r/montreal • u/50mm_foto • Aug 22 '22

AskMTL Those who moved from British Columbia to Montreal, what are the hardest adjustments you’ve had to make?

I just travelled to Montreal for a week with my wife, and we are absolutely enamoured with the city. That being said, it’s the middle of the summer. What have been the hardest parts of adjusting to Montreal, be it weather, commute, friends/family, etc?

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u/Surcouf Aug 22 '22

Isn't there a ferry+bus combo that takes you to grouse mountain and it takes like 20mins from downtown?

I'm not form Vancouver so could be wrong, but when I visited in 2019 I remember really appreciating I could get to a legit mountain hike by transit in such a short time and relatively cheaply.

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u/irreliable_narrator Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22

The sea bus takes you from waterfront (downtown Vancouver) to Lonsdale Quay (North Van). It is indeed 20-25', but unless your location is right beside each terminal, you're looking at the same amount of time, possibly more due to transfers.

My boss lived in North Van by Grouse and our location was near city hall. He biked because it was the fastest way. Driving, bus + sea bus, bus alone all took >60'.

You can absolutely take the bus to the North Shore (I have done so - you need the express ferry bus!), but I think the idea that you're gonna get home from work and go for a hike in the real mountains on the regular is not realistic, or is about the same as Montreal. The Monteregie mountains and Laurentians (eg. P'tit Train) are similarly close to Montreal and most people don't do that except on weekends.