But for the grace of the Adirondack this would go in a different forum. I'm looking at doing the Adirondack next week, and I'm looking for a sanely-priced hotel in Montreal near Central Station (I would say "reasonably", but I'm a realist). I'm going to stay about two days in the area, and while I can get a car rental near the station, I very much do not want to have much of a trip to the station given the early departure time of the Adirondack (yes, 9:30 AM is early for me). Does anyone have some good suggestions here? Thanks.
Hotels near Montreal Central Station
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NS VIA Fan
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The elevator in the lobby of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth will take you down two levels and deposit you a one minute walk from you gate in Gare Centrale.......but reasonably priced??
Also the Hilton Bonaventure is across the street and the Marriott Chateau Champlain is adjacent......both connected to the station through the underground pedestrian malls.
http://www.stm.info/english/metro/Bonaventure.pdf
But if you can be on the go by 7:30 or 8am, stay in Dorval and take an AMT commuter train downtown. I’ve stayed at the Fairfield Inn. Its right next to the station with a great view of what is essentially a four track mainline: CP + CN also with AMT on the CP side and VIA (and occasional CSX) on CN.
The Fairmont is the old Railroad Hotel, isn't it? That is tempting on a lot of levels, but for the $210+ price tag.
As much as I'd like to be by a nice mainline (and I'm not even kidding there), my only concern about an intervening link is turning the trip into a Charlie Foxtrot. There does seem to be a Holiday Inn downtown that I can snag for $99, and it's only about a 2/3 of a mile from Central Station on foot (which is nice...I don't expect to have enough baggage to merit a cab, though I'll take one on advice if downtown is particularly bad at night...or it's also only two stops on the metro, which is also nice and avoids a walk). That's...about 40% less than what I was expecting to see at best, based on my experience in NYC, Pittsburgh, etc.
How is the commuter rail in Montreal vs. the subway, and how is the reliability (and the crowding, considering how far up the line Dorval is)? I get nervous around lower-frequency commuter lines (particularly packed ones...for example, in a vacuum I'm not sure that I would trust the VRE for a one-off trip to Washington that involved a connection without a fairly long layover, though for regular service that I was used to only requiring me to go downtown I'd be more open to it.
As much as I'd like to be by a nice mainline (and I'm not even kidding there), my only concern about an intervening link is turning the trip into a Charlie Foxtrot. There does seem to be a Holiday Inn downtown that I can snag for $99, and it's only about a 2/3 of a mile from Central Station on foot (which is nice...I don't expect to have enough baggage to merit a cab, though I'll take one on advice if downtown is particularly bad at night...or it's also only two stops on the metro, which is also nice and avoids a walk). That's...about 40% less than what I was expecting to see at best, based on my experience in NYC, Pittsburgh, etc.
How is the commuter rail in Montreal vs. the subway, and how is the reliability (and the crowding, considering how far up the line Dorval is)? I get nervous around lower-frequency commuter lines (particularly packed ones...for example, in a vacuum I'm not sure that I would trust the VRE for a one-off trip to Washington that involved a connection without a fairly long layover, though for regular service that I was used to only requiring me to go downtown I'd be more open to it.
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NS VIA Fan
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Yes, the Queen Elizabeth is the former CN (later a CPR hotel) but the Holiday Inn sounds like a good deal and it’s not far. BTW, you can walk anywhere downtown in Montreal at anytime and it’s perfectly safe. St. Catherine’s Street, the main street can be just as busy at midnight as it is at noon......lots of restaurants, bars, outdoor cafes (in summer) etc.
The AMT commuter train arrives at Gare Lucien L’allier, about a 5-6 minute walk from Central. In the map link I provided above, “LU LA” is toward the left side, Central in the upper right (Blue AMT train symbol)
jis
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Actually the original CP Hotel in Montreal was the Windsor Hotel, and later the CP Hotel was the Chateau Champlain built adjacent to CP's Windsor Station. The Queen Elizabeth was originally a CN hotel which was sold to CP Hotels which changed its name to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
The sister hotel of Chateau Champlain in Ottawa is the Chateau Laurier, which is a spectacular building and still a Fairmont property. I have stayed in the Chateau Laurier twice on my company's penny attending a week long software standards conference. The sister hotel in Quebec City is Chateau Frontenac which is still a Fairmont property. The other well known CP hotels are the Royal York in Toronto and Chateau Lake Louise in Lake Louise.
The Chateau Champlain is now a Marriott property and is wonderful and pricey. I always burn a few Marriott point to stay there or burn a few Hilton points to stay at the Hilton Bonaventure across the street from Central Station.
The sister hotel of Chateau Champlain in Ottawa is the Chateau Laurier, which is a spectacular building and still a Fairmont property. I have stayed in the Chateau Laurier twice on my company's penny attending a week long software standards conference. The sister hotel in Quebec City is Chateau Frontenac which is still a Fairmont property. The other well known CP hotels are the Royal York in Toronto and Chateau Lake Louise in Lake Louise.
The Chateau Champlain is now a Marriott property and is wonderful and pricey. I always burn a few Marriott point to stay there or burn a few Hilton points to stay at the Hilton Bonaventure across the street from Central Station.
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JoanieBlon
Service Attendant
While I haven't actually stayed here (I booked here, but then ended up staying at Embassy Suites, because my husband likes that chain) check out HOTEL DU FORT which is a boutique located in downtown Montreal not too far from the main Canada Rail Station. According to Google maps, the Hotel du Fort is located 1.6 kilometers from the station and it takes about 20 minutes to walk there. A taxi ride would be quick and inexpensive. It's HIGHLY recommended on Trip Advisor.
Looking at their website, I was finding mid-week rates for next week using the the "Summer Promotion" (?) at a quite reasonable rate of CAD $135 per night for their "Signature King Rooms." There are also other rates available, and other rooms choices as well, but this one seemed the best....
Spacious room with living room area
Queen or King bed with sofa bed or two double beds
Custom-made wood partition (separating bed and living room area)
422 sq. feet (among the largest room size in Montreal)
Kitchenette: wet bar with microwave, mini fridge and coffee maker
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while not right downtown, the Springhill Suites by Marriott in Old Montreal is lovely...lots to walk to....you can walk about 5-6 blocks to the Metro..(downhill going, uphill back...) and still get to the Central Station (one of my FAVE places to eat...really..! ) in time for the train...we did that several times!
just another though!
have a great trip...i am jealous!! haven't been to Montreal in a couple years.....
just another though!
have a great trip...i am jealous!! haven't been to Montreal in a couple years.....
G
Gord
Guest
Stayed at the Delta Trudeau a few years ago. The corner rooms overlook the ladder track going into the station.
Not sure on the pricing on the room as I didn't have to pay for it. Make sure you have a look at the electrified, Mount Royal Tunnel operation, Old Montreal and if you have the time, Exporail (St. Constant / Delson) about 10 miles away. Exporail is the largest rail museum in the country with a spectacular display building which opened a couple of years ago.
Gord
Long Train Runnin'
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When I was in Montreal I waked from the station to that Holiday Inn. Its in "Chinatown" and it has an amazing lobby where you walk on stone bridges over a massive koi pond. It was a very nice hotel and probably like a 10 to 15 minute walk to the train station.
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