Montréal, Canada: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Montréal is a very special place for me because it’s where I grew up. I moved to Vancouver in 2014 when I fell in love with the mountains, ocean and city nestled in between. I moved on a whim, excited to start a new adventure, not realizing what I was leaving behind. With time, I now know what a gem of a city Montréal really is. There’s an energy here that’s hard to replicate. Some locals may have a hard exterior, but a collective joie de vivre runs deep through Montréal’s veins. If you want to experience some of the magic Montréal has to offer, here is my ultimate Montréal travel guide.

What language do they speak in Montréal?

Montréal’s official language is French, but don’t let that intimidate you. The vast majority of people you’ll encounter—especially in restaurants, cafés, hotels, and tourist areas—are bilingual and speak excellent English. Google translate won’t be needed. Even if your French vocabulary begins and ends with bonjour and merci, you’ll get by just fine.

When is the best time to go to Montréal?

Summer is without a doubt the best time to visit Montréal. The weather is warm and the city comes alive. Patrons populate patios and the streets are busy until late into the night. There are also weekly festivals happening all throughout the summer months making it a very exciting time to be in the city. 

Fall can be a beautiful time to visit Montréal as the weather cools down and the leaves begin to change colours. If you’re planning an extended stay, you can take a road trip up to Tremblant to see all the incredible fall colours along the way. 

Spring in Montréal is mostly characterized by the mountains of snow melting and turning black along the sides of the road. It ain’t a pretty sight. However, the one perk of visiting Montréal in the spring is cabane a sucre season which is a special experience you don’t want to miss. 

Winter is the least popular time to visit Montréal due to the bitterly cold temperatures. However, there are some advantages to visiting during this season. Accommodation prices are often much cheaper, and for travelers who have never experienced snow, it’s an opportunity to embrace a quintessential Canadian winter complete with skating, holiday markets, and some seriously good food. 

How many days do you need in Montréal?

How long you should spend in Montréal really depends on the type of trip you’re looking for, but I’d recommend at least three nights. That gives you enough time to explore the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods, wander through Mount Royal Park, and work your way through some of Montréal’s legendary food scene.

In a more ideal scenario, Montréal is a city that is best experienced like a local, and in order to do so, an extended stay would be recommended. Getting an airbnb in the plateau for 7-10 days allows you to slowly experience each neighbourhood to really get a sense of the place. It also allows you to check more restaurants off your bucket list, take some day trips out of town, and not feel rushed through it all. 

How to Get Around Montréal

Transit and Metro

The Metro is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to get around Montréal, with four underground lines connecting many of the city’s major neighbourhoods and attractions. It’s clean, efficient, and especially convenient in winter, as many stations link directly to the Underground City, allowing you to stay warm while exploring. 

*Note that if you want to buy the weekly pass, you will need to purchase an OPUS card ($6.00) from the ticket machine and it will automatically load it onto the card for you. 

Car Rental

Unless you plan on taking a road trip out of the city, a car rental is not necessary in Montréal, as the Metro system + taxis can essentially get you anywhere you need to go. Parking in Montréal is difficult and the parking regulations are infamous. You need a PhD to decipher the signs, so I would avoid it if you’re not familiar with it. 

Uber + Taxi

If the Metro and walking isn’t your thing, Uber and taxis are both easy ways to get around Montréal. Just be sure that your taxi driver switches on the meter before your ride begins to avoid any surprises at the end.

Where is the best place to stay in Montréal?

Each neighbourhood in Montréal has its own distinct vibe, and choosing where to stay will depend on your style and budget. 

The Old Port

The best area to stay for first time travelers to Montréal. The Old Port is one of the most picturesque areas of the city, with cobblestone streets, stunning architecture and a waterfront promenade. There are a lot of boutique hotel options, cozy cafès and fine dining establishments, making it an easy choice for first time visitors. 

The Plateau & Mile-End 

The Plateau is the perfect place to stay if you want to experience Montréal like a local. Here you’ll find iconic Montréal row-house lined streets, a thriving cafe culture and most importantly, the best bagels in the city. Many cute and delicious eateries dot the map here and you’ll be spoiled for choice when choosing where to eat. It’s well connected by the Metro system as well, making it easy to access other areas of the city. 

Hotel options: Unfortunately there are no hotels that I could recommend here, so Airbnb is the way to go. Avoid staying directly on busy streets like Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Saint-Denis and Mount Royal Avenue if you want a quieter stay. Not only is the traffic higher, but many of these streets have bars and nightclubs that are open until 3 am. 

Downtown

Downtown Montréal is the city’s most central neighbourhood and an excellent choice if you want convenient access to public transit and the surrounding areas. Whether you plan to explore the Old Port, the Plateau, Mount Royal, or Little Burgundy, staying downtown makes it easy to get around. You’ll also find the widest selection of hotels, along with some excellent restaurants, shops (the underground city is here), and the heart of Montréal’s festival scene, Place des Arts. While the area is highly convenient, it lacks some of the charm found in Montréal’s more character-filled neighbourhoods, and certain parts can feel busier, grittier, and a little sketchy after dark.

Saint-Henri / Little Burgundy / Griffintown

Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t much happening in these neighbourhoods of Montréal, but slowly over the years they have been gentrified and now offer a unique place to stay within the city. Each neighbourhood has evolved at a different pace: Saint-Henri still feels the most lived-in and local, Little Burgundy strikes a balance between old and new, and Griffintown is the most modern, with its high concentration of new condo developments and contemporary builds – although I wouldn’t really recommend staying here as it’s not close to any Metro stations. There are some incredible restaurants in the Saint-Henri & Little Burgundy neighbourhoods with easy access to the Metro, easily making it a great base for your next visit to Montréal. 

What are the best things to do in Montréal?

Montréal is known for some pretty awesome things. The electric energy of attending a hockey game, the incredible food, the joie de vivre attitude of the locals… and bagels. Don’t forget the bagels. If I can recommend the absolute top 8 things to do in Montréal, this is what I would tell you to add to your Montréal bucket list. 

Go to a Montréal Canadians (aka Habs) hockey game at the Bell Centre

This has got to be at the top of your list. Playoff games will be significantly more electric but I promise regular games throughout the season will be fun too. I’ve been to hockey games in Vancouver and the vibe is just not the same. Hockey is religion in Montréal and that will become very apparent as you feel the vibrations of over 20,000 people chanting “ole, ole, ole, ole” through your body. 

Eat your way through the city

Montréal is known as a foodie city and in my totally biased opinion, has one of the best restaurant scenes. 

At the minimum, you need to try 3 Montréal famous dishes: poutine, smoked meat, and of course, the Montréal style bagel. 

But it doesn’t end there. There are more dishes that Montréal does perfectly, which I now appreciate since I can’t get them back in Vancouver. You also have to try Québec style rotisserie chicken, a classic casse-croute, crepes, and cabane a sucre. 

For a full list of my top recommendations of where to eat in the city, you can get my Google Maps Guide.

Drown in maple syrup at cabane a sucre

Growing up in Montréal, I completely took for granted my yearly spring trip to cabane a sucre, when maple syrup is harvested from the trees. More than just a meal, cabane a sucre is best shared with a group of friends. While most cabane a sucre feasts take place outside of the city, many Montréal restaurants celebrate the tradition by offering special cabane a sucre inspired menus during the season. 

Stay tuned for my next blog post which dives into more detail on enjoying cabane a sucre in Montréal! 

Spend the day at Mount Royal 

Mount Royal is one of Montréal’s largest green spaces at 692 acres. It has a network of trails, Beaver Lake, and the absolute best view of the city. You can spend hours here  exploring it at your own pace. I recommend visiting on Sunday afternoons during Tam Tams – a relaxed meetup where people gather around the big drum circle to dance, hang out, picnic, and just enjoy the vibe. Find the exact location of the Tam Tams meetup on my Montréal Map Guide. 

Explore the different neighbourhoods of Montréal on foot

Lace up a comfy pair of sneakers, top up your Opus card, order a coffee to go and just walk around each of the neighbourhoods in the city. Photographers, bring your camera along. There are so many cute cafes, boutique shops and quaint streets in the city that are a pleasure to take in. Must see neighbourhoods include The Old Port, The Plateau (Mount Royal Street – it becomes pedestrianized during the summertime) and Mile End.

Shop till you drop in the underground city

Hidden underneath the streets of Montréal lies the underground city. More than just a network of tunnels, it’s a sprawling maze of shopping centres, metro stations, office towers, hotels, restaurants, and public spaces all connected indoors. 

If the weather takes a turn for the worse, there is an incredible amount of shopping to be done here. I recommend accessing the underground city from either the Eaton Centre or McGill Station – however you can also access the underground city by Bonaventure,  Square-Victoria, Peel, and Place-des-Arts Stations.  

Experience Montréal Nightlife 

As a former nightlife tour guide, I can attest to the fact that Montréal is serious about partying. This is a city where dinner can start at 9 p.m., bars stay buzzing till 3am, and it’s common to party until the sun comes up. 

There’s something for everyone: trendy cocktail lounges, rooftop terraces, live music venues, supperclubs, underground bars, afterhours clubs, you name it, Montréal’s got it. Even if you’re not much of a party person, the city’s infectious energy after dark is worth experiencing at least once.

The Main has an incredible guide to the nightlife scene in Montréal which I highly recommend reading if you’re looking for where to go.