A guide to Montreal, where Canada's cultures merge

Montreal is the city equivalent of your cool transatlantic friend. It has the high culture, style and gourmet food of the most elegant corners of France, and the informality, innovation and gregarious warmth of North America. Based in the French-speaking province of Quebec, and a one-time French colony, it is both art galleries and nightclubs, couture and jeans, fine wines and cheese-smothered chips (specifically, the city’s signature poutine, dripping in gravy). Montreal straddles the old and new worlds with an effortless je ne sais quoi rarely seen in big cities, and for that reason, Canadians and international visitors alike find it irresistible. 

Unlike Toronto, which has classic tick-box sights, or Vancouver, where life revolves around nature, the joy of a Montreal break lies in its unabashed hedonism — shopping, strolling, bar-hopping and dining. It’s best to come without a specific agenda, so you can let yourself be led by the rhythm of the city and its diverse neighbourhoods. You could soak up the seamless blend of French and North American culture that wafts down the stately Golden Mile; enjoy the buzzy nightlife strip of St Laurent Boulevard; stroll past the colourful historic houses of the Plateau area; and discover rejuvenated industrial Griffintown. There’ll probably be an intriguing boutique, cafe or small gallery to pop into on the way, and if you run thin on ideas, bilingual locals will happily point you somewhere to explore next.

This is a city defined by the seasons, too. After the harsh freeze of winter, when locals cosy up indoors to escape the snow, Montreal bursts forth with renewed joie de vivre in late spring. Not a moment of the precious few summer months is wasted. In the historic old port quarter, dating to the 17th century, al fresco seating entices people to restaurants serving bistro classics. The city’s central park space, Mount Royal, is carpeted with green, its lawns covered with people drawn to the free weekly bohemian gathering Tam-Tams. The city’s busy events calendar hits full throttle in the Quartier des Spectacles, where outdoor plazas are designed to host everything from concerts to comedy and film screenings. Almost around the clock, you can feel this electric city thrum. 

On that note: whatever else draws you to Montreal, be prepared to make lively evenings part of your experience. The one thing, it could be argued, that this city does as well as food is nightlife, with bars and clubs having some of the best atmosphere, finest drinks and latest last calls in Canada. It’s perhaps not until you’re settled into an intimate bar, sipping on a cocktail fusing French cognac with Quebec maple syrup, that you can really appreciate Montreal’s dual-natured heart in all its splendour.

What to see & do

1. Old Montreal
Begin in the 17th-century centre, where narrow streets segue to a park-fringed series of quays on the St Lawrence River. Browse the many boutiques and galleries, then to Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, built in 1771 as a sailors’ pilgrimage site. The cobblestone stretch of Rue Saint-Paul near Marché Bonsecours, the public market that’s stuffed with boutiques, is especially photogenic.

2. Pointe-à-Callière Museum
Get an overview of the city’s foundations from the archaeological exhibits of this eclectic museum in Old Montreal. It chronicles some 4,500 years of the area’s history, from early hunter-gatherers to 17th-century Catholic settlers.

3. Jean-Talon Market
This mostly under-cover market in the city’s northwest is where food-obsessed Montrealers go to stock up. Among the produce from the 50-plus vendors, there is whiffy Quebec-made cheese at Fromagerie Qui Lait Cru, crunchy local apples from Domaine Villeneuve and maple syrup at Ferme René Lussier.

4. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The city’s most significant arts museum — located in Downtown — trots from gilt-framed Napoleonic pieces to large-scale Antony Gormley works and Inuit carvings. In summer, the al fresco sculpture garden, where 22 public art pieces from around the world dot the lawns, is particularly inviting.

5. Habitat 67
One of the few lasting remnants of landmark Expo 67 — the world exposition hosted here in 1967 — this series of brutalist homes is an architectural icon in the city. Join a 90-minute guided tour through the maze of suspended terraces and pedestrianised walkways on the banks of the St Lawrence River to learn about its design and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. 

6. Mount Royal Park
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (the brains behind New York’s Central Park), the city’s 692-acre central green is a meeting place, exercise area and entertainment space. In the summer, locals picnic, take boat rides on the lake or stroll with dogs to the park’s 764ft-high pinnacle. Don’t miss vast domed Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Canada’s largest church — its profile brings to mind Paris’s Sacré Coeur.

7. McGill University
With heritage buildings and rafts of greenery, the grounds of the Downtown academic institution — one of Canada’s finest — are well worth a wander. Pass under the columned Roddick Gates, to find the grand Macdonald-Stewart Library and McCall MacBain Arts buildings.

8. Plateau & Mile End
Of all Montreal’s cool neighbourhoods, this duo in the city’s north are especially vibrant. The artsy Plateau has colourful Victorian buildings, indie shops and leafy ‘ruelles vertes’ — garden alleyways. Edgier Mile End, meanwhile, mixes 19th-century buildings with vintage shops and retro bagel bakeries.

Where to stay

1. M Montreal Hostel
With easy access to the Quartier des Spectacles festival district and the old port, this place has apartment-style set-ups with kitchenettes, so you can easily whip up a storm using produce from Jean-Talon Market. There’s free ping pong, pool and video games too, and a free pasta night every Wednesday.

2. Hôtel William Gray
In the retro locale of Old Montreal but with a distinctly contemporary sensibility, this boutique stay really shines in summer when its roof terrace opens up, with views over the dome of Marché Bonsecours. There’s a spa to revive weary limbs after a day exploring, offering massages using quartz crystals.

3. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth
Next to Montreal’s central railway station, this grand historic hotel has always prided itself on setting the standard for luxury in the city. That’s not to say it’s fusty: recently renovated rooms come with a contemporary colour palette and bursts of kaleidoscopic art. There’s also a sizeable indoor pool and several restaurants and bars, including bistro-style Rosélys.

Where to eat

1. Beautys Luncheonette
Montreal’s most famous diner opened in 1942 and hasn’t changed much since. Order the Beautys Special, a sesame bagel with lox (brined salmon), cream cheese, tomato and red onion, washed down with a cookies-and-cream smoothie. There are no reservations; prepare to queue on weekends (it’s worth it).

2. Joe Beef
This cosy, low-lit restaurant in villagey Little Burgundy is the ultimate expression of Quebec-meets-French decadence. It’s best known for its lobster spaghetti — one of the few dishes that rarely disappears from the chalkboard menu — with other regulars including steak au poivre, Canadian caviar and oysters.

3. Montréal Plaza
Named on Canada’s 100 best restaurants list, Montréal Plaza showcases both seriously interesting wines and a sense of fun in its food — for example, you might just find a plastic dinosaur served with your salad. Pull up a chair at the polished bar next to city high-fliers and tuck into blood pudding with crab bisque or beef tartare with herring and puffed rice. 

Where to go shopping

1. Holt Renfrew Ogilvy
Montreal’s grand dame department store sells designer labels and cult upmarket beauty brands from both Canada and further afield. Wander through its historic and recently renovated halls before taking in the other big-brand shops on the city’s answer to London’s Oxford Street, Saint-Catherine Street.

2. Corail Blanc
Supporting small-scale indie Canadian designers — with eco-friendly and women-led businesses given priority — this jewellery shop on St Laurent Boulevard sells everything from modern minimalist rings to elaborate pendant earrings. Afterwards, you can pop into nearby Schwartz’s, one of the city’s most legendary delis, for a sandwich stuffed with smoked meat similar to pastrami.

3. Annex Vintage
Showcasing both vintage clothing and new home goods ranging from stationery to skincare, this shop in Mile End encapsulates the area’s cool, artsy character. Whether 1990s fashion is your thing or you’re looking for a new print for your wall at home, you won’t be disappointed with the huge selection on offer.

After hours spots

1. Big in Japan Bar
Set on Montreal’s popular bar strip St Laurent Boulevard, this dimly lit and intimate den sees drinkers sat around a U-shaped bar sipping sake and Japanese whiskies. Twinkly lights give it plenty of date-night appeal.

2. Brouepub Dieu de Ciel
Quebec province does beer par excellence. This recently renovated brewpub on Avenue Laurier allows you to sample top examples at the source, from refreshing lagers to English-style bitters and blonde hefeweizens (wheat beers). Order a tasting flight and line your stomach with some poutine — the Quebec staple of chips, cheese curds and gravy.

3. AURA at Notre-Dame Basilica
Old meets new at Old Montreal’s spectacular basilica with this immersive light and music show. Most evenings, as audiences watch on from the pews, captivating scenes themed around the church’s history are projected onto the ceiling, walls and altar in a riot of colour, sound and motion.

Like a local

Bagel bakes
Montreal is known for its unique style of handmade bagels: small, chewy and slightly sweet. They’re wood-fired 24 hours a day at the city’s two popular Mile End bakeries — Fairmont Bagel and St Viateur — where they can be eaten almost straight from the oven.

New neighbourhoods
Want to explore beyond the main visitor districts? Formerly industrial Griffintown is now a hub for the local creative scene, such as the Arsenal Contemporary Art centre, as well as stylish and modern housing. Meanwhile, leafy Verdun by the waterside has its own sandy beach and a glut of homely restaurants.

Underground City
If you’re visiting in winter, you don’t need to traverse the icy streets. Much of Montreal’s Downtown is connected by a network of subterranean shopping centres and tunnels. Known as the Underground City, it’s a heaven-sent hack for getting around when temperatures plunge to -30C.