(work in progress!)
I’ve lived in Montréal for over three years now, here’s a list of places to visit if you’re from out of town. There are some classics on the list, but also a few of my favourite places.
Personally, I avoid centre-ville as much as I can, the beauty of Montréal is in its cities, and the city centre is dominated by two massive anglo universities and office towers.
But, there are a few reasons to head out there.
There’s a lot of shopping of course, with a lot of local/domestic stores, here are a few of them:
Downtown is dominated by more international brands. Other than the above you’ll see a lot of stores common in other international cities.
Place des Arts is a cultural complex where you can see operas, plays, symphony performances etc. There are multiple stages so it’s worth to check out upcoming events.
During the summer this is where Jazz Fest, happens, and Just for Laughs which may or may not happen this year. Also, Francos de Montréal, which is a festival of francophone music which is worth checking out even if you don’t speak the language. All of these events are free, and during the summer this area’s streets are pedestrianized.
In the west of the city centre, you’ll find Le Musée des beaux-arts (Museum of Fine Arts), which is a large museum of well, fine arts. It’s a large museum spanning classical and contemporary arts. The main exhibits are free the first Sunday of each month, and discounted to $12 per person every Wednesday. See the tarrifs here.
Société des arts et technologies (SAT) is an technological arts centre, which has so much going on. Events range from art exhibits/shows, to full on raves, even in the “Satosphere” which is a room with a spherical roof thats projected upon, really cool experience.
While you’re here, I’d recommend grabbing something quick from Timeout Market or Le Central. These are both large casual cateteria style food markets that host a large selection of local restaurants and the latter has a little bar you can bring your food of choice to, too. There’s also the tiny little chinatown, too.
You’ll find the usual chinese crêpes and bakeries too, it’s really just a few blocks and there are plenty of options.
While it is full of tourist traps and ridiculous theme park-esque things. There are a bunch of really cool places if you know where to look.
Centre PHI is another centre that showcases arts and techonlgy, but in a more experiental way. You can check out the rolling exhibits here
SSENSE is the high fashion retailer of Montréal. It’s shopping by appointment, and here’s how to book one.
I would recommend hitting up L’Hôtel William Gray’s rooftop terrace Perché while you’re in the area. It’s even open during the winter, where they set up spherical domes and have outdoor fireplaces.
The central neighbourhood full of so many things.
You’ll find so many iconic places in the neighbourhood ranging from Cinéma L’amour which is a porno theatre that hosts events, to St-Viateur Bagel which is the most popular option for Montréal-style bagels. Schwartz’s Deli is where you can grab a famous smoked meat sandwich. Beware though, on a nice day in the afternoon these places have absolutely massive lines. If you want to, go during the day during the week.
Bar Options:
Restaurant Options:
I’m biased as it’s my neighbourhood, but St-Henri is a great neighbourhood full of excellent food and drink loations.
There isn’t that much shopping available, but Marché Underground is a huge thrift store. There are some others in the area, too.
Ranked in order of my preference:
While Verdun’s rue Wellington was named the coolest street in the world, I personally haven’t checked it out enough to be able to make recommendations.