Easter Long Weekend Itinerary in Montreal

It’s the first weekend of the year when a road trip can end with your feet in the (cold) water. To go shell-hunting on the beaches of the North Shore in three destinations where the air is salty and life is sweet, we’ve got guides for our favorite villages in northern Quebec.

On our agenda: a stroll along the waterfront during the Easter long weekend;

• Kamouraska
• Baie Saint-Paul
• Tadoussac

The weekend will be mild (with a little luck), so we feel like adding Montreal’s markets to our list of outings and things to do. Flowers, chocolates, local meat for Easter dinner, breads, seasonal vegetables… We’re going to slow down and let ourselves be carried along by the spring breeze.

Bonus points for those who wear rain boots or clogs—they’re the shoes of the season, you’ll thank us later!—and who swap their Jean Coutu reusable bag for a wicker or recycled fabric basket. This will be one of the last weekends the markets will be indoors.

• the Atwater Market
• the Jean-Talon Market
• the Maisonneuve Market

Flowers, chocolates, crafts—and all with a springtime feel. We’re bringing home a wicker basket for the bouquet of tulips.

Scones, cucumber sandwiches, tea, and an Easter straight out of an English movie—plus an egg hunt for the kids.

We want to spend quality time—and work off our sugar high—and we want to do it with a slow-life mindset to get used to the languid, warm days of spring and summer.

We say brunch, but it also counts for dinner (for those celebrating Passover), of course.

Where we cook with local vegetables, fruits, and meats bought at the market, where we decide to swap effort for comfort, and after a lively Easter egg hunt, we head out for brunch at one of Montreal’s best restaurants offering Easter menus for the long weekend… You’ll need to book fast!

Whether it’s for a bouquet to give to the in-laws on Easter Monday or to get into the spring spirit, we’re going to learn how to arrange flowers in a basket.

The long Easter weekend, with its Christian celebrations, is rich in symbolism. And chocolate, of course. Hence, a race to find the prettiest and most delicious chocolate bunny possible to keep in a basket before placing it in the garden on Easter Monday morning.

The rabbit (or hare), in almost all Eurocentric and Celtic pagan cultures, is a symbol of spring; a symbol of the earth’s fertility and renewal. The “march hares” of old Europe are the hares that, in spring, “dance” in the fields during mating season. In Asian cultures, the rabbit is associated with the moon and good luck.

In Montreal right now, we have a guide to the cutest bunnies of the year…

The Rolls-Royce of sugar shacks for a unique gastronomic experience.

Chef Martin Picard’s upscale cabin, offering a creative set menu (green beans in red wine, pea soup with foie gras, maple French toast) in a gourmet and highly sought-after atmosphere.