Montréal: Plateau Mont-Royal & Mile End
Begin in the Plateau, Montréal's most characterful neighbourhood — outdoor spiral staircases, duplexes in every colour, and a café on every corner. Parc La Fontaine is a fine place to read for an hour. Walk north into Mile End, the creative and culinary heart of the city: Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel are within two blocks of each other and the debate over which is better has no correct answer. Bernard Avenue and St-Laurent Boulevard offer dinner options in every register. The Montréal bagel, wood-fired and honey-dipped, is one of the finest things to eat in Canada.
Montréal: Old Port, Notre-Dame Basilica & Mont Royal
Old Montréal along the St. Lawrence is the preserved commercial core of New France — the grey limestone buildings, narrow streets, and the Bonsecours Market date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Notre-Dame Basilica on Place d'Armes is one of the most spectacular interiors in Canada — the blue and gold nave with illuminated vaulting is extraordinary. In the afternoon, climb Mont Royal by the Olmsted-designed path to the belvedere lookout for the full city panorama. The mountain's cross, visible from everywhere in the city, is lit each night.
Montréal: Musée des Beaux-Arts & St-Henri
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal on Sherbrooke Street West is the finest art museum in Canada outside the AGO — allow a half day across its five pavilions, which range from ancient antiquities to a dedicated Québécois collection. The Sherbrooke corridor is lined with independent galleries and high-end boutiques. In the afternoon, take the metro to St-Henri, a formerly industrial neighbourhood west of the Lachine Canal that has transformed into Montréal's most interesting food and design quarter without yet losing its working-class character.
VIA Rail to Québec City & Old Town
VIA Rail trains run from Montréal Centrale to Québec City Gare du Palais in under three hours and the ride through the St. Lawrence lowlands is pleasant. Québec City is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico — the fortifications, built between 1745 and 1871, encircle a remarkably intact 17th-century urban core. Arrive in Lower Town (Basse-Ville), walk through the oldest commercial street in North America (Rue Saint-Paul), and take the funicular up to Upper Town. The Château Frontenac on the cliffs above the river is one of the great landmark hotels in the world.
Québec City: Plains of Abraham, Musée de la Civilisation & Departure
The Plains of Abraham — the battlefield where the fate of New France was decided in 1759 — is now a 108-hectare urban park with some of the best jogging and picnic grounds in any Canadian city. The Musée national des Beaux-Arts du Québec on the adjacent Grande Allée is world-class, particularly its collection of Québécois art from New France to the present. The Rue Saint-Jean outside the walls is the city's liveliest dining and nightlife strip. Jean Lesage Airport is 15 minutes from downtown by taxi ($40) with connections across Canada.