• Best for: This trip was planned by a foodie, but Montreal also offers art, gambling, history and access to the outdoors.

• Getting there: Air Canada flies nonstop from Fort Lauderdale and American flies nonstop from Miami in about 3 ½ hours.

• Airfare cost: Roundtrip airfare starts around $600 for a nonstop from Fort Lauderdale and about $560 from Miami for late September.

WHERE TO STAY

• In the Old Montreal neighborhood, Hotel Nelligan (106 rue St. Paul West, 877-788-2040, www.hotelnelligan.com; doubles from $169) is a chic boutique decked out in brick, leather and wood and praised for its comfort and accouterments.

• For a big-box hotel downtown, the Hyatt Regency (1255 Jeanne-Mance, 514-982-1234, www.montreal.hyatt.com; rooms from $197) is close to theaters and museums, and you needn't even step outside to descend into Montreal's vast underground city.

• University Bed & Breakfast (623 Prince Arthur Ouest, adjacent to the downtown McGill University, Montreal's premier English-language university) won't suit everyone -- furnishings are eclectic and services minimal -- but for about $113 to $137 a night, with breakfast, a guest gets a cozy suite in an old-fashioned, townhouse-style building, with a living room, bedroom and kitchenette (www.universitybedandbreakfast.ca, 514-842-6396 or 866-842-6396).

WHERE TO EAT

• Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen (3895 St. Laurent Blvd.; www.schwartzsdeli.com, 514-842-4813) is Montreal's answer to, say, Katz's in New York. Order the ''smoked meat,'' the Montreal cousin of pastrami. A stacked, world-class sandwich is about $4.90.

• Au Pied de Cochon (536 Duluth East; www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca, 514-281-1114) offers classic Quebecois cuisine, like it never quite was. Venison, poutine and fattened goose or duck liver are presented in fresh, giddy -- and delicious -- ways. Entrees, $12-$68.

• La Binerie Mont-Royal (367 avenue du Mont-Royal; www.labineriemontroyal.com, 514-285-9078) is a no-frills lunch counter that dates back about 70 years. The details may change between breakfast and lunch, but the message does not: pork. And baked beans. Breakfast, lunch and early dinner until 8 p.m. A three-course meal runs $10-$14.

• La Montée de Lait (371 rue Villeneuve East; 514- 289-9921), a bistro tucked into a corner of the Plateau, feels like an elegant hideaway. A four-course, fixed-price menu is about $38 per person.

• La Banquise (994 Rachel East; www.restolabanquise.com, 514-525-2415) is the city's ruling poutine joint, with nearly two dozen variations on the theme of fries, cheese curds and gravy. But no foie gras. About $4.95 to $7.55.

INFORMATION

Quebec Department of Tourism, 877-266-5687, www.tourisme-montreal.org.