This beautiful French-speaking city is the second largest in Canada after Toronto and is considered the cultural capital of the country. While French and English are the main influences, Montreal is truly international with an energy and joie de vivre found only in the world's best cities. If you're looking to experience some of the best it has to offer, be sure to tick at least a few of these fabulous things to do on your itinerary.
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Credit: abdallahLa RondeLa Ronde
Make your heart beat faster at Eastern Canada's largest amusement park
La Ronde is the largest amusement park in eastern Canada. Not only does it offer roller coasters that will make your heart jump out of your chest, it is world renowned for holding two Guinness Records for its 'Monstre', the two largest wooden roller coasters on the planet and the largest roller coaster in Canada . If you have little ones with you, you will also find rides for them, such as the Le Galopant carousel. In addition to thrill rides and family rides, the park hosts live shows and special events, such as a fireworks display held biweekly throughout July.
Credit: bigstock.comRue Saint PaulRue Saint Paul
Stroll down Saint-Paul Street
There is plenty to see and do in Old Montreal, but if you don't have a lot of time, walking down Saint-Paul Street will allow you to soak in the city's famous European atmosphere. This is the epicentre of Old Montreal. While it is just over a mile long, its cobblestones are filled with restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, boutiques and art galleries, tucked inside fantastic historic buildings. It dates back to the late 1600s, when it was the centre of the fur trade, as do the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours chapel, which share an address here. On the eastern side of Saint-Paul is the Marché Bonsecours, which houses the Quebec Boutique des metiers d'arts, a centre for local artisans and artists, including jewellers, glassblowers and clothing designers.
Credit: bigstock.com Horse-drawn buggy. Hand-drawn buggy
Climb aboard a horse-drawn buggy in Vieux-Montreal
For a romantic taste of European flavour, hop aboard a horse-drawn carriage and ride through the cobbled streets and grand palaces of Vieux-Montreal. No matter the time of year, they are easy to find and offer a fun way to explore the city. During the cold winter months, you will be given a blanket to stay warm, and most of the drivers will narrate during the tour, providing background history of Old Montreal and its magnificent architecture. The legendary Olympic Park is a great place to tour, with its interesting historic quarter and entertainment district.
Credit: bigstock.com The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Catch the latest exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the city's largest museum, with its encyclopaedic collection boasting over 41,000 works. While the permanent collection offers a fascinating look at the country's art history, the museum's temporary exhibitions are what visitors often rave about. It welcomes works by artists such as Warhol, Rodin, Chihuly and Gaultier among many others. The original temporary exhibitions generally combine artistic disciplines, including fine arts, fashion, design, music and film, and present innovative exhibition projects. At the end of 2016, just in time for Montreal's 375th anniversary in 2017, a fifth pavilion dedicated to international art will open its doors.
Credit: bigstock.comMont Royal Lookout
Admire the views from Mont-Royal
Mont-Royal, or Mount Royal, is considered the jewel or parks of Montreal. Occupying part of a mountain in the middle of the island of Montreal, the highest point in the city can be found here, making it a perfect place to begin your explorations of the city. Similar to the Empire State Building in New York or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it serves as a natural landmark to orient you to Montreal. At the top of the peak there is a lookout that offers spectacular views of downtown and the mountains on the south shore. If you can manage it, catching the sunrise from here as the morning light slowly makes its way over the horizon is particularly stunning.
At the entrance to the park, the Smith House is a historic building that offers information and visitor services and houses a restaurant.
Credit: bigstock.com "The Alley", Mont Royal Park, Montreal "The Alley", Mont Royal Park, Montreal
Walk, drive or run on the trails
Montreal is home to some of the most scenic trails you'll find of any city in North America. The nine-mile (about 14.5 kilometres) Lachine Canal offers peaceful paths for walking, running and cycling, away from the hustle and bustle of the city with mile markers placed along the way. It starts near the Old Port and takes you along the river past the famous canal before arriving at Atwater Market, a perfect stop to pick up some of your picnic favourites.
The picturesque Mont Royal Park is criss-crossed by a network of trails, including Avenue des Pins, which leads to the highest point of the city offering breathtaking views from the top. You can start somewhere along the Plateau trail and enjoy some of the best views of the plateau as you trek through Parc La Fontain, Parc Jeanne-Mance and along the cobblestones of Duluth Street.
Credit: bigstock.comMontreal Botanical GardenMontreal Botanical Garden
Discover the Botanical Garden
This 75-hectare oasis is located in the heart of Montreal and showcases over 22,000 species of plants and cultivars, as well as a planetarium, biodome, insectarium, themed greenhouses and gardens, including the famous Chinese garden. A place of harmony and contrast, it illustrates the age-old principles of Chinese landscape art, with selections of architecture, water, plants and minerals all expressions of the dominant design principles of yin and yang. Its harmony is based on plants, water, stones and architecture, presenting itself as a kind of three-dimensional painting. The First Nations Garden was created in honour of the First Nations people, allowing visitors to rediscover the culture of America's first inhabitants, while the Alpine Garden takes visitors on a tour of the botanical world from the Rocky Mountains to the Himalayas and from the Alps to the Arctic tundra. Visiting this botanical garden, you will quickly understand why it calls the experience "a trip around the world".
Credit: bigstock.comMontreal Notre-Dame BasilicaMontreal Notre-Dame Basilica
Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica
When architect James O'Donnell designed the Notre-Dame Basilica in 1824, it was said that he was "so moved by the result that he himself converted to Catholicism". Built in the neo-Gothic style and adorned with intricately detailed statues and peaceful chapels, this grand church towers high above the cobblestone streets of Montreal's historic district. Public tours are available and include a 20-minute guided tour that offers an ideal introduction to the history of Notre-Dame Parish, the construction of the church, important architectural elements and the many works of art inside the building. For those who want even more, a 60-minute guided tour is also offered, taking you to some of the private areas of the Basilica that are normally off limits to the public, such as the baptistery and galleries.
Credit: bigstock.comJean-Talon MarketJean-Talon Market
Sampling goods at local markets
Visiting local markets in almost any city offers a great way to socialise with the locals and get a taste of their culinary offerings and local produce, especially in summer when almost everything is in season. This is especially true in Montreal, where you will find items like those heavenly strawberries hidden in Quebec. The city seems to be home to the largest market in North America, Marche Jean-Talon, a huge covered market where chefs buy ingredients for their menus and the long covered aisles are filled with merchants selling all sorts of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and baked goods. Delis and café restaurants with cosy patios line the market, and Le Marche des Saveurs du Quebec, is one of the few places in Montreal that are entirely dedicated to provincial specialities such as fresh cheeses, smoked meats, maple syrup, preserves, wine and cider, and a wide variety of gifts. If you're looking for that perfect souvenir, this is a great place to find it.
Credit: xb3CoffeeCoffee
Watching people sip java at one of the city's best cafes
Montreal is home to what seems like an endless array of coffee shops. So how does the first time visitor decide where to go? If you're looking to enjoy a great cup of java, a nice atmosphere and good people watching, Café Olimpico is a simple but fun and lively place with a steady stream of hip patrons sipping iced coffee on the terrace in summer. Club Social is another popular traditional Italian-style café where many regulars enjoy themselves and catch rays from the terrace during the warmer months. For a unique experience, head to the Paquebot Cafe, the first café in town to serve coffee like a beer: it's frothy, cold and on tap all year round. Or, for music with your coffee, check out Le Cagibi in the heart of Mile End. It's an all-in-one café and concert hall, hosting local musicians, artists and performers in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
Credit: Galerie Simon BlaisSimon Blais Gallery
Experience the creative scene in the Mile End
The Mile End is considered one of the coolest places in Montreal. A haven for artistic types since 1980, it is home to a thriving creative scene that includes artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers. In fact, some say, this 10-block neighbourhood conveniently sandwiched between Le Plateau du Mont-Royal and Little Italy, is the 'most artistic neighbourhood' in North America. Get a glimpse of some of the local musicians by peeping at some of Mile End's most iconic venues, such as Le Cafe Depanneur, where bands play all day long. After dark, House of the People is the place to be. If you're a bagel lover, getting a bagel from St-Viateur Bagel is a must - not only is it open 24 hours a day, but many have claimed that it makes the best bagels in the world - and that includes New York.
Credit: bigstock.com Old PortMontreal's Old Port
Take a cruise from the Old Port
There are a number of boat trips and cruises that depart from the Old Port, which is the waterfront bordering Vieux-Montreal. On a sunny afternoon, you might want to take a lunch cruise with the Cavalier Maxim, the Petit Navire, Croisière Absolü and the Bateau-Mouche, which offers three different river cruises. Croisière Absolü hosts one of the most popular cruises, a weekend brunch cruise with gourmet dishes, as well as all-day history tours, a fireworks cruise and gourmet dinner cruises from King Edward Pier.
For a more thrilling and wet experience, Lachine Rapid Tours, which operates from May to October, transports passengers in waveboats on the Lachine Rapids of the St. Lawrence River.
Credit: wikimedia.orgMontreal Biodome
Explore the Biodome
The Montreal Biodome is housed in the former Olympic cycling stadium and features four distinct ecosystems: a tropical rainforest, a Laurentian forest, a polar environment and the St. Lawrence marine environment. As you take a walk through the various ecosystems, you will notice a change in temperature and see some of the animals that inhabit these environments, including monkeys leaping from branch to branch, brightly coloured birds perched in the trees, playful otters, wavy penguins and ever adorable water horses, otherwise known as hippos. It's a great way to learn about Canada's ecosystems and an experience not to be missed by nature lovers.
Credit: Le Saint-BockCraft beers at Le Saint-Bock Craft Beers in Le Saint-Bock
Savour local craft beers
Montrealers love a good craft beer and take the art of microbrewing very seriously, which is why you'll notice that most brewpubs here are always full. If you want to sample some of the city's best offerings, we recommend getting an expert to take you on a guided tour of Montreal's craft beer. Otherwise, for the largest selection of beers you'll find in all of Canada, head to Le Saint-Bock, which has 40 taps serving craft, local and imported beers, plus 850+ available in bottles. Not only that, but the servers are all beer connoisseurs who can help you make the best choice or even help you figure out which beer it was that you loved so much when you tried it last summer, but all you know is that it has a bit of a peach flavour.
Credit: bigstock.comChateau RamezayChateau Ramezay
Discover the history of Montreal in the beautiful Chateau Ramezay
Learning about the history of Montreal is a great way to get to know the details of the city and who lives here, and there may be no better way to do this than to visit Chateau Ramezay, the former home of French governors dating back to 1705. One of the best examples of the ancient regime, it features 15 interconnecting rooms with a ballroom of mirrors, as well as plenty of mahogany. American generals used it as their headquarters during the revolution, and Benjamin Franklin himself held meetings here while trying to convince Canadians to join the cause. Today, the building serves as a repository for Quebec history, with a collection of some 20,000 objects that allows visitors to relive more than 500 years of history, from the pre-contact Amerindian era to the 20th century.
Credit: Les Deux Singes De MontarvieBison Tartare at Les Deux Singes De Montarvie
Discover the foodie scene
Montreal is considered one of the best foodie cities in the world - in fact, it is home to more restaurants per capita than New York City. A visitor immersed in the city's culinary scene will find all kinds of cuisine in almost every form, which can make trying to decide where to eat an almost overwhelming task. The best way to try it is to join a food tour, though it's not an easy decision with so many to choose from. Mile End, with its thriving foodie scene and artist community, is a good place to start, and Local Montreal Food Tours offers a three-hour guided tour of this neighbourhood, visiting six tasting locations with a variety of dishes, from famous bagels to vegan fare and decadent chocolates.
If you just want to dine at one of the city's best restaurants, Les Deux De Montarvie tops the list. Located in the Mile End district, this French/international restaurant is a trendy spot among foodies with its creative dishes served in a cosy, unpretentious, slightly offbeat atmosphere.
