Montréal
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America.
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it now takes its name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked mountain around which the early settlement was built. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal and a few, much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. It lies 196 kilometres (122 mi) east of the national capital, Ottawa, and 258 kilometres (160 mi) southwest of the provincial capital, Quebec City.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Montréal
9 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01McGill University
McGill University is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter, the university bears the name of James McGill, a Scottish merchant, whose bequest in 1813 established the University of McGill College.
1.9 km · English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 02Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on Mount Royal near the Outremont Summit, in the borough of Outremont.
4.7 km · university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 03Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Montreal, Canada, located at Olympic Park in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of the city. Built in the mid-1970s as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics, it is nicknamed "The Big O", a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof.
5.4 km · stadium built for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal · Wikipedia - 04Bell Centre
Bell Centre, formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, replacing Montreal Forum and it is the largest indoor arena in Canada.
1.9 km · indoor arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 05Concordia University
Concordia University is a public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 with the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the three universities in Quebec where English is the primary language of instruction.
2.3 km · university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 06Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is a French-language public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec system.
700 m · university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 07Notre-Dame Basilica
The Basilica of Our Lady of Montreal, also known as Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in the historic Old Montreal district of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. It is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, on the corner of Saint Sulpice Street.
500 m · Catholic basilica in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 08Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space.
2.3 km · art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia - 09Saputo Stadium
Saputo Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium at Olympic Park in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The stadium opened on May 21, 2008, and is the current home of CF Montréal.
6 km · soccer stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Many notable historical buildings and churches are located in Montreal, the vast majority of which are in old Montréal. Most of these date from the 17th to the 19th century, showcasing the variety of architectural styles seen in these periods. At night, several of the buildings are beautifully illuminated, seemingly glowing from within. A Tourist Welcome Office brochure from Bonjour Québec lays out a walking map.
- 01Grand Prix
An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park.
From Wikivoyage: Montréal, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
In Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau, you will find the Casino de Montréal and the La Ronde, a Six Flags family amusement park. During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths, including Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation (ski rental available), Parc du Mont-Royal (ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions, and Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique (no…
- 01Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal
From Wikivoyage: Montréal, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to haute cuisine. The city was ranked 2nd best dining city in North America after San Francisco and ahead of New York.
From Wikivoyage: Montréal, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Montréal
- Airports
- Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau (YUL), 15 km · Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW), 166 km · Quebec Jean Lesage (YQB), 219 km
- Ottawa → Montréal165 km · quickest by road, 3h 12m · C$25–33
- Quebec → Montréal233 km · quickest by road, 4h 22m · C$31–41
- Hamilton → Montréal14405 km · quickest by air, 29h 23m · NZ$3,140–4,860
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Montréal
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Montréal. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inTimed connections in Quebec City enable same day trips to and from Rimouski via Rivière-du-Loup.
- Get inTimed connections in Quebec City and Rimouski enable same day trips to and from Gaspé, Percé, and Pointe-à-la-Croix.
- Go nextQuebec City, about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip.
From Wikivoyage: Montreal, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Montréal – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Montréal
Montréal is 13 km from Laval, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Longueuilcity in Montérégie, Quebec, Canada9.1 km
- Brossardcity in Montérégie, Quebec, Canada9.4 km
- Westmountcity in Quebec, Canada4.7 km
- Hampsteadtown on the island of Montreal, Quebec6.8 km
- Côte Saint-Luccity in Quebec, Canada9.9 km
- Saint-Lambertcity in Montérégie, Quebec, Canada3.1 km