Montreal sits in a position that makes day trips genuinely easy and rewarding.
Quebec City (2.5 hours by car or VIA Rail train) is the most dramatic day trip option — a walled city on a cliff above the St. Lawrence, with the Château Frontenac, the Plains of Abraham, and one of the most intact old quarters in North America. It is a proper destination in its own right and better experienced with an overnight stay, but very doable as a long day.
Mont-Tremblant (90 minutes north) is the main mountain resort in the Laurentians — skiing in winter, hiking and cycling in summer, and a pleasant Québécois resort village that is somewhat over-designed but still enjoyable. The drive north through the Laurentian foothills is itself part of the appeal.
The Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l'Est) southeast of Montreal is wine, cheese, and cycling country — rolling farmland, vineyards, apple orchards, and a strong culinary tradition. The towns of Dunham and Farnham are the centres of the wine region. The drive takes about an hour from downtown.
