2 Days in Montreal: A Relaxed Weekend Itinerary

Originally published February 2019. Updated August 2026.

Montreal is one of those cities I never seem to get tired of visiting. Living in Toronto, it’s close enough for a weekend but different enough that it still feels like getting away and after several trips, I’ve learned that I don’t necessarily want to spend every visit racing between attractions.

This particular trip was exactly the opposite.

We had two days in Montreal and planned them around good food, a long afternoon at Bota Bota, wandering through Old Montreal and downtown, a little shopping and, most importantly, not having much of a schedule.

If you’re looking for a 2-day Montreal itinerary that covers every major attraction, this isn’t it. But if you’ve been to Montreal before or you simply want a slower weekend that still gives you plenty of time to enjoy the city, this is how ours worked.

Our 2-Day Montreal Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1

Arrive and settle into the AC Hotel Montréal Centre-ville
Massage, thermal circuit and lunch at Bota Bota
Dinner at Gibbys in Old Montreal

Day 2

Slow morning at the hotel
Coffee and pastries from La Finca
Shopping along Sainte-Catherine Street and at the Montreal Eaton Centre
Wander through Old Montreal
Train back to Toronto

It wasn’t ambitious, and that was exactly the point.

Getting From Toronto to Montreal

One of my favourite ways to travel between Toronto and Montreal is by train.

I had started taking VIA Rail more often around the time of this trip and genuinely enjoyed it. There was something nice about being able to sit down, read a book and let the trip begin before we even arrived.

Today, VIA Rail lists the Toronto-to-Montreal trip at an average of a little over five hours, depending on the train.

Driving can obviously give you more flexibility, but for a weekend like this, we didn’t need a car once we were in Montreal. Most of what we wanted to do was concentrated downtown and around Old Montreal, so arriving by train worked well for us.

Would I take the train again? Absolutely. For a short Montreal weekend from Toronto where we aren’t planning to leave the city, I prefer being able to relax instead of spending those hours driving.

Where We Stayed: AC Hotel Montréal Centre-ville

We stayed at the AC Hotel Montréal Centre-ville, which worked well for this kind of trip. The location put us between downtown and Old Montreal, making it easy to get around without building our weekend around transportation. The hotel is also still operating as part of Marriott and currently has an indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness centre and on-site restaurant.

That said, this trip wasn’t really about the hotel itself. We wanted somewhere modern, comfortable and well located so we could come and go easily. And on Sunday morning, we took full advantage of the noon checkout. Sometimes the best part of a weekend away is simply not setting an alarm.

Day 1: Bota Bota and Dinner in Old Montreal

Spend the afternoon at Bota Bota

The main event of our weekend was Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau, a floating spa in Montreal’s Old Port.

We started with a one-hour massage, had lunch there and then spent the rest of the afternoon moving between the thermal circuit, saunas, heated pools and relaxation areas.

We went in January. Yes, Montreal-in-January cold.

Walking outside in a bathing suit when the temperature is well below freezing sounds questionable until you’re sitting in a heated pool looking back at the city. Bota Bota is still operating in the Old Port and continues to centre the experience around its thermal water circuit, relaxation spaces and spa treatments.

We ended up spending about six hours there, which was much longer than I had expected.

When we first arrived, it felt a little crowded, and as someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy crowds, I wasn’t immediately convinced. But people gradually spread between the different areas and we started finding quieter spaces to ourselves. By the time we left, I understood the appeal.

How much time should you plan for Bota Bota?

I would not squeeze Bota Bota into a two-hour opening in your itinerary. If you’re paying for the experience, give yourself enough time to actually slow down.

For us, combining a massage, lunch and the thermal circuit essentially turned it into a half-day activity. If I were planning the same weekend again, I would deliberately block off most of the afternoon rather than trying to fit sightseeing around it.

That also makes this itinerary especially good for a repeat visit to Montreal. You don’t feel guilty spending six hours at a spa because you’ve already done some of the city’s bigger attractions on previous trips.

Dinner at Gibbys in Old Montreal

After spending considerably longer at Bota Bota than planned, we headed back to the hotel, got changed and went to Gibbys for dinner.

Gibbys is in Old Montreal and the setting is a big part of the experience: historic stone, exposed beams and the kind of old-school steakhouse atmosphere that feels appropriate for a night out. The restaurant continues to operate from its Old Montreal location today.

Our dinner itself was mixed.

The service was great, and we really liked the appetizers, particularly the mushroom tart and clam chowder. My filet mignon, however, arrived much more cooked than I wanted. They offered to replace it, but by that point I was too full and didn’t want another steak to go to waste. I was less impressed by how the situation was handled after that, although our server was lovely and even sent us home with extra pickles.

So would I recommend Gibbys?

I actually would, but more for the atmosphere and overall experience than because I had a perfect meal.

For a date night or dinner where you want something with character in Old Montreal, the space itself makes the evening feel like an occasion. I’d go back, but I’d also be very specific about how I wanted my steak cooked.

Day 2: A Slow Morning, Coffee and Shopping

Our second day was deliberately easy. Instead of waking up early and trying to squeeze another attraction into the morning, we stayed in bed until close to checkout.

At the time of our stay, we couldn’t get the breakfast we wanted through room service, so my husband volunteered to brave the January cold and returned with a chocolate croissant and latte from La Finca. That may have been one of my favourite decisions of the weekend. La Finca is still a small independent café downtown on de Bleury Street, and today it serves specialty coffee, brunch and pastries.

After checking out, we spent the rest of our time shopping and wandering before our train home.

Shopping in Downtown Montreal

We made our way through Sainte-Catherine Street, the Montreal Eaton Centre and parts of Old Montreal. Sainte-Catherine is Montreal’s main downtown shopping corridor, while the Eaton Centre sits directly along it and connects into the Underground City.

This worked particularly well on a winter trip because we could spend part of the day indoors without feeling like we were wasting our final few hours in the city.

If the weather were warmer, I would probably spend more of this time simply walking through Old Montreal, stopping at cafés and taking my time rather than focusing as much on indoor shopping. Then we picked up our bags and caught the train back to Toronto.

No frantic final attraction. No five-stop checklist before departure.

It was a good ending to the weekend.

Is 2 Days in Montreal Enough?

Yes — but not if your goal is to see everything.

Two days in Montreal is enough for a really enjoyable weekend if you choose a few things you genuinely want to do instead of building an itinerary around checking boxes.

For a first visit, I would probably dedicate more time to sightseeing around Old Montreal and some of the city’s major attractions.

But if you’ve visited before, or your idea of a good city break includes food, a spa, shopping and time to actually relax, two days can be plenty.

That’s what made this trip work for us.

Who This Montreal Itinerary Is Best For

I’d recommend this itinerary if:

You’re coming from Toronto for a weekend getaway.
You’ve already visited Montreal and don’t need to see every major attraction.
You want a couples weekend or adult getaway.
You’d rather spend half a day properly enjoying a spa than rush through five attractions.
Food, atmosphere and wandering around the city matter as much to you as sightseeing.
You want to visit Montreal without renting a car.

I would not use this exact itinerary if this is your first and possibly only trip to Montreal and you want to see as much of the city as possible. There are better ways to use 48 hours for that.

What I Would Do Differently Next Time

Very little, which is probably why I still remember this trip so fondly.

I would absolutely give Bota Bota another long block of time rather than trying to rush it. I’d still stay somewhere central so we could walk or use transit instead of bringing a car. And I would still leave part of the weekend intentionally unplanned.

The main change would simply be exploring more places to eat.

Montreal is one of those cities where every visit seems to give me another reason to come back.

And sometimes, the best two-day itinerary isn’t the one where you see the most.

It’s the one where Monday arrives and you actually feel like you had a weekend.