Flights from Montréal to Boston

A taste of Boston’s Little Italy

While visiting from Montréal, celebrate Italian culture and tradition, with the festivals and fare of Boston’s North End neighbourhood.

If your trip to Boston’s Little Italy falls on a feast day, prepare for colourful parades and friendly street vendors. During these tributes to various saints, the heavenly smell of traditional Italian dishes wafts down every street. The biggest and (arguably) best of these days is the Feast of Saint Anthony. Donations of cash drape off Saint Anthony’s statue as several volunteers carry him through the parade route.

For a different kind of feast, follow your nose to one of the many Italian restaurants in the North End. Pizza is a local speciality and Regina’s Pizzeria has been serving some of the best slices since 1946. For dessert, compare the cannolis between Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry. The competition is as fierce as it is tasty at these two North End institutions.

After dessert, take a walk along Hanover Street. Get a taste of the neighbourhood’s sweet history at the nearby Clough House. Inside, Captain Jack’s Historic Chocolate Shop serves chocolate as it was prepared in the 18th-century.

For more North End history, hop on the Freedom Trail. Since 1722, the Old North Church has stood in the neighbourhood. Look up towards the church’s 191-foot steeple, to see where  Paul Revere helped signal the arrival of the British during the American Revolution . Visit where Paul Revere lived at the time of his famous midnight ride at the Paul Revere House, Downtown Boston’s oldest standing structure.

See the oldest feature in Boston’s oldest neighbourhood, at the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. Opened in 1659, this burial site has seen Boston from colony, to revolution, to today. Before you return to Montréal, this graveyard can give you a sense of just how far back this historic city traces its roots.

A revolutionary neighbourhood

What began as a puritan settlement is now the next stop after your flight from Montréal to Boston.

When you’re in Charlestown, America’s revolutionary history is never more than a few steps away. Visible throughout the neighbourhood, the Bunker Hill Monument towers 221 feet atop Breed’s Hill. Breed’s Hill was the site of most of the action during the Battle of Bunker Hill. While the name is confusing, the nearby Bunker Hill Museum can help clear up the history behind this landmark.

Closer to sea level, you’ll find the USS Constitution. Affectionately known as “Old Ironsides”, this vessel famously survived the onslaught of British cannon fire during the War of 1812. In her retirement, she sits in the Boston Harbour, across from a museum detailing her other exploits.

There’s no need to resort to ship’s rations while visiting this neighbourhood when you can enjoy a meal at one of Charlestown’s restaurants. For a taste of history, try the Warren’s Tavern. George Washington and Ben Franklin were both said to frequent this watering hole. While it might not be historically accurate, the Tavern Burger is one of the best items on the menu.

Walk off your lunch along Charlestown's waterfront. See where Bostonians built ships for 174 years, at the Charlestown Naval Yard. For a crash course in the rest of Boston’s history, take the Freedom Trail across the Charlestown Bridge. With historical sites tightly packed into its 2.5 miles, you’ll be an expert on the American Revolution by the time you have to fly back to Montréal.