25 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN MONTREAL

Send

Looking for ideas from things to see and do in Montreal? In this post we will give you 25! But first let us tell you something: Montreal was our gateway to Québec, one of the rarest and most curious provinces in Canada.

French is spoken here and while you walk through its streets it is hard to believe that you are still in North America. Chinatown is transformed into Le Quartier Chinois and the cobbled streets of the Vieux Port look like those of any European town, somewhat more dilapidated. The happy hours of the Latin Quarter, Crescent Street and Plateau Mont-royal are like a siren song. But to sing that of Leonard Cohen, who was born here. And when you are at the top of Mont-Royal, enjoying the best panoramic view of the city and see its face, between scratch and scratch, a “Hallelujah” will come out of your mouth (with a worse voice than yours, that's for sure). We may not have had the best of feelings, there is not always crush at first sight, but the cultural capital of Canada, that kaleidoscope of poorly amalgamated houses, streets and neighborhoods, is well worth a visit.

And remember that at the end of the article we give you a lot of useful information to plan your visit to Montreal for free!

Yes now? Ready to know what what to see and do in Montreal? Here we go:

1. We recommend you start the visit to the city by approaching the historic helmet, since it is one of the most charming areas of Montreal. The locals call it “Vieux-Montreal”And it is a real gem: cobbled streets, small squares, terraces and endless restaurants and places. It was here that Montreal was born, back in 1642. The most lively and nerve center is the Place Jacques-Cartier, but go around all the streets, each one has its own roll.

2. The Rue de St. Paul It has a record: it is the oldest street in Montreal. That's where the entire city movement was concentrated in its early years, and that apparently hasn't changed either. Of course, now fresh fish are not sold or the services of a fur tanner or a blacksmith are offered ... now there are expensive restaurants, souvenir shops and many tourists.

3. In this same street there is a beautiful building, look where you look. Is he Bonsecours Market, which was built in 1847 and was the local market for more than 100 years, although it also housed the headquarters of the town hall, and there are currently exhibitions, little shops and a restaurant and cafe. The main cover and the vault are a pass! Do not miss the building of the current town hall: Hôtel de Ville.

4. Just the little lad of yours is our favorite Montreal church,Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (eye do not be confused with the other Notre Dame, which we will talk about later). After its construction (in 1771), many sailors came to her with offerings to ask for her protection, so it was called the Church of the Mariners. What we like so much about her is the little terrace she has in her small dome, from where there are great views of the Old Port and the entire Historic District of Montreal. It also houses a museum dedicated to Marguerite Bourgeoys and an archaeological site in its crypt. Entering the church is free, but the museum and the dome are paid ($ 12 and $ 7 respectively). More info.

5. If you keep walking by Rue de la Commune, where there are a few terraces, you will reach the old Port, which was recently modernized and is an outdoor area where locals enjoy their free time. Do not get the idea of an old port like Genoa, this is more like a park, with areas to rest, some walkways where you can take beautiful walks along the San Lorenzo River, a ferris wheel, a beach, markets and environment good. At the moment we visited it, there was the tent of the famous Circ du Soleil. Did you know that he was born here in Quebéc?

Rue de St. Paul, the oldest street in Montreal

6. Approach until clock tower, a building of 45 meters built in 1922 and reminiscent ... ahem, with some imagination, the Big Ben (in fact the only thing similar is that they have hehe clock). The good thing is that if you go there you will have a very good overview of the Jacques Cartier bridge, an icon of Montreal.

7. Don't miss a stop at the Basilica of Notre Dame de Montreal, the most important religious temple probably in all of Canada. Its two front towers will remind you of those of its battered cousin in Paris, also inside you can see its phenomenal stained glass windows, these are inspired by another of the most famous French churches: Sainte Chapelle. Its construction went through different stages, to see it as it is presented today. Curiosity: its two twin towers of 69 meters have a name, one is called "La Persévérance" and the other "La Tempérance". Supercuriosity: Celine Dion, a true celebrity for Canadians, married here.

By the way, every day at 6pm inside they make a pretty handsome light show. It lasts 45 minutes and costs $ 26.5 and starts at 18. More info.

7. The Basilica is the main face of the beautiful Place d'Armes, but not your only important building. In one of its corners the Saint-Sulpice seminar, and it is not a phrase without more ... It is neither more nor less than the second oldest building in Montreal! Its construction dates from the year 1687, and from its facade the clock under the bell tower, drawn up in Paris in 1701 and one of the oldest of its kind in all of North America, is striking.

8. If you reach the old part of Montreal on foot, you will pass (or should do so) through the Montreal Chinatown, which is not as extensive as Toronto, but we love it! Feel the smell of their restaurants (also the taste of some dumplings), or the feeling of peace in your park Sun Yat-sen Park... will transport you to Asia!

9. One of the most beautiful areas of the city is the Mile end, full of art galleries, somewhat picky shops and very interesting places to eat something delicious, although not too cheap.

10. But if we have to keep a place, it would certainly be Le Plateau Mont-Royal, a neighborhood full of beautiful little stone houses that will make you want to go to the bank to ask for a mortgage. St louis squareIn particular, it is the best place to enjoy the local atmosphere.

11. Although we are not going to lie to you… we pass through here expressly to eat a poutine in La BanquiseIt was definitely worth the walk! It is one of the typical dishes of Canada (pronounced putin), and it is fried potatoes with cheese and meat sauce. Yes, it is not very light that is said, but rich is a while. Here we tell you more about this legendary site and we recommend more restaurants to eat in Montreal well and cheaply.

12. There near is the Hôtel-Dieu de Montreal which houses a museum about the history of the city and its foundation, as well as information about the evolution of health and medicine. The interest of this place is not so much in its exhibitions, but in the building itself, as it was the first hospital in Montreal, built in 1645, and therefore one of the oldest buildings in the city. Admission is $ 10. Curiosity: the translation of “Hôtel-Dieu” would be “Hotel de Dios”, and makes reference to the fact that in its origin, it was religious institutions that took care of the sick.

13. If you are looking for romantic plans, the San Lorenzo river It's your life saver! Here are two alternatives: a cruise with a rich zenith by the river. Not bad, huh? Or if you prefer something cheaper there are boat trips of 1 hour.

14. The San Lorenzo River has a few small islands as it passes through Montreal. The most interesting is Île Sainte-Hélène, a huge public park where to spend a good day with the family. They are there La Biosphère, a museum dedicated to the environment with its huge and famous dome, or La ronde, an amusement park that delights small (and not so small). In the neighbor Île Notre Dame (a completely artificial island) the F1 Grand Prix takes place.

15. Although if you feel like a nature walk, or just stretch your legs a little with the best views of Montreal, then go to Mont-Royal Park, the green lung of the city. From the Belvédère Kondiaronk the views are those that remove the hiccups. You can walk up or on bus 11 that runs along the main road of the park and leaves you about 10 minutes from the viewpoint. For us it is a must to see in Montreal!

16. Like Toronto, Montreal has a system of passageways and underground galleries which are used during the winter months as true streets, and that connect subway stations, buildings, shopping centers and businesses. Here it is called RÉSO (network in French), but it is also known as “underground city” and it is like that: a true city under the streets of Montreal. We found it very curious.

17. Montreal is not reputed to be a super lively city, it is not New York: Montreal does sleep 😉 but there are some very entertaining areas when the sun goes down, like Gay village or the Latin Quarter.

18. If you stay at HI Montreal like us, the street where you have to go for dinner and have a drink is Crescent street, always alive and full of bars with atmosphere. In addition there is an extra reason to go: in a skyscraper there is an enooooorme mural with the portrait of Leonard Cohen, one of the best singer-songwriters of all time.

19. If you like art, you have to visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, especially if you want to delve into Canadian art and especially Quebec. Admission is $ 24.

20. Are you one of the brave people who come to Montreal in January? At the end of this month there is an unavoidable appointment for lovers of electronic music: the Igloofest. Just do not forget to bring heavy winter clothes, because the cold does not go with little girls here! In summer there are many music festivals, outdoor events, street markets, etc. Come on, if you are a cultureta traveler ... you will freak out!

The rainy Montreal

Tired? Cheer up there are a few things to see and do in Montreal!

21. Take a selfie with the super colorful facade of the Congress Palace from Montreal.

22. Personally it didn't drive us crazy, but it is clear that the Montreal Tower It is a curious site. It is a leaning tower of more than 150 meters high, has a viewpoint and they say the views are the best (we did not go). It is in the Olympic park and know? The 1976 Olympics were an economic failure for the city (and for Canada): 1.2 billion dollars were lost. It freaks out!

23. The city is dotted with small and not so small churches. We already talked about two of them, but two other interesting ones are the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, in the financial center and with an interior reminiscent of St. Peter of the Vatican, and the St Joseph's Oratory, the largest religious center in Canada that also has one of the largest domes in the world. If you see a half green sphere that stands out in the Montreal skyline, then you will know what it is.

24. We love to stroll through the local markets of the cities, where to find stalls with a multitude of fresh products and also food at good prices. In Montreal you can go to Jean-Talon Market or at Atwater Market.

25. Do you want to spend an authentic Canadian afternoon? Then go to a hockey game, the national sport! The home team is the most important in all of Canada, the Canadiens, and play in the Bell center. Here you can watch their next matches.

Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde

25 + 1. If you do not plan to spend a few days in Quebec CityWell worth a day trip from Montreal. Quebec City is gorgeous and, in addition, this tour will take you to know another essential corner of Quebec: the waterfalls of Montmorency.

Here we leave you an interactive map where we point out all the recommended points where to go on your trip to Montreal:

We hope this article with the 25 things to see and do in Montreal most important I can help you in organizing your trip. As always, if you have any questions, leave us a comment and we will try to give you a cable 🙂

Useful information

:: Where to sleep in Montreal?

We made base for 3 days at HI Montreal. It is a very cool building, with bedrooms and private rooms, in the downtown area. The good thing is that the train station is not more than 10-15 minutes away on foot, and the rest of the attractions are also a stone's throw away. 5 minutes away is Crescent Street with a multitude of options to eat and go for a drink. It belongs to the HI Canada hostel chain and, like everyone, has very cool common areas, and breakfast is included.

:: How to get to Montreal from Toronto?

The most comfortable and expensive option is in train. There are several direct trains throughout the day between Toronto and Montreal, it takes around 5 hours and the price is between 50-100CAD depending on whether you book well in advance and benefit from an offer. You can book on the ViaRail website or on Wanderu. In bus It goes a little cheaper, although it takes about 6 hours to make the tour. We book with Megabus and pay 35CAD each.

:: How to get around Montreal?

Although we never had to use it on our 3-day visit, know that you have the option of moving both by subway and urban buses. The individual ticket costs $ 3.25 and can be purchased at the machines of the subway stations, or on board the bus, for which you will have to have the right money (or more, as it does not change) in currencies. This ticket allows you all the changes between metro and bus (as long as you don't use the bus) in 120 minutes. There is also a 2-trip ticket that costs $ 6 with which you save a little (be careful, they are not worth two people). Finally, if you plan to use a lot of transportation in one day, there is a 1day ticket (24 hours full from its validation), it costs $ 10, and it is sold at subway stations or special stores. More information.

:: Where to eat in Montreal?

To know the places to eat in Montreal, we have written this article with 8 restaurants to eat in Montreal (good and cheap).