Montreal

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The interior of Notre-Dame Basilica is painted in deep blue and gold, with an ornate carved altarpiece, Montreal, Canada

Place Jacques-Cartier slopes down from City Hall toward the Old Port in the heart of Old Montreal, Canada

Bonsecours Market, with its silver dome, faces the Old Port along Rue de la Commune, Montreal, Canada

Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal's archaeology and history museum, stands on the site where the city was founded in 1642, Canada

About Montreal

Montreal fills an island in the St. Lawrence River, built around the low mountain that gives the city its name. Founded as a French mission in 1642, it is the largest French-speaking city in the Americas, and its blend of European and North American habits shows up in its bilingual streets, its café culture and its devotion to festivals.

Old Montreal is the historic heart, where the soaring blue interior of Notre-Dame Basilica draws long lines and Place Jacques-Cartier slopes down toward the river past Rue Saint-Paul's stone buildings. The Old Port and the domed Bonsecours Market sit along the water, and the Pointe-à-Callière Museum explores the city's founding layers underground. Trails on Mount Royal Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, climb to the Kondiaronk Belvedere's downtown view, and Saint Joseph's Oratory crowns the far slope. The Plateau and Mile End are home to walk-up flats with outdoor staircases, bagel bakeries and small shops, and Jean-Talon Market brims with Quebec produce. Rainy days fit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, while Olympic Park bundles the Biodome and the Botanical Garden.

The metro and bike-share system make getting around easy. Summer brings a near-constant run of festivals, including a major jazz event, while winters are long and cold. Quebec City and the Laurentians make good onward trips.

Best seasonJune through September for terraces and festivals; late September adds fall color on Mount Royal.

Ideal stayThree to four days covers the old city, the mountain and a few neighborhoods.

ArrivingMontreal-Trudeau International Airport serves the city, and VIA Rail links it with Toronto and Quebec City.

WiserMap travel guideMontreal Canada Old Montreal Mount Royal and BagelsPlan a Montreal trip: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame Basilica, Mount Royal, Saint Joseph's Oratory, Jean-Talon Market, Plateau, bagels, festivals and the metro.Read the guide

12 Things You Shouldn't Miss in Montreal

Churches 2

Notre-Dame Basilica

Facing Place d'Armes in Old Montreal, this Gothic Revival church was designed by the Irish-American architect James O'Donnell and...

Saint Joseph's Oratory

Rising on the northwest slope of Mount Royal, this vast basilica began as a small wooden chapel built in 1904 by Brother Andre, a...

Neighborhoods 2

Place Jacques-Cartier and Rue Saint-Paul

Sloping down from City Hall toward the river, Place Jacques-Cartier is the lively heart of Old Montreal, with cobblestones, flower...

The Plateau and Mile End

North of downtown, these neighborhoods show Montreal's everyday charm, with rows of painted houses whose outdoor spiral staircases...

Landmarks 2

The Old Port and Bonsecours Market

Stretching a couple of kilometers along the St. Lawrence, the Old Port is now a waterfront promenade with bike paths, an observati...

Olympic Park Montreal

Built for the 1976 Summer Olympics, the park is dominated by Roger Taillibert's concrete stadium and its Montreal Tower, the talle...

Museums 2

Pointe-à-Callière Museum

Montreal's museum of archaeology and history stands on the spot where the city was founded in 1642, and it opened in 1992 for the...

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Founded in 1860, this is the oldest art museum in Canada and one of its largest, spread across five connected pavilions on Sherbro...

Parks 3

Mount Royal Park and the Kondiaronk Belvedere

The mountain that gave Montreal its name became a park in 1876, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted of New York's Central Park. Path...

Parc Jean-Drapeau

Spread across Sainte-Helene and Notre-Dame islands in the St. Lawrence, this park was the main site of Expo 67, the world's fair t...

Montreal Botanical Garden

Founded in 1931 by Brother Marie-Victorin, a botanist and teacher, this is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world, with...

Food and Drink 1

Jean-Talon Market

Opened in 1933 in Little Italy, Jean-Talon is one of the largest public markets in North America and a favorite with Montreal cook...

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