Montreal Trip

For visiting Dieu du Ciel, Benelux, le saint bock, peluso ect... you will be fine on public transit as the bus and metro system is excellent. If you have the time, I would personally rent a car for one day of the trip and go up to Le Castor in Rigaud 30 mins outside the city if they have re-opened by july, and Beau's 15 minutes passed it in Vankleek hill Ontario. http://www.microlecastor.ca/ http://beaus.ca/

Le Castor - currently closed for remodeling but should reopen soon from my understanding and they make fantastic beers along with one of Quebecois top 3 IPA's

Beau's is Ontario's largest non macro owned craft company. They are in a small town 45 mins outside the city in Ontario, they have a tasting bar and the bartenders are always generous they do free tours and a bottle and swag shop on sight!

Montreal is an extremely bilingual city so I wouldn't worry about being non french, Half of us are English and most people in brewpubs will understand at the very least enough to take your order. You can be nice and use french greetings, most people will be happy that you tried.

Enjoy the trip

 

You should be fine on public transport. Depending on where you're saying I would mainly just advise you to not be afraid to use the buses too. If you only use the metro you'll still have to walk a bit. If you combine them you'll rarely have to transfer more than once and it will be really fast. Unless you're here for a week or more, the cheapest option is to buy a card with ten passes in any metro station. Also, the bixis are out, so for a few bucks you can hop on a bike and drop it off pretty much wherever. It will be a little more expensive than the metro but will be quicker and you get to see the city. Have fun!

That might be being a little generous.

 

Ok like 42% of us are english or speak another language but speak english at home In Brewpubs and restaus you wont have a problem and if your west of st laurent street with the exception of vurdun, Most boroughs and cities are predominantly English. It is definitely a Bilingual city and he will be fine XD. I lived 19 years of my life here speaking very little french. I just had to avoid Pointes-aux-trembles and I did alright ;D

 

You're absolutely right, a lot of people are functionally bilingual and OP will be able to order in English.

 

yeah, In my experiences the rare time a waitress struggled she grabbed another bilingual waitress, something I've read happening in a few reviews of DDC. on a side note, Nice beer karma lol .

 

Yessir there is just put the 2 addresses into google maps and set directions for public transit. You shouldn't have any issues!

 

Bus and metro fair is 3.25 per ride with a transfer good for 2 hours that you cant use on the same bus or to get back into the metro once youve been in, Depending how long your staying you can get an Opus (electionic card for 7$ ea) and put a weekly pass on it or just pay cash.
It really depends how much you plan on taking the bus and metro on whether it would be worth it!

 

@TheDoctor If I was wrong about the bus prices or how the transfer works now you could explain it! I drive so I rarely take busses anymore. XD

 

It's not wrong but price-wise it is cheaper to buy 10 (26.50) than anything short of the monthly opus card. Unless you are just planning on using the metro once or twice.

 

Sounds like a plan, keep in touch.

Mike.

 

I'm also back and forth to Ontario quite a bit so I'll leave Montreal bottles to @TheDoctor to tade you, I can grab some Ontario brews like Collective Arts Ransack the Universe hemisphere IPA,GLB octopus wants to fight ect...

 

sounds good, we've got a few months to figure it out

 

Having been to Montreal a few times (all within the touristy downtown) never had a problem communicating in English. Quebec City, OTOH ... can be tricky if you venture a couple of Km beyond Chateau Frontenac (old city).

Couple of years ago, at a St Hubert near Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, a waitress looked at us with disdain when my wife (spent a yr in Belgium and is pretty fluent) tried to speak to her in French.

 

Out in the boonies some people will show a lack of respect when they hear an english accent but stopping for food all through eastern Quebec on my way to New brunswick and Nova Scotia, I have found that when you speak french in those small towns regardless of your background most people are appreciative.

From the time you hit Vaudreuil-Dorion all the way to downtown (via 20 or 40) those communities are almost all primarily english or 50/50 with the exception of Vurdun as I had stated before. Your most likely to have issues in places like timmies or Mcds east of st laurent street. But even touristy places on that end should be good.

 

Acutally Ironicly if you come from the Ottawa Direction 417/40, After leaving the Ottawa area almost every town down the 417 to the Quebec border is 80% francophone or more. and once you cross the border the Quebec towns all the way into montreal with the exception of Rigaud which is slightly more francophone are virtually all Anglophone, (Jack Layton was from Hudson QC.)

Its kind of fascinating to see how lingustic lines cross actual borders!