Montreal feels like you’ve stepped into Europe without having to cross the Atlantic. From its cozy cafes to welcoming locals, the French-Canadian city exudes a friendly energy. It’s the perfect destination for a weekend group trip getaway or a couple’s escape.
Despite being one of the largest cities in North America, Montreal has a small-town feel. It’s the largest city in Quebec (the French-speaking province of Canada) and the second-largest Canadian city behind Toronto. There aren’t any major sights in Montreal like in Toronto or New York City, but there are plenty of great restaurants to dine at and amazing art to see in the city’s many galleries.
In this itinerary, we’ll explore Montreal in a weekend, exploring the historic Old Town and bordering neighborhoods.
Let’s get into it.
Day 1: Old Town
A good place to start your old town adventure is at Place Jacques-Cartier. This small, historic square is a stone’s throw from breakfast, the Old Port, the city hall, and the metro.
Breakfast at Café Olimpico
Start your morning off right with an espresso and bomboloni from Café Olimpico, an Italian cafe in the heart of Old Town.
While Montreal is known for being a French town, it has a sprawling Italian enclave. Along with coffee and sweets, it serves savory sandwiches with pillowy focaccia bread. The Old Town location is small, so take your pastries, sandwiches, and coffee to go and enjoy them as you walk through the historic streets.
Explore the Old Port
Nowadays, the Old Port of Montreal is a tourist destination rather than a working port, but it has views of the St. Lawrence River, Clock Tower, and Jacques Tower Bridge, making it a must-see for visitors.
The Old Port is also home to the famous La Grande Roue de Montreal, which is just a fancy way to say ferris wheel. You can ride the ferris wheel for $28 CAD (about $20 USD) for sweeping views of the city.
Gallery hopping on Rue Saint Paul
The Main Street of the Old Town is Rue Saint Paul. It’s lined with shops, cafes, and galleries. Spend a few hours walking in and out of galleries for a free art tour of the city. Two notable galleries to visit are Galerie LeRoyer and Galerie Beauchamp.
Visit Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
The Notre Dame of Montreal is the thing to see in the city. While the outside looks like any other Catholic church, the inside is beautiful with ornate design. It costs $16 CAD per person to enter (approximately $12 USD), but you can receive a discount by purchasing 10 tickets together if you’re part of a large group.
At night, the basilica hosts a light show, illuminating the interior. Tickets for the light show are separate and more expensive.
Lunch at Olive et Gourmando
Grab a cozy meal at Olive et Gourmando in Old Town. The restaurant has a cafe feel with a barista whipping up lattes and cooks handcrafting salads and sandwiches.
There will likely be a wait, so grab a cup of coffee or a pastry to enjoy while you wait for a table.
Shopping in downtown on Rue Saint Catherine
Downtown Montreal is a stark contrast to the Old Town. Instead of local galleries, you’ll find corporate stores on Rue Saint Catherine.
Even if you’re not a shopper on vacation, walking down Rue Saint Catherine and zig-zagging through the side streets is a good way to get to know the more modern downtown part of the city.
Drinks at Clandestino
Montreal has a great going-out scene, but the party doesn’t start til later in the evening. To get warmed up before dinner, get drinks at Clandestino. A Mexican-inspired speakeasy in the basement of a taqueria. The cocktails are mezcal and tequila-forward, crafted with flavors from Mexico and beyond. The music is also great for a chill, head-bobbing vibe.
Dinner at Flyjin
Flyjin proves that the clubsteraunt is alive and well. Part-restaurant, part-club, Flyjin serves Asian plates in the middle of the club. The best part is the food is actually delicious, with perfectly-crunchy spicy tuna crispy rice and steaming-hot dumplings.
You’ll need to call ahead to book a table (call 514-564-8881). Make your reservation on the later side so you can dance off your meal afterward.
Day 2: Outer Neighborhoods
It’s time to go beyond Old Town and explore the neighborhood that makes Montreal the cool city that it is.
Bagel crawl for breakfast
Bagels in Montreal are a thing. These smaller, sweeter bagels with a large hole rival the New York bagel. You’ll start the day by tasting bagels from the two most famous bagel shops in Montreal.
The two spots to hit are St.-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. Go to St.-Viateur first. The line might be long, but it moves fast. There’s a Café Olimpico around the corner from St.-Viateur, where you can get a cup of coffee to wait in line with. Get a bag of bagels and a tub of cream cheese for your group. Save your cream cheese for the next stop.
ThatPlannerFriend Tip: There are two St.-Viateur locations on the same street. The original location will have a longer line, but both locations are owned by the same people, so you can go to whichever has the shorter line.
Fairmont Bagel is about a 10-minute walk away from St. Viateur. Because Fairmont only has one location, there’s typically a longer line, but it doesn’t mean it’s better. I’ll let you decide your favorite.
Both bagel spots are cash only. Make sure to take out Canadian dollars before your bagel crawl. Each bagel is under $2, so $20 for a big group is more than enough.
Secondhand shopping on Saint Laurent Boulevard
After breakfast, go shopping on Saint Laurent Boulevard. There are a bunch of fun and well-curated secondhand shops.
Explore Little Italy
While you may have gotten a taste for the Italian side of Montreal at Café Olimpico, you’ll get a real feel for the Italian community in Little Italy. Walk down St. Laurent Boulevard and you’ll run right into Little Italy with Italian businesses lining the streets.
Lunch at Marché Jean Talon
You’ll end your walking tour of Little Italy at Marché Jean Talon, an open-air farmers market. It’s one of North America’s largest markets. Along with fresh produce, the market has a food vendor section with vendors serving everything from Canadian poutine to French crepes.
Dessert and pick-me-up at Cafe Ferlucci
A few blocks from the market is Cafe Ferlucci, a cozy Italian espresso bar. Order an affogato for a sweet treat that doubles as an afternoon pick-me-up to get you through the rest of the evening.
Hike Mont Royal during golden hour
Mont Royal Park is home to Montreal’s best views and hiking trails within the city. The park sits on a hill that overlooks downtown. The best time to go is during golden hour, when the sun begins to set over the city. To reach the top of the hill, go to the corner of Pine Ave and Peel St to go up the Grand Staircase of Mont Royal to Kondiaronk Belvedere.
Dinner at Pubjelly
For dinner, go to Pubjelly, the sister restaurant of one of Montreal’s best restaurants. Why not just go to the original restaurant, Jellyfish? Well, it’s expensive and hard to get into. Pubjelly is much more casual and just as delicious with flatbreads and small plates to share. It was one of our favorite meals in Montreal.
If you’re looking for a place to go out afterwards, try Le Confessionnal, a trilingual dance-y bar with French, Spanish, and English jams, or Philémon Bar, a wine bar that gets dancey on weekends.
Where to stay
The best place to stay is in Ville-Marie, the main central area that encompasses Old Town, downtown, and the area east of Mont Royal. A good point of reference is seeing how long it would take you to walk to Old Town from the place you’re looking to book your stay at.
Other good places to stay within walking distance from the center are Plateau Mont Royal and Griffintown. These are two neighborhoods that aren’t featured in this itinerary but are great to explore if you have extra time.
Getting around Montreal
Walking
For the most part, Montreal is a walkable city. Most things in the city center are a 20-30 minute walk max.
Public transport
The Montreal Metro is an efficient way to get around. You can get an unlimited weekend pass for $16 CAN, which is well worth it considering a round-trip ticket is already $7 CAN.
Rideshare
While the public transportation is great, it’s hard to resist the convince of an Uber, especially when it’s as affordable as it is in Montreal.
If you’re traveling with a group, an Uber ride will end up being cheaper than individual metro tickets.
Planning on driving to Montreal or looking for a day trip out of this city? Check out this ultimate roadtrip from NYC to Montreal guide.
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