Last updated on October 15th, 2025
St Joseph’s Oratory, © Can Stock / marcbruxelle
Visit Montréal – Old Town
The most popular place to see when you visit Montréal is the Old Town. Place d’Armes is a great spot to start a walking tour of the Old Town. On the square is Notre-Dame Basilica and the statue of Sieur de Masionneuve, the founder of Montréal. Notre-Dame is amazingly beautiful inside. Opera singer Pavarotti used to love to perform here and singer Celine Dion was married in Nontre-Dame. The church charges an entry fee or for about triple the entry fee price you can attend the Aura light show, which happens on most evenings.
Next to Notre-Dame is the Sulpician Seminary. Around the corner from the Sulpician Seminary is the Centaur Theatre. At the other end of the square from Notre-Dame is Canada’s first bank – the Bank of Montréal. From Place d’Armes wander down Rue Saint-Jacques past the business district. Then walk down Sainte Helene and Recollets Streets to view the 1870s architecture. See the architecture at Crew Collective & Cafe. Consider a side trip to the Underground City Shopping network, which connects many downtown office buildings and saves you from exposure to bad weather. Next visit the Pioneer’s Monument obelisk and the Museum of Archaeology and History by the St Lawrence River at the beginning of the Old Port.
La Grand Roue, Montreal
Visit Montréal – Old Port
In the Old Port, see the Montréal Science Center. Walk north along the seafront on Rue de la Commune or wander past the interesting buildings and side streets on Rue Saint-Paul. Back on Rue Notre-Dame a couple blocks north of the basilica, brings you to the Court Houses, Nelson’s Column, Place Jacques Cartier and City Hall.
Then finish off your walking tour by returning to the river and Bonsecours Market, known for its high end shops. You can walk out on the quay to visit the Clock Tower. At the outer edge of the Old Port is Habitat 67, which is a housing project built for Expo 67.
Mary Queen of the World
Visit Montréal – Olympic Stadium
At the Oympic Stadium, ride the glass elevator to the top of the Big O and spend time in Olympic Park. Take a tour such as the Montréal Tower Observatory Admission. The Olympic Stadium was once famous for its financial and structural problems, but has since attained great popularity with tourists. It includes the Montréal Biodome, with various ecosystems. On a visit to the Olympic Stadium you will also find an insectarium, penguins, the Montréal Botanical Gardens and a planetarium.
Olympic Stadium, © Can Stock / JulienSirard
Visit Montréal – Mount Royal
Mount Royal is a hill top park of more than 300 acres. Mount Royal was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in New York. Jacques Cartier chose the name Mount Royal in 1535 and there is a plaque honoring him at the lookout. Climb the Grand Staircase from the Old Town to Kondiaronk Belvedere viewpoint at the Mount Royal Chalet. Then continue on to Beaver Lake Fountain and to St. Joseph’s Oratory where you can view the heart of Brother Andre, which is kept in a jar.
Visit Montréal – Underground City
The Montreal Underground City has more than 20 miles (30 km) of pathways under the city. The Underground City is located roughly between Peel and Place-des-Arts metro stations on the Green Line and between Lucien-L’Allier and Place-d’Armes stations on the Orange Line.
Atwater Market, © Can Stock / gordonw
Summer Pedestrian Streets
During the summer months, Montreal closes sections of many downtown streets to vehicle traffic. The most popular pedestrian section is on Sainte-Catherine East. Other popular pedestrian areas can be found on Mont-Royal Avenue, Duluth Avenue East, Wellington Street, Saint-Denis Street, Ontario Street East, Bernard Avenue, and De Castelnau Street East. The summer pedestrian streets are popular with tourists day and night.
Biosphere, St Helen’s Island, © Can Stock / citylights
St Lawrence River Islands
Cross the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to St Helen’s Island and Notre Dame Island. On St Helen’s Island visit La Ronde Amusement Park, which is run by Six Flags. The Montréal Biosphere is also on this island. The Montreal Biosphere is an environment museum built for the 1967 World’s Fair. Don’t confuse it with the Biodome at Olympic Park.
On Notre Dame Island spend some time at Parc Jean-Drapeau. You can also cruise past the St Lawrence River Islands on a Montréal Historic Discoverers Cruise.
Notre-Dame Basilica Interior, Montreal
Visit Montréal – More Sights
- Little Italy; Chinatown – begins a few blocks north of Place d’Armes.
- Mary Queen of the World Cathedral
- Montréal Museum of Fine Arts – see some of Napoleon’s clothing.
- Atwater Market and Jean-Talon Market
- Rialto Theatre
- For bikers, try the Montréal Half-Day Bike Tour or use the Bixi Public Bikes. Pedal the Gouin or Lachine Canal Bike Paths.
Beaver Lake from Cafe des Amis
Savor the Tastes of Montréal
- Famous Montreal smoked meat – try Schwartz’s Deli.
- La Banquise for Poutine – french fries, cheese curds and gravy.
- Fairmont Bagel or St-Viateur Bagel – Montreal bagels with honey or maple syrup in the dough.
- Crew Collective & Cafe
- Maple syrup
- Charcuterie — a selection of pâté, sausages and other cured meats.
- Pouding chômeur – maple pancake pudding.
- Montréal Dinner Cruise
Bonsecours Market, Montreal
Things to See and Do near Montréal
- Quebec City and Montmorency Falls Day Trip from Montréal
- Laurentian Mountains Day Trip From Montréal
Montréal Weather
Montréal weather is a northern continental climate. In summer you can expect average highs of 80 F (25 C) and lows around 60 F (16 C). In the winter months average highs are below freezing. Extremely cold temperatures of -30 are possible in the winter.
Rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the year, but is slightly higher from July through September. Fall colors make the first week in October an excellent time to visit Montréal.
La Ronde Amusement Park, © Can Stock / moustyk
Montreal Street Murals
Montreal has an abundance of street murals, which is continually expanding as a result of the Montreal Mural Festival. You can find organized walking tours to appreciate the murals or simply search them out yourself. The greatest concentration of murals can be found on Boulevard Saint Laurent between Schwartz’s Deli and Chinatown. The mural scene is ever changing as murals get added, painted over or even destroyed due to new construction.
Grafitti Granny, St Laurent Blvd Murals
Get to Montréal
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) is the way to get to Montréal. The airport is the headquarters for Air Canada. Unfortunately the metro isn’t connected to the airport, but the connection is under construction. A cab ride between the airport and downtown will usually take about 45 minutes due to daytime congestion. Many recommend the #747 Bus as being less expensive and just as fast, since it takes advantage of express lanes between the airport and downtown. Next to the regular cabs in the departures area, you will find 4 Uber stations in a row and then the #747 Bus at Exit Gate 27.
747 Airport Bus Route, Montreal
Don’t use the Chrono app to buy a ticket on the 747 as you have to activate it just before using it. Then after the driver scans your phone, the driver will give you a paper day pass. The process is far easier if you just buy the day pass at the ticket machine. You can only board the 747 with a day pass though. A single ride ticket won’t work. Take the 747-1 line if you want to ride the bus through downtown at multiple stops along René-Lévesque Boulevard. Take the 747-2 line to ride non-stop to the Lionel-Groulx Metro station. We recommend the 747-2 as faster because the metro connections from there to the rest of downtown are so good.
Ride the Metro
The metro has 4 lines and provides quick access to most tourist attractions in the city. Everything that you will want is Zone A – urban Montreal. Single tickets can transfer between metro lines as long as you don’t exit. The day pass is a better option if you plan to ride 3 times in one day. A day pass also includes the 747 bus, which is a bargain. Tourist destinations on the metro include Old Town Montreal, the Biodome, the Olympic Stadium, St Joseph’s Oratory, Chinatown, Jean Talon Market and the Biosphere. Plus the Montreal Metro rides on rubber ties, so there’s no screeching on the curves!
Take an Uber
Uber is the perfect way to reach areas that aren’t covered by the metro, such as north – south connections between Old Town, Time Out Market and McGill. It’s also a great way to access the popular tourist spots like Schwartz’s Deli, Fairmont Bagel and La Banquise. The Uber app is great at showing you the arrival direction of your ride, so you can get to your pick up space. We also love how you just hop out upon arrival and figure out the tip later. Uber is amazing for tourists.
Getting Back to the Airport on the 747
Returning to the airport on the 747-1 is a bit tricky. You can only buy a machine ticket at the Gare d’autocars de Montréal. For all the stops on the way to the airport on the 747-1, you need to either have exact cash or use the Chrono app. As mentioned before, you then activate your purchase just before you ride and show your phone to the driver. The big downside to the 747-1 is that the later you board the bus, the more crowded it will be. We recommend that you walk to the nearest metro station near René-Lévesque Boulevard instead and buy a day pass. Then take the metro to the Lionel-Groulx station and board the 747-2 right out front using your paper day pass.
Montreal Metro
Montreal by Rail
Via Rail serves Montréal with it’s regional rail system, but it isn’t a great option from the airport. The free Via Rail shuttle service between the airport and the train station only runs every 45 minutes and then takes about 20 minutes after that. Via Rail connects passengers with Québec, Ottawa and Toronto. High speed rail between these cities is always under discussion, but never seems to go beyond the initial promises.
Visit Montréal – Background
The city of Montréal was founded in 1642. It is in the province of Québec, which is different than the city of Québec. Montréal is named after the Mount Royal hills. About 4 million people live in Montréal. French is the official language. Less than 20% of the people in Montréal speak English, but in the Old Town and other tourist areas, you can expect English to be spoken. The St Lawrence River provides freighter access to the Great Lakes. Cruise ships get to the city from the Atlantic. Montréal hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1976 and the World Fair in 1967 (Expo 67).
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