Are you looking for a weekend away, a romantic weekend, or a girls’ weekend? Are you just looking for a city break, getting out of the rut and your normal hustle and bustle? Then, go ahead and plan a trip to Montreal, Canada. What an incredible city!
I’m here to share all the tips and tricks in my travel guide to Montreal. This is your ultimate guide for where to stay, what to do, what to eat, as well as how much everything costs.
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All About Montreal, Canada
So, let’s go ahead and start with where Montreal is in Canada. The city is located in the province of Quebec, on the eastern side of the country. It is primarily French-speaking, and Montreal is an island. There are 4 million people in the surrounding area around Montreal; 2 million live on the island itself.
It’s such a beautiful city—I absolutely fell in love with it! I hope my travel guide to Montreal inspires you to visit and fall in love with it yourself.
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How to Get There
So, let’s talk about how to get there first. The Trudeau Airport is located about 20-30 minutes outside of the main part of town. This is the international airport and where you’ll want to fly in! It’s about a $40 Canadian dollar cab ride or Uber ride (they do have Uber in Montreal) from the airport into the heart of the city.
How to Get Around
So, how do you get around when you’re in Montreal? As I mentioned, they do have Uber, but the best way to get around is by using the metro system. They have a fantastic metro system that gets you everywhere where you want to go! It’s around $3.75 Canadian or $11 for 24 hours. It’s a great way to get around the city and feel like you’re a local. They also have a great bus system, as well.
Montreal is very much a walking city, so don’t worry too much about having a rental car (unless you want to take day trips outside the city). If you love to bike, it’s sort of like Copenhagen, where there are bike lanes everywhere, and everybody is biking.
How Long to Stay
If you’re going to be staying in Montreal for a few days, I recommend staying around four nights. In four nights, you can do everything you’d like to do, see everything you want to see, and still have some amazing downtime. It’s best not to pack your days too full or you risk getting tired and not doing all the things you wanted to anyway. If you don’t get to everything on this trip, it’s a great excuse to come back and visit again!
Where to Stay in Montreal
The next thing you want to think about is where to stay in Montreal. There are so many great areas of the city, and because it’s so walkable, you can really choose any of them. One of the most unique things about Montreal is the diversity. It is a melting pot, similar to New York, where there’s Chinatown, Little Italy, and a Latin area. There are so many unique neighborhoods and unique things to do in each.
Something else that is very cool is the architecture in Montreal. The properties and all the people’s homes are two to three stories, and they have external staircases, which are really beautiful to photograph. In the downtown area, the high-rises can only be as tall as the mountain, Mount Royale, which is really nice. The buildings are less likely to block the good views.
It’s all about where you think you’ll spend the most time or where you want to be in the evenings. But honestly, I’d be happy to stay in any of these areas!
Best Areas to Stay in Montreal
There’s the Old Town, which is near the port area of Montreal. This is where a lot of the tourists stay, and it’s really busy there. I would say the restaurants are a little more expensive, and some of them are a little bit fancier. There are a lot of short-term rental options in the Old Town, and the architecture is more traditional to match the older style of the port area.
Or you can stay in the heart of the city—that’s where you’ll find hotels like the Marriotts, the Fairmont, the Hampton Inn, and other big brand names. This is also where you’ll see the highrise buildings. We stayed in the heart of the city, and I actually stayed at a Courtyard by Marriott for free (courtesy of rewards from one of my favorite travel credit cards)!
While I stayed in the heart of the city for this trip, if I were to go back, I would stay in the area called Mont Royale or Mount Royal or in the Plateau area. It is more neighborhood-ish, with amazing local restaurants and lots of parks. It isn’t quite as touristy and doesn’t have the feeling of being in a big city in the financial district. So, if I were to go back (and I’m definitely going back), then I’m going to be staying in the Plateau area or Mount Royale!
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Take Some Tours in Montreal
One of the best ways to get to know any city is by taking a few tours. So, no travel guide to Montreal would be complete without some incredible tours to help you get to know the different parts of the city, especially from a local’s perspective. Here are some of my favorites that I did!
The Pink Bike Tour
As I said, Montreal is a huge biking city, so of course, I had to go on a bike tour! I went on the Pink Bike Tour with Spade and Palacio, and it was a fantastic adventure! We biked for around 4 hours all over central Montreal, stopping to see the sights and hear about the history and what there is to do. Our guide was Chris, and he was amazing, sharing so much info and his personal recommendations. So, if you’re going to sign up for Spade and Palacio, make sure to ask for Chris on the Pink Bike Tour.
A Delicious Food Tour
Another Spade and Palacio adventure that I recommend is their Beyond the Market Food Tour. It is very different than a lot of the other food tours, as you’re not just going to get some poutine and a bagel. You’re going to try some of the best food in Montreal! Go on a great adventure around the market, Jean-Talon or John Talon, trying all the delicious bites. I went with Amelia, and she was great, so ask for her when you’re going on this tour. I highly recommend it!
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All the Great Food in Montreal
Montreal Restaurants
Now, let’s talk about restaurants! Most of the restaurants and local restaurants that I went to were up in the Plateau or Mount Royale area. One I recommend that’s very famous is called L’Express. I had duck confit, which was one of the main things I wanted to eat while I was in Montreal. Another fantastic restaurant in that area is Buvette Chez Simone, which has the best vibe. They also have some of the best cheese plates of any restaurant that I went to because you can pick and choose what you want.
Montreal is known for its food, so definitely go and eat at some amazing restaurants and look beyond the poutine and the bagels.
Gluten-Free Foods
If you’re gluten-free, two amazing options are Boulangerie Le Marquis, which offers amazing croissants, and Cantine Panella. I want to give a BIG shout-out to Cantine Panella! They have a beautiful restaurant and delicious quiches, lasagnas, and more. So, if you’re gluten-free, that’s definitely the place to go.
The Cost of Dining Out
All of the restaurants I went to in Montreal had wonderful wine lists, too. There are lots of French wines, which I absolutely love! A glass of wine was around 14 Canadian dollars, which is more like $10 to $10.50 US (as of September 2024). The main courses were around 25 to 27 Canadian, which means they’re about $20 to $22 US dollars. One night we went out and got a gigantic charcuterie plate, which was about 36 Canadian.
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Other Things to Know About Montreal
Outlets, Adapters, & Converters
The electric outlets are the same as in the United States. So, if you’re coming from the US or have those adapters, that will work just fine. If not, you’ll want to bring an adapter like this with you so you can stay connected and keep all your devices charged. As for hair dryers and other bathroom items, be sure to check the voltage requirements and make sure they’re compatible with the adapter. You may need a voltage converter, too.
Cash and Tipping
Right now (as of September 2024), it’s about 1.36 Canadian dollars to the US dollar, so everything felt like it was about a third less. All I needed was my ATM card to go and get some cash. You definitely want to have cash on you because you’ll want to tip your guides. You can then use your credit card everywhere for restaurants and anything that you need to buy.
What about tipping in Canada? I talked to a couple of the waiters and servers, and they said it is typical to pay 15% for service fees. If you are really, really happy with your service at a restaurant, then paying 20% is probably enough. So, the general tipping range I’d recommend is from 15 to 20%.
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Is Montreal Safe?
Some people want to know, is Montreal safe? Well, I found the city to be extremely safe. Everyone was very friendly, and there weren’t any areas where I felt unsafe. That being said, you should always stay aware of your surroundings wherever you go in the world. There are a lot of products out there to help you feel more safe and secure, especially if you’re a woman traveling alone. Here are just a few you may want to take with you:
What to Wear in Montreal
So, what do you wear around Montreal? Well, I found the city very casual and laid-back. There’s a little bit of soft grunge, sort of with a Portland-ish vibe (if you’ve been there). There’s also some sophistication with the French influence in the city.
I was there in July, and in the evenings I was wearing a pair of leggings and Birkenstocks to most of my dinners. I usually brought a wrap with me or a long-sleeved shirt during the day. The temperature was in the ’90s, which was perfect for biking, hiking, and kayaking. I wore one of my Columbia skirts and a T-shirt during the day. It was super casual and really, really wonderful. I did dress up one night to go to one of the great restaurants, but I didn’t really need to.
Are You Ready to Plan a Trip to Montreal, Canada?
Well, that’s the end of my travel guide to Montreal, Canada! I hope you enjoyed it and found some inspiration to plan your own trip. I had an absolutely incredible time, and I’m definitely going to go back one day! If you’ve been to Montreal and have some recommendations, please let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new ways to explore places I’ve been before.
Happy travels and I’ll see you on the next adventure!
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