Play the tourist in your city (without paying a penny)

Can’t afford to go this year? Oh we hear you. But know that there is a way to spoil yourself all the same, by taking full advantage of our metropolis, like a tourist in search of great discoveries. Dare: let yourself be amazed, as if you were traveling. A journey on foot and in five stages, to be savored between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Good news: as a bonus, it’s free!

The famous ring

If you’re like many of us, chances are you’ve never set foot there. This is why our improvised (and unpretentious!) journey begins here. Disregard the work that drags on on McGill College (how long!) and enjoy the work here, by Claude Cormier, the firm to which we already owe the Village’s colored balls. Think about it by taking a picture of yourself, ideally under some magical snowflakes, under this behemoth of 23 tons illuminated for the season, which cost the tidy sum of 5 million. All that’s missing is a nice big Christmas tree in the background for the portrait to be perfect. By the way: when will our very own Rockefeller be? It presses.

Place Ville Marie Memory City

While you’re there, don’t miss the latest Cité Mémoire painting, projected a stone’s throw away on the Place Ville Marie esplanade (PVM). From nightfall and six times an hour, exceptionally every evening between December 27 and 31, then from January 3 to 7, this painting by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, on texts by Michel Marc Bouchard, tells the first years of Ville-Marie, from two angles: that of Jeanne Mance and that of the Iroquois nation. Did you know ? Cité Mémoire, with its twenty paintings in town, is the largest course of its kind in the world. If the total experience inspires you, put on your hat and download the application (free!), and set off to discover other highlights, known characters (or not) from our history!

Here light therapy

Direction rue Sainte-Catherine, which, in this corner of the city, with its Kiehl’s, Sephora and other Uniqlo shops, looks like a Little Apple (scuse her), doesn’t it? Well, okay, the decorations of the Eaton Center, as nice as they are, have nothing to do with the extravagance of the chic 5^th Avenue, but still. The Three Illuminated Bears (a work by Cree artist Jason Carter, which certainly does not hide the gaping holes on the other side of the street, but let’s move on), followed by the Luminothérapie course in the Quartier des Spectacles, have what to warm you if not the body, at least the soul. Don’t miss the dominoes in Square Phillips (children will love making a racket here), the rotating diamonds and the tunnel of arches in front of the Complexe Desjardins, not to mention the phonic prisms, on the Place des Arts esplanade, for a cacophonous harmony, although frankly magical. Along the way, enjoy the very pretty decorations in front of the Promenades Cathedral of the same name. Because yes, decorations make us all crack!

Stretch out the fun at the Grand Christmas Market

There you are, and good news: for the first time this year, and after two years of absence, the Grand Marché de Noël de Montréal, places des Festivals, is extending its activities until New Year’s! If you haven’t had time to take a look (it must be said that the 24 showed up particularly quickly this year!), now is the time. Every day, between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., thirty chalets made by local and regional artisans await you. To be savored with the eyes (we said we didn’t spend a penny!): the Maison d’Alsace, the Chalet Savoyard and the Orangerie. And then take note of the names of the craftsmen present here, for gift ideas for next year! Note that several jazz and folk shows are also on the program, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., between the 27th and the 30th, inclusively.

The highlight of the course: the Tranquille ice rink

A little further east is the highlight of our journey. We never get tired of it and it amazes us every time: the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink is a real gem for Montrealers. If you have your skates with you, it’s free: a refrigerated, illuminated and animated ice cream (check the program to not miss anything!) on top of the market. Who says better ? In fact, there is better: to warm up, don’t miss the heated pavilion, a well-kept secret, to be discovered: fire, sofas, books (and toilets!) await you there, in a warm atmosphere, with a bird’s eye view of the rink. A well-deserved rest, after this winter walk, admit it!