Girls Getaway Weekend in Montreal

Montreal is easily accessible for many from the East Coast. Whether you're flying in to Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International airport, driving or taking the train. Since my three friends and I live just a few hours south of Montreal, we started our trip by driving.

After checking into our hotel and settling in, it was time for a cocktail. Henri Brasserie Franchise + Lounge is the perfect first stop to kick off a girls weekend. With stunning high ceilings and chandeliers, it's a gorgeous spot to enjoy a craft cocktail.

From there, take a short walk to Wunderbar at the W Hotel. It's another stunning place to savor a drink with friends before dinner.

We chose to walk to Santos, in Old Montreal. Montreal is an incredibly walkable city. When you need a break, their public transportation is also easy to find. This is a big plus for me when I'm traveling in a foreign country!

Santos has a really fun vibe — we started with a round of margaritas, and ordered plates to share. Notable standouts were the tuna tostada and surf and turf sharing platter. Halfway through dinner, a DJ started his set and the atmosphere went from dinner club to dancing club! Santos was a really fun place to enjoy our first night in Montreal.

It's not a girls weekend without a great brunch, and you'll never run out of options for one in Montreal. We reserved a table at Bar George, a place that will leave you feeling like you've been transported back in time. Intricate woodwork, a grand staircase and a cozy fireplace provide the backdrop for modern twists on British and French fare. Indulge in the French toast — you won't regret it! Make sure to tour around the building a bit before you leave. Bar George holds a place on Tastet's most beautiful bars in Montreal list for a reason.

From there, it's a choose-your-own adventure of being active and taking a walk through Mont Royal park or doing some shopping on Rue St. Catherine.

When you need an afternoon pick-me-up, head over to Chinatown. Stop by Sammi and Soupe Dumpling for a variety of dumplings, noodle dishes and a Chinese beer. Enjoy some fresh air in one of the many outdoor plazas where you can people-watch to your heart's content.

For a relaxing evening, we chose to treat ourselves to a spa experience at Strom Nordic Spa. Montreal has a strong spa culture, and there are many great options for a wellness moment on your girls getaway.

After an easy 15-minute ride to Nun's Island where the spa is located, we checked in and prepared ourselves to do the water circuit. With multiple hot and cold plunges and pools, saunas, infrared beds and relaxation zones, Storm spa brings a Nordic touch to a fun spa day. There is an onsite restaurant and massages, facials and body treatments are available.

All that pampering had us working up an appetite, so we ended the night at Deville Dinerbar, a really fun and kitchy bar and restaurant. The portions here are huge and meant for sharing, and everything we had was delicious. We chose the chicken and waffles, Deville Macho salad and beignets for dessert.

For our third and final day in Montreal, we chose to explore the Plateau-Mont- Royal neighborhood. A really fun feature is that a portion of Mont Royal Avenue becomes a purely pedestrian street from the beginning of June to the end of August.

There are so many bars, eateries and cute shops to wander in and out of, but on a Sunday morning we were really here for one thing: bagels.

In Montreal, there are two well-known bagel shops, Fairmount Bagels and St-Viateur. I personally refuse to pick sides between the two. I grew up going to Fairmount Bagels, but St. Viateur is on the Plateau, making it the perfect place to stop for brunch or a bagel to go.

After breakfast, and with bagels to go in hand, we explored the neighborhood before heading back home. I'm already looking forward to my next Montreal trip!