Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Quebec City is smaller and really french is a kind of backwater way. But beautiful and historic and walkable. Plus lots of nature-ish things to do outside of town - syrup farms, waterfalls, hiking etc - that are easy to get to because the city is so small.
Montreal is a moderate sized city, has it's own cultural scene that's very different than anywhere in NA but not similar to anything in europe. It straddles the line between a regular midsized city that has typical chain stores for shopping on busy streets, but also has a distinct grungy montreal vibe that is cool to some folks (me!) but could feel low rent and off putting to others. Just for example, lots of restaurants that are converted row houses that still feel kind of grimy inside but you're getting an awesome creative gourmet meal that's not expensive. It also has interesting historical stuff, the old port, hiking on the mountain, museums, etc. Montreal does have tons of good eating......
Toronto is a typical large north american city, and has tons of city stuff to do - good shopping, restaurants, museums, sports events, festivals, etc. It's my favorite of the four, but i like being in cities.
Vancouver is a moderate sized city (probably similar to montreal) and i think really disappointing if you're looking for a cool urban city. But outdoorsy people love it because it has a lot of nature right in the city. And tons of nature stuff to jump to pretty close to the city. So don't go to vancouver for shopping or dining or sports or other "city" stuff. Go for the outdoors vibe.
I've been to all four, and this is accurate (enough.) I enjoyed all of them, for the reasons described.