Romance is everywhere in Montréal. In the streets, in the air, and definitely in the water.
The narrow cobblestone rues of Old Montréal were built for romance. They criss and cross each other so much a couple could get lost in them. So if any honeymooners stumble upon a tiny café, it is recommended that they go in for une soupe du jour. If they come across a square with jugglers, they must stop and watch. If they hear the clip-clopping of a horse-drawn calèche echoing in the narrow streets, we would urge them to hop on. Because that’s when romance is really felt, when it’s spontaneous. And off the beaten path. Like on the garden-lined streets of Plateau Mont-Royal with all those winding staircases, eating di casa at a trattoria in Little Italy, or sipping une bonne bière on a terrasse at dusk.
Romance in Montréal is found on the water, too—on the piers of the Old Port, in a sailboat on Lac de l’île Notre-Dame, on a cruise on the river, cycling past the foaming Lachine Rapids where it feels miles from the city, or just sitting hand-in-hand by the Japanese Garden pond at the Botanical Garden.
On a warm, sultry day, “the Mountain” is a tree-canopied, breezy place for a casual stroll, with views of downtown, the St. Lawrence River, and beyond. Lac aux Castors is perfect for a picnic on a blanket, with a book of Leonard Cohen poems, of course.
A luxurious spa is ideal for some late afternoon pampering, while a gourmet dinner and a special show at Place-des-Arts are among the many excellent choices a Montréal evening offers up. Or maybe an intimate dinner for two at a little Brazilian place in Mile End, followed by cocktails in a sultry jazz club downtown.
