Montreal in 3 Days: Budget + Day Trips
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3 days: 2 in Montreal, then Quebec City by VIA Rail
Two days in the city, Old Montreal and Notre-Dame, then Mont-Royal and the Mile End food crawl, followed by the marquee day trip: Quebec City, about 3 hours each way by VIA Rail out of Gare Centrale. Budget $80-115 a person per day shoestring in the city or $155-260 mid-range, plus Quebec’s 14.975% sales tax. Only have 2 days? See the 2-day itinerary , which trades Quebec City for a shorter Montérégie day trip. Want Ottawa added too? See the 4-day itinerary .
Book these before you go
- A VIA Rail ticket to Quebec City for Day 3, and consider an early departure since it’s about 3 hours each way
- A hotel room in Quebec City instead, if your schedule can flex, a day trip there is mostly travel time
- A timed slot for Notre-Dame’s evening AURA show if Day 1 stretches into the evening, about $33.50
Day 1: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame
Old Montreal’s cobblestones, Place Jacques-Cartier, and Bonsecours Market’s silver dome are free to walk. Notre-Dame Basilica’s blue-and-gold interior runs about $16 by day. The Old Port waterfront is free. Keep bags zipped in Place Jacques-Cartier’s crowds, the city’s most pickpocket-reported spot, not a violent one.
Day 1 real costs: Notre-Dame ~$16, transit ~$7.50.
Day 2: Mont-Royal and the Mile End food crawl
The Kondiaronk Belvedere on Mont-Royal is a free skyline panorama. Wander the Plateau and Mile End free, then run the food crawl: Fairmount Bagel (1919) or St-Viateur Bagel (1957) for a bagel, La Banquise for poutine, and Schwartz’s Deli (1928) for a smoked meat sandwich, about $9.75.
Day 2 real costs: bagels a few dollars, Schwartz’s ~$9.75.
Day 3: Quebec City, honestly a long day
Quebec City’s Old Québec is the actual UNESCO World Heritage Site in this region (1985), not Montreal, and it’s about 3 hours each way from Gare Centrale by VIA Rail. Walk the Château Frontenac’s grounds and Old Québec’s streets, but budget for more time on the train than in the city itself; if your dates allow it, staying overnight makes far better use of the trip than a there-and-back day.
Day 3 real costs: VIA Rail fare varies by how far ahead you book, sight admissions in Old Québec on top.
Book the VIA Rail ticket for Day 3 as early as possible, fares climb closer to departure. If you can add even one more day, turning Day 3 into an overnight in Quebec City is the single best upgrade to this itinerary.