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iTrader: (20)

I decided to buy tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal for 2015. Race is June 5th-7th. Since I've never been to Montreal, I am going to spend a few extra days there after the race and was curious as to any destinations or places I should go see during my stay. I will be bringing my wife and children with me, so I'm not interested in anything that is not family friendly. We will likely be staying at the Westin near Old Montreal since it is one of the few places I am familiar with and would like to experience, plus it's close to the Metro to get to and from the circuit.

So I will visit a few places in the city centre during our stay, but I am debating renting a car for a day or two to drive out into the countryside some if there were any destinations worth the trip near by. I am not looking for a 4+ hour drive however, so it needs to be within a reasonable distance of Montreal. Since I don't know anyone from Montreal, I felt my best chance and getting some information was likely from the forum members who live there.

If anyone else is attending, I booked 5 of the Trio Pole Position tickets. I debated the Trio Senna, but decided I wanted to see the start, finish, watch the pits, have TV monitors, and comfortable seats for Sunday as opposed to the bleacher seats. Most of the times, the straight away can be quite boring, but here's hoping. Anyways, if anyone else will be there and wanted to meet up, just shoot me a PM. This will be my first F1 experience outside the U.S. I debated attending Spa, but decided not to deal with that level of hiking with the family. So Canada it is.

RX7(613)

iTrader: (9)

You will have a blast. Montreal Island has more than enough to keep you busy for a full week.

Here's the generic calendar of things happening. input your date and you will have a list of festivals , etc.

Montreal is packed with museums, galleries, good food and good times.

Old montreal is great, go to the dock and try out the science museum there. If you have kids they will love it . (Even parents, I have a blast there ) .


For shopping, St. catherine street is fun.

Montreal | Event | What to do | Major | Festival | Music | Tourism Montreal

pfsantos

iTrader: (1)

You may want a couple extra days before the race. They have a ton of events just before. You guys will love it. After the race it's a lil quieter, which is also nice.

RacerJason

iTrader: (5)

Yes, the Thursday pit walk is an excellent opportunity to see the cars up close and sometimes speak to a few team members. Montreal has some incredible dining opportunities, indulge yourself a bit. I imagine some of the current inhabitants will chime in so I'll shut up.

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iTrader: (20)

We have not determined our exact schedule at this time. I am timing this directly after our school year ends for my children which is on June 4th. So I doubt I can get there any sooner than possibly Wednesday, but we will most likely be traveling on the 4th.

domrx7

iTrader: (7)

I did Montreal F1 for 8yrs straight (01- 08) absolutely loved it, Montreal puts on a good weekend of entertainment for all.....my favorite section to sit was grandstand 24/exit of the hair pin....lots of action, great for photography.....spent my weekends behind my 500mm lens have gotten great shots over the years...Massa crashing into the barrier in front of grandstand 15, Kubica's big crash in 2007 and Hamilton's first Victory to name a few. You will have a great time and don't forget to try to Montreal smoke meat sandwiches...They're GREATTTTT!!!! .Cheers

23Racer

I'm in Montreal every 2 weeks, just got back last night in fact, so its old hat for me. For kids really look at taking them out to the Cosmodome in Laval (on 15 just south of the 440). Its a really cool spacey kind of place. During the GP weekend, there are tons of race oriented things to do. Google closer to the event and you will find out that there is everything from Jazz events to kids events going on. Make sure you stay somewhere downtown as everything is really close by and you can walk to most places. Old Montreal is really cool for about an hour. After that you realize its a bunch of high end stores in really old buildings, but it is cool to walk around there and see the acts on the streets.

Regarding the GP, I have been there in 2 capacities. The first few times as a spectator and it was great. The atmosphere is amazing and the crowd really rocks. You will love it. The east grandstands are the best as the amphitheater effect really channels the sounds and you can see a ton of passes. Make sure that you walk around as there are places where you can get really close to the track. Its awesome.

If you are a competitor, like I have been 3 times in support events, it sucks. Its all hurry up and wait. You really understand that you really don't matter. You are just filler for the real "Show" to come back on. However I usually signed the most autographs there and again, the crowds made it amazing to race on track as you could hear them over the car cheering for you. That part was flatout awesome and I will remember those moments forever.

You will love the experience and yes the smoked meat is great. Go to Ben's as its one of the oldest and most traditional deli's. Also try the bagels. They make them totally different than anywhere else and keep your wife out of the Carrefour Laval. You will be broke afterwards.

Eric

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iTrader: (20)

Good deal man. Yea, we will be staying downtown as I've heard it's a very walkable city with decent mass transit as well. I'll be sure to look into the Cosmodome. Got to find some fun stuff for the kids to take in while we are there. I was told to make the drive to Ottawa to check out the Parc de la Gatineau, but that's a bit of a haul. I was curious if the park areas north of Montreal were worth the drive for some scenic hiking or anything?

The tickets I went with was the Pole Position Trio. I heard that Turns 11-12 were both really good as well as 21,15, and 24. The trio will put me in those areas for Friday-Saturday and in the main grandstands for Sunday. I'm not sure how strict the guards are on Friday/Saturday for checking out the various grandstands....I know in Austin 2012, you could visit all the areas pretty easily during non-F1 events like qualifying or the Grand Prix, but in 2014, you could not get anywhere except where your ticket stated. Being someone who has been considering purchasing a PSL seat, I wanted to check out the vantage point from them all with the wife since she didn't go with in 2012, but we were unable to which was disappointing.

Since Sunday requires the most seat time, I wanted to be in the chairs as opposed to the bleachers. On Friday and Saturday, I figure the kids can more easily come and go from their seats if they get bored or tired of sitting, but wanted more comfortable seating for Sunday so I am in likely the most boring part of the track the main straight, but hopefully we will have a decent view of a monitor to watch some, and I enjoy watching pit stop strategies at play.