Things to do in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is rapidly becoming one of the most popular cities in North America, specially as a summer destination. The nightlife in this city is one of the best ones around the world. Nevetheless, there is so much more to this city than its vibrant night life. When you arrive to Montreal, the first thing you will notice is that people are very good looking. They really take care of their appearance and this really shows. If you're single and looking for love you will certainly enjoy yourself in this city. However, Montreal is also a romantic getaway and perfect for couples. The city's french heritage gives it an european look that will make you feel like you're in Paris, without having to travel to France.
In a few words, Montreal could easily be one of the best places to live in the world. Except for one little issue... the winter. If you want to see the best of Montreal, you should visit this city in July and August. Avoid visiting Montreal from January to April. This place gets extremely cold in winter. Even colder than Moscow and most cities around the world.
However, if you do prefer to do it on your own; the following article will become your guide to the best things to do in Montreal. Remember that most of these activities are only available during the summer.
Parc Mont-Royal
This is a beautiful hill located in the heart of Montreal. The parc is big and perfect for a little walk or a picnic to enjoy the nature and feed the squirrels. Don't forget to checkout the view point which offers the best view of the city. This is also a great place for dates, families or to hangout with friends.
Tam Tams on Sundays
If you are in Montreal on a Sunday then you definitely need to check out the Tam Tams. Put on your comfortable clothes, grab some picnic supplies and go experience the Tam Tams drumming session in Parc Mont-Royal. This activity is free and welcomes all the tam tam players around the city who perform music all day. I would recommend you to bring some beers in cans. This activity starts around 1o am and finishes at 6 pm. This event is located between Avenue Du Parc and Avenue Duluth West.
Vieux port of Montreal (Old port)
Probably the most popular touristic attraction in montreal due to its beautiful french architecture is the Old Port. You will feel like you're in a mini europe with lots of coffee shops, restaurants, bars and nice places to sit or walk by the river. If you have seen the movie “life of Pai” you will recognize that it was filmed here. While walking in streets of the ''Vieux Port'', you can also go see the Notre-Dame Basilica which is the magnificent cathedral where Celine Dion got married. It costs around 5$ CAN to enter.
If it’s a hot day, there’s the clock tower beach near the vieux port. The only downside is that you can't swim but they have water sprays to keep you cool. Its perfect to tan and hangout and it only costs 2$ CAN.
Montreal Botanical Gardens
If you love gardens, flowers, trees and plants you should visit the Botanical garden of Montreal. The rose and Japanese gardens are stunning. Admission price for the Botanical garden is $19 plus $12 parking. For students with Card it costs 14$. If you want to avoid parking fees or traffic you can also go by metro. The metro station is Pie-IX located in the green line. There you'll see many signs pointing towards the botanical garden.
Biodome de Montreal
This is a very nice activity if you love to see animals in their habitat. The Biodome is home to many different types of animals and it feels wonderful to walk through different environments such as: rain forests, northen forests and jungles. It costs around 19$ per person or 14$ for student with card.
P.S: if you want to see the Botanical garden, Biodome and planetarium the same day, you can purchase a package for 48$. for students with ID the package costs 33$ . It takes around 6 hours to do all activities in 1 day so make sure you wake up early. For more info follow the link below:
http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/packages/space-life-package
St-Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal
This is the biggest cathedral in Montreal. It is also the symbol of this city because it can be seen from almost every corner of the island. It’s astonishing, majestic and huge. If you're in Montreal this is a must see and it will deliver a breath taking view of the city once you reach the top. The entrance to St-Joseph is free, you only have to pay 5$ for parking.
Village Pointe-Claire and Saint-Anne de Bellevue
These activities are very similar to the Old Port but are a lot less crowded, with more nature and easier to get around by car. In other words, these are hidden gems that are slowly regaining a lot of attention due to their beauty. These old towns are located next to the river and are about 20 minutes drive apart from each other. However, it is the drive along the river that makes visiting these two neighbourhoods of Montreal so beautiful. The street connecting these two villages is called Lakeshore and it will offer breath taking views of the river and many gorgeous parcs by the water where you can stop to have a picnic or set up a nice romantic walk with a date. Once you arrive to the villages you will notice that have many restaurants and little bars to have a few drinks.
To start your journey go anywhere on Chemin Bord du Lac, Dorval, QC and just keep driving west. It's a straight road. You can stop in any of the beautiful parcs you see along the way for a nice view of the river. Stop at the small and cozzy neighbourhood of village point claire Once you walked around it's small streets and had some coffe or food you may keep driving further seeing the beautiful neighbourhoods of the west island where many american movies have been filmed (x-men, Secret window, blue mountain state, etc). You will also pass College Jhon Abbot which is very famous around the world due to its architecture and beautiful location by the water. It looks like the harry potter school! The final stop is St-Anne De Bellevue where you can have a few beers or eat right next to the river. The highway is also located right next to St-Anne so you’ll be back to your hotel pretty fast. In my opinion, this is one of my favorite routes in Montreal. It takes around 2 hours or less for this activity. Make sure you do this activity during the day or morning.
La Ronde
If you are looking for some adrenaline, then la ronde amusement parc won't let you down. There’s lots of attractions and roller coasters. It cost around 50$ to enter the amusement parc. For more information click on the link below:
https://www.sixflags.com/larondeen
Mont Tremblant
Besides seeing the city of Montreal, you should also consider going camping to Mont Tremblant which is a beautiful national park. I have to admit that camping in the Canadian nature is an amazing experience. If you are lucky and the weather allows it, you’ll see the most stars you have ever seen in your life.
Where can you rent camping equipment in Montreal? We can rent you a tent,sleeping bags and much more for a very good price. The price depends on how many days you need it. It costs around 50$ and we will also help you to book your camping reservations. For more information just send us a message.
Its important to book a few weeks in advance since the best places always get booked pretty fast. To book a camping you can visit this web page:
http://www.sepaq.com/reservation/
If you have more time you can explore other little towns like st- agathe,st-adele and st-sauveur. They are very peaceful and very beautiful.
Oka beach
If it's really hot in Montreal, you can go for a nice swim in oka beach. The beach is located about 25 minutes from montreal. Now don't expect a white sand beach, remember that you are in Canada. Nevertheless the beach stills quite nice and people go there to have fun which creates a nice ambiance to have a good time. Plus you are allowed to drink in the beach (only cans) so it makes a perfect place to relax and have fun.
Beach Club
Another activity for the party animals is the notorious beach club. Their parties are very famous around the world and they attracts a lot of famous people. For more information click on the link below:
Balloon festival (Festival de montgolfiere)
This festival only happens at the beginning of august(8-16) in the town of st-jean sur richelieu which is 1 hour away from montreal. You'll see a lot of balloons flying in the air and concerts with some very famous artists. They have a little amusement park full of lights and is surrounded by green fields which makes you feel like if you were in set of the romantic movie “The note book”.
I would recommend to look at their webpage and choose the day which your favorite singer is performing. If there are not any singers in the list that you want to see then perhaps is not worth to travel there.
https://www.ballooncanada.com/
Osheaga
If you love to party, raves and modern music, then this is the place for you. This famous party attracts lots of people around the world. This famous rave only happens once a year around july 29-31. You have to buy your tickets in advance to save some money.
Night life
There are many clubs and bars in downtown Montreal. The most popular streets for bars are Crescent and St-Denis. You’ll find many cool bars there to have a few drinks and most of them have no entrance fee. If you are looking more for clubs to dance then you should check out st-laurent street. Make sure you go to the web page below to get a free guest list so you can save 10-20$ for entrance fee. You get free entrance to the club before 11 pm. Make sure you get the guest list before 4 pm. For more info click on the link below:
www.montrealguestlist.com
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