Discovering the Seasons of Montréal and Québec City

Your tolerance for cold — or heat — is probably the first aspect to consider when planning your trip to Montréal and Québec City.

Table 1: Montréal's Average Temperatures and Precipitation

Table 2: Québec City's Average Temperatures and Precipitation

Spring

With the annual great thaw, excitement in both cities builds as snow and ice melt away:

• Days are longer, particularly during daylight saving time.

• You encounter less snow, sleet, and cold.

• After a barren winter, life returns to the streets.

The dicey weather of the short transition between winter and summer, however, comes with its drawbacks:

• You usually can't put away your coat, hat, and gloves until the middle or end of April.

• As temperatures warm and the snow melts, expect a bit of everything, weather-wise. Definitely be prepared for some rain.

• Enormous slush ponds form at every street corner. Be prepared by wearing waterproof footwear or risk spending some of your stay with cold, wet feet.

Summer

After the heat of a summer day, when the sun goes down, the city's nightlife comes alive:

• Expect festivals galore. Both in Montréal and Québec City, the summer season brings many special events.

• People in the streets bask in the glorious weather.

• Eating and drinking moves outdoors. People dine on their balconies. Restaurants open their patios, and the parks are filled with picnicking families (a popular option for travelers, too, because drinking wine and beer in parks is perfectly legal, as long as you accompany your drink with a meal).

On the downside, the heat and the crowds can get unbearable, so you may want to seek refuge in your air-conditioned hotel room — if you can find one, that is. Here are some other drawbacks:

• The crowds of tourists and festival-goers, although loads of fun, can be enough to give you a mild fit of agoraphobia.

• The heat can be brutal — and it's not just the temperature. Montréal and Québec City can be unbearably humid in the summer.

• Booking a room, particularly during the major festivals, can be difficult.

• Rates at hotels and attractions are high.

• During the Construction Holidays, in the last two weeks of July, many Québeckers take their summer vacations. It's a major holiday; so, many out-of-town accommodations can be booked solid at this time. Québec City also gets a major influx of visitors from around the province during these two weeks.

Fall

Brisk fall days are glorious, with the brilliantly colored leaves, harvest bounty at the markets, and temperatures that are typically ideal:

• The leaves change color.

• Temperatures are cooler and usually remain pleasantly warm until the end of September.

• You have an easier time finding accommodations.

• Restaurants keep their terraces open practically until the first frost, when people eventually make their way inside.

• The cultural calendar kicks up again with the start of the seasons at the theater, opera, ballet, symphony, and arts in general.

However, as winter begins, autumn can start to turn nasty::

• Cold, unpredictable weather can set in as early as October. First you see frost, then the ground freezes, and then you get snow.

• Most of the outdoor festivals are over, and the winter activities haven't begun yet, so on overcast days the cities can feel a tad drab.

Winter

Instead of seeing the snow and ice as impediments, your best bet is to regard them as opportunities for seasonal recreation and leisure. By braving the extreme conditions in the name of fun, or, le fun as locals are likely to say, you're taking part in Québec's Nordic spirit:

• It's sunny almost all the time, and the days can be really exhilarating, even if your hands and feet are numb, your glasses are fogged, and you have hat-head all the time.

• By the end of December, both cities usually offer enough snow and ice for all winter sports. Skaters at the artificially frozen rink in the Bonsecours Basin (Montréal's Old Port) are usually the first to hit the ice outdoors.

• Good food, not to mention drink, goes down that much better when you've worked up an appetite by braving the elements all day.

Lots of layers and defensive driving are the winter's watchwords:

• You need a hat, mittens, and a scarf — and not just as fashion accessories.

• Driving can be difficult. When it snows, roads become slippery or icy and visibility is poor.