One day in Montreal

Day by day

1. Day 1: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame Basilica

   Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port and Pointe-à-Callière, then Montreal Botanical Garden in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Old Montreal

      Walk it early in the morning or after dinner, when the streets are quietest and the façades are lit. Allow Half a day.

   2. Late morning

      Notre-Dame Basilica

      Visit by day for the detail or book AURA in the evening; it is an active church, so services can affect visiting times. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Montreal-style bagel

      St-Viateur and Fairmount in Mile End, both baking around the clock and selling them hot by the dozen.

   4. Afternoon

      Old Port

      Rent a bike or quadricycle in summer, or skate the waterfront rink in winter. Allow 2–3 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Pointe-à-Callière

      Start with the multimedia show on the city's history, then go below ground to the excavations. Allow 2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Montreal Botanical Garden

      Combine it with the Insectarium and Biodôme on a Space for Life ticket, and book Gardens of Light evenings ahead.

Before you go

• Notre-Dame Basilica: Book AURA show tickets online, especially for summer and holiday evenings.

If it rains

• Swap in Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Downtown): Spend most of your time in the Quebec and Canadian art pavilion, and check the temporary exhibitions, which are often the highlight.
• Swap in Montreal Biodôme (Olympic Park): Start in the tropical forest to warm up in winter; it is a reliable rainy-day choice with children.
• Swap in Underground City (RÉSO) (Downtown): Follow the RÉSO signs between metro stations on a cold day; the food courts of the big shopping centres make an inexpensive lunch.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–13 hours of visiting over one day, 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.

Getting between stops: Metro. Four lines — Green, Orange, Yellow and Blue — run on rubber tyres; Berri-UQAM is the main interchange, and the Yellow line reaches Parc Jean-Drapeau.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Montreal
• 3 days in Montreal
• 4 days in Montreal
• 5 days in Montreal
• 7 days in Montreal

Questions travellers ask