10 New Year’s resolutions you’ll keep… in Montréal

Whether we make them every year or we’ve sworn off them for life, New Year’s Resolutions can haunt us – the trick is to make your yearly promises as fun-loving as possible. And since Montréal is decidedly fun-loving, it’s easy to follow through on those quintessential New Year’s resolutions any time of the year.

Eat a multi-course meal

Eating is necessary to life, whether you’ve made a “lose-weight” resolution or not, and five-course meals aren’t something most of us enjoy every day – so why not dig in to Montréal’s best prix-fixe menus at award-winning hotel and independent gourmet restaurants serving delicious local creations, authentic French food, special late-night menus, and so much more. If you visit in late fall, take advantage of the slashed prices at dozens of restaurants during the MTL à TABLE Montréal restaurant week. If you’re here in February, look for gourmet specials at MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE. And from late February to early April, experience the Québec cabane à sucre sugar shack tradition.

Drink the good stuff

There’s no time like the present in Montréal to splurge on that cask-aged whiskey or gorgeous bottle of wine you’ve been dreaming about. Taste rare single malts and more at L’Île Noir, Whiskey Café,  Big in Japan, at the city’s Irish pubs and at several other bars and restaurants – we do like our scotch here. As a French-influenced city, Montréal unequivocally loves wine – find some of the best from around the world at wine bars and restaurants citywide.

Rise above it all

Put any fear of heights behind you with a ride up the Montréal Tower at Olympic Park. Once at the top you’ll see views of the Saint Lawrence River, Mont Royal with its iconic cross on top, downtown’s skyscrapers and cathedrals vying for skyline precedence, the tidy rows of brick triplexes in the Plateau neighbourhood, the beautiful Botanical Garden adjacent to the tower, city streets stretching out across Montréal, and beyond. And in the spring of 2016, see the city, mountain and Saint Lawrence River from the stunning vantage point of downtown’s brand new Au Sommet Place Ville Marie, featuring a 46th-floor observatory, Les Enfants Terribles restaurant and terrasse on the 44th floor, and more.

Time travel

Okay, this one isn’t technically possible (yet!), but Montréal’s long-gone history collides with the present on a daily basis, especially along the cobblestone streets of the city’s old district where architecture dates back to 1685. See another era in the intimidatingly beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica, history-rich Place Jacques-Cartier and the truly stunning Saint Joseph’s Oratory.

Feel young again

Let your inner child run free – or just join your kids in doing what they do naturally – indoors and outdoors, all over Montréal. Look into the eyes of wild animals at the Biodôme and see the stars at the Planetarium at the Space for Life. Learn more about science and tech, discoveries and dinosaurs with hands-on activities and new IMAX films at the Montréal Science Centre. Swim in Olympic-sized pools outdoors at Parc Jean-Drapeau and indoors at the Olympic Park Sports Centre. Go ice skating on refrigerated outdoor skating rinks in the Old Port of Montréal and at Olympic Park’s MAMMOUTH winter village. Or feel the adrenalized glee of extreme sports like rock climbing, zip-lining and snowboarding.

Go skydiving

People get bold on vacation – sometimes bold enough to jump out of an airplane. Follow through on that long-held desire at locations just outside the city: Voltige near Notre Dame de Lourdes, Parachute Montréal near Saint Esprit, Nouvel Air near Farnham and Parachutisme Adrenaline near Saint Jerome. Experience a similar thrill closer to the ground at awesome vertical wind tunnels SkyVenture Montréal and Aerodium. Feel like you’re free-falling on a rollercoaster at La Ronde amusement park. Or get in the pilot’s seat of a Boeing 737 at the Aerosim Experience flight simulator.

Ride the rapids

While there isn’t a true big wave in sight near Montréal, we’ve still got surf: ride the Lachine Rapids and other white water on the Saint-Lawrence River on a surfboard, raft, kayak, stand-up paddle or jet boat with Rafting Montréal, KSF and Jet Boating Montréal. If you’re not quite ready to wetsuit up, go kayaking along the less turbulent Lachine Canal. Or step aboard a Bateau-Mouche, AML, Amphi-Bus or Le Petit Navire tour boat to see the cityscape from the Saint-Lawrence River.

Get the perfect tattoo

Spotting great ink in Montréal isn’t hard – as in any artistic city (not to mention a city of tattooed gourmet chefs), artists both create and demand high-quality, creative tattoos. Look for art that suits your style at Sin City, MTL Tattoo and Tatouage Royal on St-Denis, Tattoo Lounge and Imago on St-Laurent and Bodkin Tattoo in Mile End. Visit in September to see the latest and greatest in the tattoo world at the Art Tattoo Show Montréal – and maybe even get a tattoo there too. Or if permanent art isn’t in the cards this year, just change your hair instead!

Dance like nobody’s watching

When it comes to partying on the dance floor, Montrealers are experts. For over a decade we’ve been dancing all afternoon and into the night outdoors at Piknic Électronik throughout the summer and even created winter electronic music festival Igloofest so we could dance outdoors in late January and early February! Montréal’s dance clubs boast some of the best DJs from here and around the world and stay open until 3 a.m., with after-hours clubs thumping until late into the morning. Or turn up the heat with your feet with tango and salsa lessons and dance nights. And stay out all night dancing, contemplating art, eating local dishes and more during late February’s Nuit Blanche arts and cultural event.

Dress to kill at the opera

Or the ballet, or the symphony, or the theatre! First, go luxury shopping for gorgeous gowns and superb menswear and suits in Old Montréal, downtown and on Saint-Denis Street, Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Mont-Royal Avenue and Laurier Avenue. Then get dressed up and walk the gilded halls of Place des Arts, the city’s biggest theatre complex. It’s where you’ll find the Opéra de Montréal, Les Grands Ballets, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Orchestre Métropolitain, world-class contemporary dance productions presented by Danse Danse, as well as famed musicians and Broadway shows on international tour.