Montreal: Canada’s Cultural and Culinary Capital
Montreal has an energy unlike anywhere else in Canada. Walk the Plateau on a Tuesday evening in July and every terrasse is full, jazz drifts from an upstairs window, someone is arguing animatedly in French over a bottle of Quebecois wine, and the light through the maple trees is golden. This city knows how to live.
Montreal is Canada’s second-largest city and its most culturally distinct. The French heritage is everywhere — in the architecture, the language, the food philosophy, the relationship with pleasure and leisure. But Montreal is also deeply cosmopolitan: the McGill and Concordia universities bring in tens of thousands of English-speaking students; immigration has layered Haitian, Lebanese, Italian, and Portuguese cultures onto the French-Canadian base. The result is the most interesting food city in Canada and one of the most interesting in North America.
Getting Around
Metro is efficient — four colour-coded lines covering most of the city. A OPUS card (reloadable) or day pass ($11.25 CAD) for unlimited travel. Trains run from 5:30am to 1am most nights.
BIXI bikes are perfect for the Plateau and Mile End, both flat enough for casual cycling. The bike lanes along Rachel Street and the riverfront are excellent.
The Underground City (RESO) — 33km of heated underground passages connecting 10 metro stations, 2,000 shops, hotels, cinemas, and offices — is invaluable in the Montreal winter.
Things to Do
Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal) — The oldest part of the city: 18th-century stone warehouses and churches along the St. Lawrence waterfront. Place Jacques-Cartier is the tourist heart (too many restaurants, fine for drinks). Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Notre-Dame have excellent galleries and independent restaurants. Notre-Dame Basilica ($15 CAD) is the most beautiful interior in Canada.
Mount Royal Park — Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed Central Park) designed this mountain park in 1876. The Kondiaronk Belvedere lookout provides the definitive Montreal skyline view. Take the serpentine path from Park Avenue, or drive/taxi to the upper lookout. In winter, cross-country skiing and ice skating on Beaver Lake. Free.
Mile End — The neighbourhood that defines contemporary Montreal: bagel bakeries (St-Viateur and Fairmount are the two great rivals, open 24 hours), independent coffee shops, vintage stores, Jewish delis, and Greek restaurants. The Plateau-Mont-Royal district immediately south is beautiful for aimless walking.
Montreal Jazz Festival — Every July, the world’s largest jazz festival takes over the Place des Arts. 500+ concerts, 350+ free outdoor performances. The free shows on multiple stages in the Quartier des Spectacles are extraordinary — free world-class jazz while sitting on grass. Plan around it if you can.
Jean-Talon Market — The finest public market in Canada, in the Little Italy neighbourhood. Quebec produce, cheeses from Fromagerie de l’Abbaye, pastries from Eric Borsato, maple products. Open year-round, though the outdoor pavilions are summer-only.
Where to Eat
Joe Beef — The most famous restaurant in Canada. David McMillan and Fred Morin’s ode to excess: oysters, foie gras, enormous steaks, lobster spaghetti, remarkable natural wine list. Reserve 6-8 weeks ahead. ~$100-150 CAD per person.
Schwartz’s Deli — The smoked meat institution since 1928. The medium-fat smoked meat sandwich with mustard on rye with a dill pickle and cherry cola is the Montreal meal. Queue of 45 minutes is normal. $12-18 CAD. Worth it.
St-Viateur Bagel — Open 24 hours. Montreal bagels are smaller, denser, sweeter, and hand-rolled into a wood-burning oven. The sesame bagel with cream cheese and lox ($8-12 CAD) is breakfast perfection. The great St-Viateur vs Fairmount debate has no wrong answer — both are extraordinary.
Au Pied de Cochon — Martin Picard’s legendary restaurant: foie gras poutine, duck in a can, boudin noir, and dishes of baroque excess. Weeklong wait for weekend reservations. Go at 5:30pm on a weeknight and put your name on the waiting list in person. ~$60-100 CAD per person.
Olive et Gourmando — Old Montreal breakfast institution. Pressed sandwiches, house-made granola, exceptional pastries, serious coffee. ~$12-20 CAD. Open until 5pm, closed Mondays.
Where to Stay
Hotel Le Crystal ($200-400 CAD/night) — Glass-tower boutique hotel with rooftop pool in downtown Montreal. The suites have mountain views. Service is impeccable.
Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel ($200-380 CAD/night) — All-suite boutique hotel in Old Montreal in a restored heritage building. Courtyard garden. Walking distance to Vieux-Port.
Auberge Alternative ($30-60 CAD/night) — The legendary Old Montreal hostel in an 1875 warehouse. Character, community, and excellent location.
Scott’s Pro Tips
Logistics: The 747 Express bus from Trudeau Airport to downtown runs 24 hours ($11 CAD, 45-60 minutes). The metro is the most efficient way around — get a day pass on arrival.
Best Time: June through September. July is the Jazz Festival month — book 6+ months ahead. Late September into October for fall colour and without the summer crowds.
Getting Around: BIXI bikes in summer. Metro year-round. The Underground City is genuinely useful November through March — you can walk from Berri-UQAM station to Place-des-Arts and Peel without going outside.
Money and ATMs: ATMs throughout, especially in metro stations. Montreal is slightly less expensive than Toronto or Vancouver. Restaurant culture: it’s perfectly acceptable to linger at a table for 2+ hours — Montreal dining is unhurried.
Safety and Health: Montreal is generally safe. The Plateau, Mile End, and Old Montreal are very safe tourist areas. Exercise normal big-city caution in the quieter parts of the city at night.
Packing: In summer: light clothing for the day, always one extra layer for cool evenings and air-conditioned restaurants. In winter: the most serious cold-weather gear you own — Montreal winters are genuinely brutal. Invest in proper boots.
Local Culture: Always open with “Bonjour” — it matters to Montrealers that you acknowledge the French language even if you switch to English immediately after. Sunday brunch is a sacred institution. The terrasse (patio) culture extends surprisingly late into October. Hockey is religion — the Habs are a civic identity.