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Montreal
Largest city in Quebec, Canada

Montreal

Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America.

Plan a trip to Montreal→From Ottawa

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.

Get in

Getting to Montreal

YMQ IATA is used as the metropolitan area airport code for all airports and rail station.

  1. 01
    Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport
  2. 02
    Montreal Metropolitain Airport
  3. 03
    Montreal Central Station
See

Worth seeing

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.

  1. 01
    Grand Prix

    An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park.

Do

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…

  1. 01
    Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal
Eat

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.

How locals move

Getting around Montreal the local way

  • 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. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.