Itinerary · Montreal · Canada
4 days in Montreal
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Montreal, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
4 days is enough to see Montreal's highlights at a comfortable pace. Day 1: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame Basilica. Day 2: Pointe-à-Callière and Bonsecours Market. Day 3: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Underground City (RÉSO). Base yourself in Old Montreal.
Key facts
- Days
- 4
- Sights covered
- 11
- Day trips
- 1
- Best base
- Old Montreal
- Book ahead
- Notre-Dame Basilica
Day by day
Day 1: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame Basilica
Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Basilica and Old Port, then Montreal Botanical Garden in the evening.
Morning
Old Montreal
Allow Half a day (free). Walk it early in the morning or after dinner, when the streets are quietest and the façades are lit.
Late morning
Notre-Dame Basilica
In the evening, the AURA light-and-music show transforms the interior.
Lunch
Lunch: Montreal-style bagel
St-Viateur and Fairmount in Mile End, both baking around the clock and selling them hot by the dozen.
Afternoon
Old Port
Allow 2–3 hours (free). Rent a bike or quadricycle in summer, or skate the waterfront rink in winter.
Evening
Montreal Botanical Garden
Combine it with the Insectarium and Biodôme on a Space for Life ticket, and book Gardens of Light evenings ahead.
Day 2: Pointe-à-Callière and Bonsecours Market
Pointe-à-Callière, Bonsecours Market and Mount Royal Park, then La Ronde in the evening.
Morning
Pointe-à-Callière
Built over the spot where Montreal was founded in 1642, this archaeology and history museum takes visitors underground through excavated foundations, the city's first Catholic cemetery and a restored 19th-century stone sewer collector.
Late morning
Bonsecours Market
Allow 1 hour (free). Visit the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel next door, the sailors' church, where model ships hang from the ceiling.
Lunch
Lunch: Smoked meat
Schwartz's on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, open since 1928, and other delicatessens downtown.
Afternoon
Mount Royal Park
The Kondiaronk Belvedere in front of the Chalet du Mont-Royal looks over downtown's towers to the St. Lawrence, and Beaver Lake is a spot for picnics in summer and skating in winter.
Evening
La Ronde
The park opens seasonally; buy tickets online and arrive at opening to ride the big coasters before queues build.
Day 3: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Underground City (RÉSO)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Underground City (RÉSO) and McCord Stewart Museum, then Boulevard Saint-Laurent in the evening.
Morning
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Allow 2–3 hours (mid-priced). Spend most of your time in the Quebec and Canadian art pavilion, and check the temporary exhibitions, which are often the highlight.
Late morning
Underground City (RÉSO)
It is less a sight than a winter survival system, with food courts and shops at its busiest junctions.
Lunch
Lunch: Poutine
La Banquise on Rue Rachel in the Plateau, open around the clock, and casse-croûtes (snack bars) across the city.
Afternoon
McCord Stewart Museum
Allow 1.5 hours (mid-priced). Combine it with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, a few blocks west along Sherbrooke Street.
Evening
Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Bars, clubs and live venues along 'the Main', especially between Sherbrooke Street and Avenue du Mont-Royal.
Day 4: Day trip to Quebec City
About 3–3.5 hours by train or car each way. Getting there: VIA Rail from Central Station, coach or car.
Morning
Travel to Quebec City
About 3–3.5 hours by train or car (VIA Rail from Central Station, coach or car); about 250 km.
Day
Quebec City
The walled old town of Quebec's capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has the Château Frontenac above the St. Lawrence, the cobbled Petit-Champlain quarter and Montmorency Falls on the outskirts. It is a long day trip; one or two nights let you see it properly.
Evening
Back in Montreal
Dinner: try Maple taffy.
Before you go
Reserve timed tickets for Notre-Dame Basilica before you travel; the rest of this plan needs no advance booking.
Where to stay for this itinerary
With 4 nights, Old Montreal keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Downtown ($$$) suits first-timers, shopping, families and culture. Compare every area.
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 24–31 hours of visiting over 4 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.7 hours in December to 15.7 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is 4 days enough in Montreal?
4 days is enough to see Montreal's highlights at a comfortable pace. How many days Montreal needs.
+What should I book before visiting Montreal?
Notre-Dame Basilica.