Things to Do in Montreal
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Montreal, Canada, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Montreal. French-speaking, winter-proofed, adjust accordingly, North America's largest French-speaking city outside France itself, and a place that's built an entire parallel underground world specifically to survive its own genuinely brutal winters. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Montreal: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the climb. Five main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
Montreal's Francophone Culture
Montreal is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world outside France, a genuinely distinct linguistic and cultural identity within North America, French is the primary language throughout much of the city, street signs, menus, and daily conversation, worth having at least a few basic French phrases ready, though English is also widely spoken and understood.
This francophone character genuinely shapes the whole city's atmosphere, cafe culture, architecture, and a certain unmistakably European sensibility layered onto a fundamentally North American city, worth appreciating this blend as you explore.
Mount Royal
A large hill and park at the heart of Montreal gives the city its name, Mount Royal, Montreal, from the hill at its centre, tidy naming, compared to some cities, a genuinely large, well-designed park (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park), offering sweeping views over the whole city from its main lookout.
It's a good, free full afternoon out, walking or cycling trails through genuine woodland right in the middle of the city, worth timing a visit for sunset when the lookout offers a particularly good view over the illuminated skyline.
Best time Late afternoon into sunset
Address Mount Royal Park, Montreal
The Underground City
Montreal's extensive underground pedestrian network is particularly useful during winter, miles of tunnels, entirely sheltered from the brutal Canadian winter, a genuinely enormous network, one of the largest underground complexes in the world, connecting metro stations, shopping centres, offices, and residential buildings across much of downtown.
It's worth exploring even outside winter, a genuinely different way to experience the city, though the real value becomes obvious the moment temperatures drop, worth knowing this exists if you're visiting during the colder months and want to move around without facing the elements directly.
Best time Winter, for the genuine practical benefit
Notre-Dame Basilica
A genuinely stunning 19th-century basilica in Old Montreal, an elaborately decorated interior, deep blue vaulted ceilings covered in gold stars, worth the entry fee for the interior alone, one of the most beautiful church interiors in North America.
The wider Old Montreal district, cobblestone streets and 17th and 18th-century architecture, is worth a proper wander, worth combining a basilica visit with a walk through the old port area given how close everything sits together.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am–4.30pm
Address Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Montreal
Montreal Bagels & Smoked Meat
Montreal has its own distinct bagel style, genuinely different from New York's, boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in a wood-fired oven, a proper local specialty with strong opinions attached to which of the two famous rival bagel shops makes the better version.
Montreal smoked meat, a distinctive cured beef sandwich, is another genuine local institution, worth trying at one of the city's established delis rather than a generic sandwich shop, this is a proper culinary tradition here.
Best time Any time; bagel shops often open very early
Best time to visit Montreal
May through September gives the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking and Mount Royal exploring this list involves, mild without winter's genuine, serious cold.
Winter brings the genuine, practical value of the Underground City, and Montreal's winter festivals add real atmosphere if you don't mind the cold, worth considering if you want the full seasonal contrast.
Getting around Montreal
Montreal's metro is efficient and connects well with the Underground City. Central areas, including Old Montreal and much of downtown, are walkable, and Mount Royal is reachable on foot or by a short bus ride.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Montreal worth visiting?
- Yes, easily, its genuine francophone character, Mount Royal, and the practical marvel of the Underground City together give it a distinctly different feel from other major North American cities.
- How many days do you need in Montreal?
- Three days covers Mount Royal, Old Montreal, and a proper bagel-and-smoked-meat food tour comfortably.
- Is Montreal expensive?
- Moderate, generally cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver for dining and accommodation, and Mount Royal Park remains free.
- What is Montreal famous for?
- Being one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world outside France, Mount Royal, the hill that gives the city its name, and its extensive Underground City, built to survive harsh winters.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
