Montreal is the best party city in Canada to spend the holiday season in, a new study has found. The same ranking features Quebec and Calgary as the next best options.
This is according to a new study from , which evaluated all 65 cities in Canada with a population of at least 100,000 residents against seven factors. These include the number and quality of every city’s nightlife, spa, wellness, casino and gambling establishments listed on Tripadvisor. The research also considers accommodation affordability by estimating a median average of the cheapest hotel rooms for two adult guests in each city via Booking.com.
Toronto vs Montreal
Montreal is the best Canadian city for the festive party season. It offers an impressive 179 nightlife establishments to choose from, rated 4.12 out of five stars on average. This is, surprisingly, not the highest number of nightlife options – Toronto marginally outranked Montreal in this regard by just three more nightclubs, but their overall rating averages to 4.06 out of five – lower than Montreal’s offering.
The competition between these two cities is rife as they both scored 4.24 for the quality of their selection of spa and wellness services. However, Toronto has almost three times more establishments than Montreal, counting 362 spa and wellness choices compared to Montreal’s 125.
Both cities are tied for the number of casinos two, but cheaper hotel options are scarcer in Toronto. Montreal’s ten cheapest rooms averaged $145 per night for two adults, whereas in Toronto – $195.5. Overall, Toronto missed out on the top ten, ranking 11th.
Quebec ranks second-best city in Canada for festive parties. While nightlife, spa, and wellness options are more limited than in Montreal, visitors rate them higher. Quebec also has more affordable hotel options, starting at around $124.5 a night, on average.
Calgary is Canada’s third-best city for to have fun in over the winter holidays. It stands out for having eight casino and gambling establishments – the highest of all Canadian cities. Hotels can be very affordable too, with the ten cheapest options for a weekend in September averaging $128 per night.
Three Nova Scotia cities – Liverpool, Shelburne and Kentville – and Campbellton in New Brunswick have zero appeal for festive parties, scoring zero points for their lack of nightlife, spa, wellness, casino or gambling establishments.
Rich Lee, Chief Marketing Officer at , commented on the findings: “It really depends on what you are after. If you are feeling fortunate, try your luck in Calgary. If you want a cozy pampering weekend with the girls, Sydney, in Nova Scotia, has the most options, but the highest-rated ones are in Calgary. If you want to dance the night away on New Years Eve, Toronto has the most clubs and bars to choose from. If your hotel budget is limited, Winnipeg is where you will find the most affordable accommodation rates.”