Montreal in 3 Days

June to September brings the terraces, the festivals and long evenings, and late September into October adds the colours on Mount Royal with smaller crowds. Winter is very cold and snowy, with around two metres of snow a season; it has its own charm, but plan more indoor time.

Montréal–Trudeau airport is west of the city. STM bus 747 runs between the airport and downtown and uses dedicated lanes to skip much of the traffic. A rail link on the new REM network is planned; check whether it has opened by the time you travel.

The four-line metro covers everything in this plan. Load an OPUS card or buy a multi-day pass and you will not think about fares again. For the canal afternoon, the BIXI bike-share has hundreds of stations and a day pass; helmets are not included.

Old Montreal puts you in the stone streets of day 1, and downtown hotels near Peel or McGill are the practical all-rounder with the most choice. The Plateau and Mile End have fewer hotels but the best neighbourhood feel, with cafés and bakeries at the door. All three are on or near the metro, and nothing in this plan is more than half an hour away.

Eat your way through the plan: a picnic from Atwater Market on day 1, breakfast at Jean-Talon Market on day 3, smoked meat at Schwartz’s and a warm sesame bagel from each of St-Viateur and Fairmount. Add poutine anywhere and you have covered the city’s greatest hits.

Almost everything in this plan is free. The exceptions to book ahead are the Notre-Dame Basilica (and its evening AURA show) on day 1, and, if you swap in the Olympic Park, fixed-time tickets and a Planetarium show. Check the official sites for current hours and prices.

With children, replace day 3 with the Olympic Park: the Biodome’s penguins, the Insectarium and a Planetarium show are the best family day in the city. On day 1, save the Old Port’s Science Centre and Ferris wheel for the end of the old town walk.

Montreal runs in French: street signs, metro announcements and menus. Opening with ‘Bonjour’ (or the local ‘Bonjour, hi’) and letting the other person switch to English is the courtesy locals notice. Tipping of 15 to 20 per cent is standard in restaurants and bars.