L'Essential 101 Tour a piedi non turistico di Spade & Palacio

I was intrigued by the idea of a "non-touristy" walking tour. That this focused on a number of districts away from the old port city of Montreal qualified it as such. We started in the Place d'Armes, where all walking tours seem to start, and met our guide Christopher Erb, a charming, energetic, informative, entertaining and engaging young man, who regaled us with his wide and deep knowledge of Montreal. We had included tickets to enter the Notre Dame Basilica, bypassing queues, and were blown away by how ornate the interior was in contrast to the simple exterior. This was explained by the severe winters, where elaborate carvings would eventually be frozen off, so all the efforts were concentrated within. We heard about the historical original banks of Montreal, the old St James Hotel, we saw the bit of the underground containing a graffiti'd piece of the Berlin Wall, the rainbow hued congress centre, followed by a small and compact Chinatown where we had large pork and cabbage Bao as a substantial snack. Heading up the Plateau, we entered the whimsical Eva B all-sorts shop with Michael Jackson dangling his baby from the upstairs window. We passed the old red light district to Le Central, a food court with stalls representing many restaurants in Montreal. Outside was where the current jazz festival was happening at night. We walked Le Main street, which traditionally divided the Francophones in the east from the Anglophones in the west, but now more nuanced. We ended in the street art district, having an included cold brew coffee at the Nocturne cafe. Chris gave us his Spade and Palacio's cheat sheet to various spots in the city. All in all, it was a fantastic introduction to many neighbourhoods in Montreal, giving me a chance to get oriented to the city. Many thanks to Chris for making it a most enjoyable and entertaining journey. I would highly recommend this tour as an unmissable complement to any walking tour that focuses on the old port city of Montreal.

This walking tour is great. Its just the right duration and number of cool things to see (not the typical tourist traps). Gabriella was terrific... she is a native and you can really tell she loves her city. Highly recommend.

Mel was a great guide. The tour was informative and we learned and saw many interesting things. We especially enjoyed seeing the murals.

Excellent tour. Great introduction to city for those with limited time. Gabrielle knew her stuff and handled the torrential rain situation well. We enjoyed the tour and highly recommend.

Great tour with lots of insight into Montreal’s past that informs and shapes its present. A positive and hopeful perspective told with humor and hope for the future. David deserves a 6 pack of Molsons!

Gabriella was great. She is funny, engaging and above all else, she is very knowledgeable. Her pace is reasonable. She was able to answer every question presented to her. I took 4 Montréal tours, I wish she had lead every tour.

Wow! In and out of interesting buildings, local history you can’t find on Google and a Hollywood style - back lot, behind the scenes tour. We were captivated by Fred’s genuine enthusiasm for her French roots and how they pair with the modern day blended French/ English community. Her knowledge of the past and present was woven with personal anecdotes and humor. The tour includes admission to the basilica, a warm bao bun in Chinatown and coffee/ tea in the international food area near little Portugal. We were inspired to explore the neighborhood beyond the tourist areas and were charmed by the nooks and crannies of this great city. Book now!

The weather absolutely did no cooperate with this tour but Amelie made the most of it. She made us all feel comfortable and welcome. This tour was interesting and moved at a nice pace. I very much enjoyed the stop for bao and also the stop for tea. That is a nice touch and a great way to give an even bigger sample of what the city offers. Thank you for a great morning. It was so good that I even forgot how bad the rain was!

I took this tour with Amelie and throughly enjoyed it. I liked that visited multiple neighborhoods. Amelie’s love of Montreal was obvious. I enjoyed that she shared a lot of history and that she could go off-script when people asked questions. I booked a second tour with this company based on this tour, that’s probably the best recommendation.

Great tour! Dave was great! Gave us some of the history of the city and current happenings. Would highly recommend Dave, especially for English speakers!