Canada - A week in Toronto and Montreal

A week to spend in Toronto and Montreal and as it was my first time in Canada and my first time in this part of North America in 25 years, I wondered what these cities look like. Especially the point about which city is "nicer" according to some other visitors, put some "excitement" on the trip to find out myself.

If my flight had been taking place just a day or two earlier, it would have been canceled due to the weather with snowstorms and blizzards that were affecting Canada and the United States at that time. 

Luckily on the day of my flight, everything was back to normal, more or less at least in means of the weather.

However, my flight was supposed to depart at 6am but the airplane had some technical issues. It was the first flight on the day from that airport and had a delay of about five hours. Great start! I  called the insurance company before the flight, and within 15 minutes, they booked me on an alternative flight. The new flight was a direct flight to Toronto. Great start!

How crowded is Toronto after Christmas?

I arrived in Toronto in the evening, the airport was quite busy due to the holiday season, and I had to wait in long lines at immigration control, probably because I declared I had a chicken sandwich in the backpack (and as I found out its not that good bringing food to Canada). Good that I stayed near the airport that evening.

The next day upon arriving in Toronto downtown, it was impressive to see the huge modern skyscrapers.

One of the first places when exiting the train from the airport is the CN Tower. The tower is the most famous landmark in Toronto.

Despite the cold weather, it was nice walking around and exploring the different neighborhoods.

The Hockey Hall of Fame. The museum showcases the history of hockey and its greatest players.

The downtown Yonge area. The area is full of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, and it was great fun to walk along even though it was cold.

The City Hall, which includes an ice skating rink.

St. Lawrence Market and the Harbor were both interesting places to get a taste of Toronto's culture and history, and fish and BBQ spare ribs.

The best thing during my visit to Toronto was the Royal Ontario Museum, which features dinosaur exhibits. It was one of the best museums I have ever visited, especially because of the quality of the exhibits.

The exhibition had life-sized replicas of dinosaurs, interactive displays, and fossils that gave me a glimpse of the prehistoric world. 

I would have planned more time for it if I had known how amazing it would be. At 23 CAD, the entry fee was quite reasonable, considering the incredible experience.

I decided to skip seeing the inside of Casa Loma castle as there was a Christmas Special going on that was quite expensive, not going to pay 70$ to visit a castle. So I just walked by the house itself.

Other "attractions" are Kensington Market and Chinatown.

Riding the streetcar is a great way to see the city from a different perspective.

Continue to Montreal

After two days in Toronto, I flew from Billy Bishop Airport to Montreal. The airport was conveniently located in downtown Toronto, and the boarding process was smooth and organized.

The flight duration was approximately one hour.

It's like Europe here in Montreal

Montreal city looks completely different than Toronto. It's is a lot of history everywhere visible in its architecture. It felt like walking somewhere in Europe, especially in Old Montreal with all its cobblestones streets.

The Notre Dame Basilica. Haven't been inside but a few days later I realized why all the people were waiting 30 minutes or more to get in.

There is nothing special to look at from the outside, but the inside is a feast for the eyes - that's what I found out when looking it up on the internet! Too bad...

The Port area and old town in Old Montreal, are all full of tourists during the Christmas holidays.

Centre Bell. The Hockey Stadium in Montreal and the church around.

Went to some of Montreal's neighborhoods, to the Mont-Royal first. 

The climb is not that worse but the ice everywhere is crazy slippery. This overlook has one of the best panorama views of Montreal. 

Walking is extremely difficult as the whole road in the mountains is like an ice rink. But the view from up there is nice.

Other neighborhoods like Laurent Boulevard. These areas were full of unique restaurants, and street art.

New years eve in Toronto.

Continue to the Bahamas

Overall, my trip to Toronto and Montreal was a memorable experience. While Montreal was underwhelming compared to modern Toronto with its dinosaur exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum.

It was the 1st of January and today my Canada trip already ended. My journey will continue to the Bahamas and the 3 hours flight will be in the afternoon directly to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.