Because we want to spend the summer in Quebec like in a 2000s romantic comedy, and because we want to get out of Montreal without going too far, we recommend visiting the village of Montebello. It’s a 1.5-hour drive from downtown Montreal, and it’s right between Montreal and Ottawa.
Montebello lies on the banks of the Ottawa River, and on the other side is Ontario. What would a summer romantic comedy be without a language barrier?
The forest, the water, Montebello
The village of Montebello is known in part for its ultra-luxurious Fairmont Château Montebello hotel—complete with a yacht club, a spa, a golf course, and an indoor pool with a cathedral ceiling. The website is here.
To visit Montebello, we recommend;
- breakfast, coffee, and a village atmosphere at Café Entre Amis / 491 Notre-Dame Street, Montebello
- a visit to the Manoir-Papineau National Historic Site
- shop for a ceramic fish to bring back to Montreal at La Shed qui Tourne / 610 Notre-Dame Street, Montebello
Picnic in the great outdoors
A picnic can last all weekend. In addition to the charming architecture and the small main street of Montebello, there’s a 65,000-acre private reserve of forest and freshwater right next door. You can rent a cabin in the middle of nature, go for walks, fish, and pretend you’re really far away from it all.
It’s very luxurious, focused on nature conservation, and a living ecosystem where you can spend the weekend by the fire and by the water . It’s called Kenauk, and the website is here.
