hotels offer airport shuttles. Uber works quite well early in the morning in Montreal-- have done it many times.