Montreal travel guide
Canada
A French-speaking city on an island in the St Lawrence, with spiral staircases, bagel bakeries and a summer packed with festivals. Winters are long, and the city knows how to enjoy them.
Essentials
- Language
- French; English widely spoken, especially downtown
- Currency
- Canadian dollar (CAD)
- Plugs
- Type A and B, 120 V
- Emergency number
- 911
- Tipping
- Around 15-20% is usual at restaurants and bars, and sales taxes are added at the till rather than shown on the menu.
Rough daily budget
Approximate spend per person per day, in US dollars:
- Backpacker: $60-95, with a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport.
- Mid-range: $160-260, with a private room and restaurant meals.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Where to stay in Montreal
- Le Plateau-Mont-Royal: colourful row houses, outdoor staircases and busy terraces.
- Mile End: bagel bakeries, independent shops and a creative crowd.
- Old Montreal: cobbled streets, stone buildings and the Old Port on the river.
Getting around Montreal
The metro and buses take an OPUS card. In winter, much of downtown is linked by underground passages between metro stations and buildings.
Best time to visit Montreal
June to September for festivals and terraces, or late September to October for autumn colour.
Top things to do in Montreal
- See the carved and painted interior of Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal
- Graze the stalls at Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy, busiest on summer weekends
- Cycle the Lachine Canal path on a BIXI share bike, past old factories and lock gates
- Visit the Botanical Garden and the Biodome beside the Olympic Stadium
- Join the Sunday drum circle, the tam-tams, at the foot of Mount Royal in summer
What to eat in Montreal
- Poutine: chips topped with squeaky cheese curds and hot gravy
- Montreal bagel: smaller and denser than New York's, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood oven
- Smoked meat: spiced, brined beef brisket sliced thick on rye with yellow mustard
- Maple taffy: hot maple syrup poured on snow and rolled onto a stick, sold at sugar shacks in early spring
Day trips from Montreal
- Quebec City: a walled old town above the St Lawrence, roughly three hours by train or bus
- Mont-Tremblant: a lakeside ski and hiking village in the Laurentians, about 90 minutes to two hours by car
- Eastern Townships: rolling farmland, vineyards and small villages, around 90 minutes by car
Local etiquette
Start any conversation with "Bonjour"; many people will switch to English once they hear you need it, and the courtesy is noticed. Don't treat Quebec as just another part of English-speaking Canada.
Staying connected
Prepaid SIMs and eSIMs from Canadian carriers are easy to find, though mobile data costs more than in Europe, and free Wi-Fi is common in cafés and libraries.
Staying safe
Montreal has low crime for a city its size, but watch your bag in festival crowds and on the metro. In winter, take care on icy pavements and outdoor staircases, and heed signs warning of snow and ice falling from roofs.
A local tip
Walk up Mount Royal to the Kondiaronk lookout for the view back over downtown.
Visas:rules depend on your nationality and change often – check your own government's official travel advice before you go.
Meet people in Montreal on Waypacker
Waypacker is a free travel community: stay with ID-verified local hosts, join meetups and city groups, and ask people who live in Montreal for advice. We are new here, so if you live in Montreal, you could be one of the first hosts.
Questions about Montreal
- What currency is used in Montreal?
- Montreal uses the Canadian dollar (CAD).
- What is the emergency number in Montreal?
- In Montreal, call 911.
- When is the best time to visit Montreal?
- June to September for festivals and terraces, or late September to October for autumn colour.
- How much does a day in Montreal cost?
- Roughly $60-95 a day in US dollars on a backpacker budget (a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport), and $160-260 mid-range (a private room and restaurants). These are broad estimates, last reviewed October 2026.
- Is Waypacker free to use in Montreal?
- Yes. Joining is free and stays with hosts carry no nightly rate or booking fee.
- Are Waypacker hosts ID-verified?
- Every host's ID and selfie are checked by hand by a real person before they can host. Nothing is sent to an AI service.
- Can I meet locals in Montreal without staying with anyone?
- Yes. You can join meetups and city groups, or ask locals for tips, without booking a stay.
- Will anyone see my exact location?
- No. Hosts and meetups appear as a neighbourhood-sized area about a kilometre wide, and exact addresses are never stored.