Driving is fine. About 9 hours. Would suggest leaving around 6 am to avoid traffic. The drive is stunning in upstate New York. Montreal is about 30 or 45 minutes from the border. Fantastic city. Highly recommend it. You could tag on Quebec City too. It’s a 4-hour drive from Montreal.

We go twice year and always do the Canadian center for architecture and Snowden Deli. Snowden is a locals Jewish deli with smoked meat and all the fixings. I learned about if from a friend whose family is from there. It’s much better than Schwartz’s. You can take the metro there.

I’d fly from DC. We drove and it was miserable - you hit every major city along the east coast.

I loved Montreal in the summer. Street fests, good food, nice parks, easy metro, great walks. We stayed at a Marriott with a nice indoor pool/sauna. It was warm and very humid while we were there.

You can easily take a train to Quebec City, which was charming but very touristy. In QC we stayed in a little airbnb in the old town, but now I know it’s not necessary to be right in the old section.

Shops and restaurants in Mont-Royal neighborhood are a must. Old Montreal is awesome and has the French feel. The churches are stunning — visiting the Oratoire, NDdMontreal, the Cathedral, and the Basilica of St. Patrick is absolutely worth it. Their Metro is very clean and safe and is even nicer than the DC Metro.