Montreal Advice

I have my tickets, I have a hotel room 30 minutes from the track. We are a family of four we will be arriving on Thursday evening. I am looking for any useful advice. Where to eat. Where to park. When to arrive. What to do. I have not been to an Formula 1 race since Pheonix 20 years ago. I don't want to miss out on anything or have any unpleasant surprises due to ignorance. We are on a fairly tight budget (hence the hotel in Laval) Thank you in advance.

 

Take a metro (subway) from Laval to the Peel St area. Eat at Alexandre's; it's not expensive, but you will enjoy it. Walk the streets from Peel to Crescent etc. It's a lively area that all the family will enjoy. (I brought my family of 10 the past 3 years; my parents, sisters, nieces etc. Drummond St is closed for traffic - all restaraunts
Crescent St - totally packed; street shut for concert. Great time
Peel St - shut down for nightly car show....
Hang out at the corner of St.Laurent & Sherbrooke and watch the exotics roll in to park. St Laurent is full of high end restaraunts and is closed for the whole length; almost a mile....


On a different night take the Metro to old montreal, and walk around the area, down to the waterfront etc....

Don't try to drive & park; too crazy and expensive. Their metro is clean & efficient....
I've been to Montreal for the GP 10 times in the last 15 years....And have been to every corner or the city....

 

My post is only in regards to the nightlife, not going to te track. Just take the metro to the track.

 

If you are headed to the track on multiple days for practice(s), qualifying, the race and perhaps some of the support races, I would suggest buying a multi-day metro pass for each family member. I believe we used 3 day passes last year. The metor crowds are light on Friday, heavier on Saturday and jammed on Sunday. Having the passes ahead of time seems like a small thing, but it will help. From near your hotel, take whatever transfer you may need in order to get to the yellow line. It will take you to Park Jean Drapeau, the final stop on that particular line. Then, follow the masses across the bridges onto the island to your grandstands.

There will be plenty to do at the track itself during the day (vendors, displays, support races, etc.). IMHO, the Ferrari Challenge and the Historic F1s are must-see support races. Overall, just enjoy the experience. Montreal is a great city to visit for the race.

 

Agree with the suggestion to get the three day Metro pass.

Too bad you will be arriving on Thursday night. On Thursday between 10:00am and 2:00pm they open the paddock and you can watch as the teams prepare. Its all free.

A place downtown to get great vacation food at good prices is Rubens. They specialize in hot corned beef sandwiches but have a full menu too. We go at least twice over the course of the weekend.

On Saturday night, take the Metro up to the Little Italy area. There is a "to die for" car show in the streets on Saturday night, not to mention all the restaurants and the pastry shops. Forget about the restaurant "Die Baffoni" they used to be popular but now are lousy. The service is insulting and the food is limited.

Enjoy your trip.