Some of these were genuinely shocking . Others were things I credibly should ’ve known .
Helloooo travel enthusiasts! I’m Abby, and yes, I love a good trip. Who doesn’t? There’s nothing more exciting than walking around a brand-new city, learning about the culture (and obviously, the food. We’ll get to that).
I’ve been lucky enough to visit two of the most popular French cities in the world as of recent: Montreal and Paris. I was pumped to put my whopping 10 YEARS of grade-school French to use — and to enjoy such notoriously beautiful cities.
And after visiting both Montreal and Paris, I have to say, there are some differences I wasnotexpecting. So if you’re interested in literally anything to do with travel, or if you’re simply Canadian or French and curious to see how spot-on I am, you’re in luck — here are some fascinating tidbits I picked up on:
1.People go wild over how beautiful the small area of Old Montreal is — and it is stunning — but like, that’s what all of Paris looks like. Beautiful historical buildings, cobblestone streets, you know the deal. One little taste of European culture and Canadians are alllll over it.
2.At least from what I saw, there are more tourist-trap shops in Old Montreal than there are in Paris. Here in Canada, we like to squeeze every bit out of tourists as we can, I guess. When I was in Paris, I really didn’t see many of those classic, mega-touristy souvenir shops, and when I did, they really weren’t busy.
3.The French. Of course, the French. It honestly sounds different in the two cities because of the different Quebecois accent, and I truly couldn’t understand much of the French in Paris because they spoke so fast. Parisian French sounds almost softer, and Quebec French is a bit more aggressive.
4.Less people spoke English in Montreal, particularly Old Montreal, than I thought. More times than I expected, I spoke to someone in English and they couldn’t understand me in Montreal, and I had to alter what I said. Whereas in Paris, more people understood English than I thought; I was expecting nobody to understand me. So I definitely made some wrong assumptions there.
5.The shopping!! As much as you can definitely find some cute boutiques in Montreal, let’s be honest — if I were spending a day clothes shopping, I’d want to head to the mall. In Paris, there’s one “mall,” but it honestly looks more like a museum than a mall — so your best bet is to look for some little boutiques, which they have everywhere (especially in the Marais, where I stayed).
6.Speaking of food, in Paris, there’s literally a new boulangerie around every corner, each one more incredible than the next. There’s no need to look up where to go, because EVERYWHERE is amazing. In Montreal, it’s probably wiser to find the best places to eat before you go, or to ask locals to ensure you’re trying the best stuff.
7.In Paris, people spend their days chilling on the patio at a cafe, people-watching. This is veryyyy much not anything you would see in Montreal — they’re not as known for their patios (if at all).
8.The Montreal Metro was much easier to understand than the Paris subway. Maybe that’s because of the French, or the fact that it seemed much newer. Or maybe I just have low expectations entirely and am used to the TTC in Toronto. But anyway, I was more positively surprised by the Montreal subway! So 1 point to Montreal there!
9.With the exception of Montmartre, in Paris I honestly just walked everywhere. It’s a lot prettier and more convenient to walk wherever you go, whereas in Montreal, I subwayed or Ubered.
10.The people in Paris were definitely less interested in talking to tourists or entertaining the idea of us being in their city. I know this is a stereotype, but hey, I didn’t want to believe it until I saw it!
11.More people bike in Montreal than I thought. I have family from there who looooves biking, but I didn’t expect to see so many bike groups around, and the streets really do prioritize bikers more than I’ve seen in many other cities.
12.People smoke a lot in Paris — much more than Montreal. I wasn’t expecting this at all. There are also, consequently, wayyy more ashtrays at restaurant and cafe tables.
13.OK, finally, I have to say this even though I didn’t experience it on my most-recent Montreal trip. Because I think a lot of people (myself included, sometimes) forget: Montreal winters are INTENSE. Like, worse than Toronto by far. It does make for incredible skiing, though, which I would definitely recommend going back for.
Anyway, in conclusion, both of these cities are great. I’m biased toward Paris because Montreal is sort of… right there, but honestly, Old Montreal is awesome if you want a Europe-like experience close to home. I guess all that matters is I spent hours walking, shopping, and eating in both places. What else could I ask for?
What do you love about Montreal and Paris? Any interesting differences I missed? Let me know below, and follow BuzzFeed Canada onTikTokandInstagramfor more ✈️
