American traveling to Montreal in August

[78YZ]

I am an American from NJ. My wife and I have tickets to a concert at Place Bell in Laval, QC. We are taking our Sprinter Camper. When we tried to book a campsite online at Camping Mirabel, the booking system asked for our country via drop-down box BUT USA was not on the list. I called them to see what the deal was. When I announced that I was American and asked if they spoke English, they hung up. There is a KOA (Montreal South) that is available and happy to host an American couple, so I booked that. However, from a travel perspective, Camping Mirabel was more convenient.

Here are my (unassuming) questions:
1. Does Camping Mirabel not permit Americans to reserve sites there?
2. Is this a side-effect of the current political climate?
3. Are we going to experience problems in Montreal? (We plan some tourist activities)

Disclaimer: I have traveled to Canada on motorcycle many times, dating back to 1985. My most recent trip was summer 2025 and we did not have any problems.

 

[78YZ]

I just realized I accidentally posted this in the wrong province. Can a moderator please move it to Quebec?

 

[vreihen]

Here are my (unassuming) questions:
1. Does Camping Mirabel not permit Americans to reserve sites there?

Yes they do, but like everything else in Quebec, they look down at people who don't speak French.

Seriously, we took a day trip to Montreal back in 1980, and the only way we could navigate that area was because I had enough high school Spanish language classes to figure out most of the French words on the signs. The most important words were "Etats Unis," which roughly translates to "Way home, mono-lingual American scum!"

To wit, from the Camping Mirabel reservation system web site:





When you check in, the appropriate French greeting is: "Rase-toi les aisselles poilues, gorille femelle francophone!!!!!"

 

[78YZ]

Yes they do, but like everything else in Quebec, they look down at people who don't speak French.

Seriously, we took a day trip to Montreal back in 1980, and the only way we could navigate that area was because I had enough high school Spanish language classes to figure out most of the French words on the signs. The most important words were "Etats Unis," which roughly translates to "Way home, mono-lingual American scum!"

To wit, from the Camping Mirabel reservation system web site:

View attachment 411289



When you check in, the appropriate French greeting is: "Rase-toi les aisselles poilues, gorille femelle francophone!!!!!"

A couple years ago I rode a motorcycle solo to Gaspe. That's a French speaking town and I muddled my way through. However, that was before the tariff wars and hostilities between POTUS and Canada's PM.

 

[cbaarch]

if the person that answered the phone does not speak English, like most of Quebecers, then they would not be able to understand what you are saying so they would just put the phone down.
if you are looking for information best to write an email then use google translate in the same email - most campgrounds take a few days to answer emails no matter who they are.
Carney, Canada's Prime Minister was chatting with Trump at the G7 today the conversation was capture on a hot mic - it was a friendly conversation.
Last time we were in Quebec 5 yrs ago, the ones that are in the service sector where actually much better at having a conversation in English then they did 20 yrs ago. Being polite gets you everywhere, certain red hats get you insults anywhere you might show up in Canada; best to leave those at home.

 

[Larry M]

…Here are my (unassuming) questions:
1. Does Camping Mirabel not permit Americans to reserve sites there?
2. Is this a side-effect of the current political climate?
3. Are we going to experience problems in Montreal? (We plan some tourist activities).

1. Previously answered
2. Yes, but on the good side. My wife drove across last week and it was all good. We’ll be in Canada in our Sprinter for 2 plus months in a few weeks as we have for the last several summers. If anything, we get sympathy.
3. Montreal is a big city, as in any city, beware of time of day and neighborhoods. It’s a great City!

Watch what you bring in as far as meat products, alcohol, etc. We get a smile from many Canadians plus the Customs officer. Have a blast!

 

[borabora]

Given that Canadians are also Americans, I doubt that they have anything against Americans.

I haven't experienced any significant eye rolling when US citizens introduce themselves as "Americans" to Canadians but it's not a good idea to do so when dealing with "other Americans" such as Mexicans or South Americans.

 

[sprint2freedom]

I posted a bit about our visit to Montreal (with photos) in this thread:

Arizona to Newfoundland

From Madison we drove north through Stephens Point, Wausau and Minocqua. There isn't a ton of public land in the central part of the state so we ended up spending the night at a trailhead for the Ice Age Trail which winds throughout the state. The nice thing about staying at a trailhead is that...

sprinter-source.com

I doubt you'll have problems if you approach with the right attitude. Get a translation app on your phone and remain humble and apologetic. Even though it's in North America and not far from the US border, English is not often used in much of Quebec.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

First of all, don't say you are from America. Say you are from the 'the States'. A previous poster said he didn't see eyerolling; I didn't either; I did however get some hostile comments. It is helpful to learn this phrase:

Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais? Je suis un Américain ignorant et mon français est merde.

 

[Skeena]

There are some sore spots in the Mirabel area - from what I heard, everyone knows someone who lost their job at PACCAR (about 475 unionized workers basically next door to Mirabel) that are directly attributable to the new 25% US tariff. A bit further away is Camping Brownsburg Chatham - a better location than the KOA campground that you mentioned for getting to Laval. There is bridge construction in Vaudreuil Dorion area and it's likely to impede access to and from Montreal island (think traffic).

 

[rpeders]

When we visited Vancouver, BC recently over a conversation with a bar tender I said sorry for all the tariff drama, etc. and his response was "no need to apologize, just keep coming back"

 

[tinman]

There's an old saw that says in a democracy, folks get the government they deserve. While I have trouble believing that you deserve what you have, I think you have to find a way to something better. For all of us, complacency is our enemy.

 

[carbon60]

Montreal itself is almost completely bilingual. In fact, many of the lower end service jobs are filled with more recent immigrants who are often trilingual, of which I am envious. Outside of Montreal, as you get further from the urban area, I'd say a small percentage of people are unilingual and ignorant. But it's a small percentage for sure.

I stopped at a Starbucks on the South Shore and was amazed that the employees were all different backgrounds. Their working language was English and they greeted customers first in French.

If you get into any kind of trouble that a local friend could help with, reach out to me.

 

[78YZ]

To close the loop on this thread and my experience visiting Montreal in August 2026... we can't go. I broke my RIGHT ankle and required surgery to remove some pieces that broke off the bone. I'm no weight bearing and no driving for five weeks. I can't even get into my lifted Sprinter. 🙄🙄🙄

Thanks for everyone who provided feedback. I really appreciate it.

 

[jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com]

78YZ There is a fast healing electrical stimulation therapy that will shorten recovery times for broken bones and ????

Might be worth your time to do some research to find if it can work for you to shorten your recovery time. Good luck.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

To close the loop on this thread and my experience visiting Montreal in August 2026... we can't go. I broke my RIGHT ankle and required surgery to remove some pieces that broke off the bone. I'm no weight bearing and no driving for five weeks. I can't even get into my lifted Sprinter. 🙄🙄🙄

Thanks for everyone who provided feedback. I really appreciate it.

View attachment 416277

Good luck on healing from that mess!

 

[RVBarry]

78YZ There is a fast healing electrical stimulation therapy that will shorten recovery times for broken bones and ????

Might be worth your time to do some research to find if it can work for you to shorten your recovery time. Good luck.

Agreed; you might be able to find a used unit cheap.

 

[78YZ]

78YZ There is a fast healing electrical stimulation therapy that will shorten recovery times for broken bones and ????

Might be worth your time to do some research to find if it can work for you to shorten your recovery time. Good luck.

Thanks. I'm getting the stitches removed tomorrow. That's the two week mark. I'll ask the dr about this.

 

[tinman]

To close the loop on this thread and my experience visiting Montreal in August 2026... we can't go. I broke my RIGHT ankle and required surgery to remove some pieces that broke off the bone. I'm no weight bearing and no driving for five weeks. I can't even get into my lifted Sprinter. 🙄🙄🙄

Thanks for everyone who provided feedback. I really appreciate it.

View attachment 416277

Bad luck! Best wishes for good healing.