Montreal Days 4 & 5: Mount Royal, Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Little Italy and a Birthday in the City
Days four and five in Montreal were packed with some of the places we had been looking forward to seeing most, including Mount Royal, Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Little Italy, Jean Talon Market and Notre Dame Basilica. We also managed to fit in plenty of amazing food along the way, which seems to be a recurring theme on this trip. Day five was also my birthday, so Montreal turned out to be a pretty great place to celebrate.
Day Four: Mount Royal and Saint Joseph’s Oratory
We started day four by taking an Uber from our hotel up to Mount Royal. You certainly can explore the mountain on foot, but from where we were staying, taking an Uber to the park made much more sense and saved our legs for the climb ahead. Once we arrived, there were plenty of wide trails filled with walkers, runners and cyclists, along with smaller wooded trails if you want something a little more adventurous. One word of advice though, dress appropriately if you plan to wander off onto the wooded trails because we saw plenty of poison ivy along the way.
Mount Royal really is the centerpiece of Montreal and it has an interesting history. Mount Royal Park officially opened in 1876 and was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect behind New York City’s Central Park. His vision was to preserve the natural character of the mountain while creating a beautiful public space where people could escape the growing city below. The park actually celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2026, which made our timing pretty cool. (Patrimoine Culturel).
It took us about 30 minutes to make our way up to the Chalet du Mont Royal and the Kondiaronk Belvedere, but once you reach the top, the views make the walk completely worth it. The chalet itself was built in 1931 and 1932 and designed by Montreal architect Aristide Beaugrand Champagne. Inside are murals depicting scenes from Montreal’s history, but of course the real star is the huge terrace outside overlooking downtown Montreal and the St. Lawrence River. We spent about 15 minutes just taking it all in and admiring the view before starting our walk back down. (Mont Royal).
Once we reached the bottom, we crossed over to check out what I had been calling the Canadian cavalry horses, but I learned they are actually part of the Montreal Police Service cavalry unit. The SPVM cavalry dates all the way back to 1885 and was originally created in part to patrol public spaces including Mount Royal Park. Their stables were built on Mount Royal in 1962 and today the unit still patrols parks and other areas that can be difficult for traditional police vehicles to access. Even better, the horses they use today are Canadian Horses, so I was not completely wrong about the Canadian part. (SPVM).
Time for Lunch
By this point we were definitely ready for lunch, so we grabbed another Uber and headed over to the famous Schwartz’s Deli, which had come highly recommended. Apparently everyone else in Montreal had the same idea because the line wrapped all the way around the block. We could see the smoked meat coming out and it looked amazing, so now we completely understand why people wait for it, but we were hungry and not quite committed enough to stand in that line.
Instead, we stumbled upon Petit Poisson Dumpling and it turned out to be a great backup plan. Somewhere between reading the menu and talking to the waiter, we completely misunderstood how many dumplings we were ordering and ended up with enough food for a small army. Luckily, they were phenomenal, so having way too many dumplings was not exactly the worst problem to have.
St. Joseph’s Oratory
After lunch it was time for Saint Joseph’s Oratory, so back into an Uber we went. The ride itself was actually pretty entertaining because our driver took us through a beautiful residential neighborhood filled with enormous mansions. Unfortunately, he also dropped us off at the back side of the Oratory where we quickly discovered we could not get in. That meant walking back down the hill, finding a side entrance and somehow entering the complex way up near the top. Basically, we toured Saint Joseph’s Oratory completely backwards.
Saint Joseph’s Oratory began very modestly in 1904 when Brother André, later canonized as Saint André Bessette, built a small chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph on Mount Royal. As more pilgrims began visiting, the site continued to expand. Construction of the massive basilica began in 1924 and the complex was eventually completed in 1967.
The original little chapel is still part of the site today, which makes it even harder to believe that this enormous pilgrimage destination grew from such humble beginnings.
Because of where we entered, we started with the massive upper basilica, which is much more modern inside than I expected. Then, as we worked our way down through the complex, we visited the beautiful Crypt Church and the Votive Chapel, where thousands of candles create an incredible atmosphere.
The entire property is enormous and the views from the terraces reminded me a bit of Sacré Coeur in Paris, especially with the city stretching out below you. If stairs are difficult, the Oratory is also designed to be accessible, with elevators and other accessible routes throughout much of the complex, and of course there is a very large gift shop because no major tourist attraction is complete without one.
After a full day of walking, Scott and I headed back to the hotel and decided to stop at The Keg around the corner for a quick cocktail. The Keg has a little nostalgia for us because we used to have one in Renton, Washington, where we lived, and we went there quite a bit. That location has since closed, so when we saw one in Montreal we had to stop in for old times’ sake.
Dinner at Jacopo in Montreal
Dinner that evening was at Jacopo on Place Jacques Cartier, an Italian restaurant right in the heart of Old Montreal. We sat upstairs and this restaurant reminded me so much of Flor Dos Congregados in Porto. Once again the food was amazing and they even surprised me with an early birthday cake. I somehow forgot to take photos of our food! Shocking, I know!
Day Five: My Birthday in Little Italy & Jean Talon Market Montreal
Day five was my birthday, and we started the celebration by heading to Little Italy. Our first stop was Jean Talon Market, and I knew it was going to be big, but I was not prepared for just how big it actually was. Everywhere we looked there were huge displays of fruits and vegetables, flowers, cheeses, meats, baked goods and just about anything else you could imagine. If I lived here, I would shop here all the time. Funny that last year I spent my birthday at a Farmer’s Market in Portugal.
Jean Talon Market is one of Montreal’s oldest public markets and one of the largest open air markets in North America. It opened in May 1933 as Marché du Nord and was renamed Jean Talon Market in 1983 in honor of Jean Talon, the first intendant of New France. During the height of summer, the market can have nearly 200 vendors, which explains why it feels like it just keeps going and going. I could have spent hours simply walking around looking at all of the beautiful produce.
The market doesn’t just sell fruits and vegetables either. They have a huge selection of seafood, cured meats, cheeses, spices and so much more!
Exploring Little Italy
Once we left the market, we started wandering through Little Italy and realized that we had arrived right as the neighborhood was getting ready for ItalfestMTL. Formerly known as Montreal’s Italian Week, the festival celebrates Italian culture, food, music and heritage, and in 2026 it ran from August 7 through August 16 with several events taking place right in Little Italy. We had no idea when we planned the trip, so stumbling into the preparations was a fun surprise.
We stopped in a cute little spot for a drink and then made our way over to Fruiterie Milano, which was another place we had heard about. This is not your average grocery store. Milano opened in 1954 when brothers Vincenzo and Angelo Zaurrini saw a need for authentic Italian products in Montreal. What started as a tiny storefront about 15 feet wide has grown into an enormous Italian specialty market, and we had a blast walking through it. The selection of olive oils, vinegars, prosciutto, cheeses, meats, wine and imported Italian products was incredible. This is definitely a dangerous place to visit if you are hungry or have room in your suitcase.
From there we continued walking through Little Italy and eventually stopped for lunch at Corneli, a neighborhood Italian restaurant that has been around since 1960. Once again, Montreal did not disappoint us when it came to food and it was the perfect place to sit down, relax and enjoy lunch before heading back toward the heart of the city. I ordered a cocktail that came with lychee fruit – needless to say I was not expecting it to look like this! LOL, but it was delicious.
Notre Dame Basilica Montreal
Later that afternoon we returned to Old Montreal and finally went inside Notre Dame Basilica during the daytime. We had passed it several times throughout the trip, but seeing the interior in daylight was spectacular. The current church was designed by Irish born New York architect James O’Donnell and constructed between 1824 and 1829. It was the first Gothic Revival church in Canada, and the elaborate blue and gold interior that you see today was developed later in the nineteenth century. It is one of those buildings where you can look around for 20 minutes and still keep noticing details you missed the first time.
Since it was my birthday, we had one more great dinner planned that night at The Benjamin, a steakhouse in downtown Montreal. This was actually located in a hotel and it was nice to dress up for the occasion. The service was okay (not remarkable) and the steaks were just okay too. I guess we are still struggling to find anything that compared to Moo and The Butcher in Portugal. Ben and Maria gave me a beautiful bracelet made with Peridot stones, which is my birthstone.
The night was not quite over yet because we had tickets to go back to Notre Dame for AURA. AURA is an immersive light and music experience created by Montreal based Moment Factory specifically for Notre Dame Basilica. The show uses the basilica itself as the canvas, projecting light, color and imagery across the walls, vaulted ceiling and altar while music fills the entire space. The main multimedia performance lasts about 25 minutes, with illuminated stations to explore beforehand.
They do not allow you to take photos or video during the show, so unfortunately I cannot share what it actually looks like, but this is one of those experiences where pictures probably would not do it justice anyway. If you are visiting Montreal, I would absolutely put AURA on your list.
It was a pretty incredible way to finish my birthday and also a great ending to our time in Montreal.
Next up, we are leaving Montreal behind and boarding the train for the roughly three hour ride to Quebec City, where our Canadian adventure continues. Stay tuned because there is still plenty more to come! As always, thank you for following our boating blog! Please be sure to subscribe to our channel (see link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally
