Montréal Travel Guide - 2021

Hello friends,

Today I'm sharing my travel guide for Montréal since I took such a long time putting my map and timetable together. I figured you might get some ideas for your future trip as well. I've divided it by neighbourhood.

    Before I continue, I absolutely recommend using the "save places" function on google maps to help visualize your journey. Here is how mine looked prior to our trip. This made it super easy to find boutiques recommended from magazines & blogs, and to know good places to eat so I wasn't winging it.

    Another tip - if you're travelling from one province to another don't forget to get supplementary health insurance (I went with Blue Cross). I'm from Ontario, so my OHIP would not cover all of my expenses if I got sick/accident in Montréal. I'm paranoid about surprise healthcare costs after my US medical training. Please always check before you leave on any travel. 

Downtown - St Catherine's

Meandering your way down this popular strip is quite enjoyable since a large part of St Catherine's is blocked off as a pedestrian walkway. The weather was fantastic this summer, and allowed for time to enjoy the multitude of street art installations. Off of this pulsing artery, are small streets that allow for quieter spots to eat and shop. I recommend starting around Jeanna Mance St and walking down. 

See

Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal - currently still closed, but has rave reviews and interesting exhibits. There's currently a free virtual exhibit on Leonard Cohen - enjoy!

The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts - place to see gorgeous international artworks, and also home grown Canadian artists

Shop

Les Cours Mont-Royale - small upscale mall on Metcalfe St with mostly designers. Many shops seems to have closed due to Covid but if you want some interesting finds I'd recommend taking a look. Aritmetk is great for European brands and fashion. 

Editorial Boutique - this place is really on trend, and has a young vibe to it. Enter at your own risk. I loved it, and enjoyed all the bright colours, short dresses and cropped everything. If you want to leave with something original that won't break your bank account then pop in here - I haven't heard of a lot of their brands and I love that. 

Boutique Tozzi - great selection of elegant pieces for men and women. 

*The upside to finding these spots is that they also have online shops that ship free within Canada after a certain amount. No customs. Woohooo!

Eat

Café Parvis - From the aesthetics to the fresh, veggie-filled dishes, everything is so mesmerizing.

Time Out Market Montréal - I loved this concept in Lisbon, so I had to see it in a Canadian city. It's much smaller than Lisbon's market, and quite a few restaurant's stalls were shut down 😔. Of the ones that were operating, we ate at Campo and it was delicious. I feel like this is a no brainer if you can't decide on what to eat - some of the most popular spots in the city are here in one space for you to try. 

Les Enfants Terribles - rave reviews, wonderful views. Menu is more Quebecois in nature. 

Vieux Montréal - Old Montreal

See

I absolutely love walking through all the streets of Old Montréal; to me that's a treat in and of itself. The most popular strip is St Paul St. 

Notre Dame is a tourist must. Nearby is Chapel of Our Lady of Sacred Hearts. Montréal is a city for those fans of classical and gothic revival architecture. An absolute feast for the eyes and a slice of Europe in Canada. If you're a fan of architecture, CBC has a great interactive guide which includes more modern/contemporary structures. 

Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History - multitude of exhibits and interactive guides.

Promenade du Vieux Port - just a few streets away towards the St Lawrence is a river-walk filled with entertainment and small shopping stalls. It's a lot of fun! If you want a big picture view of Montréal you can jump on the ferris wheel, too!

Shop

Bonsecours Market - Quebecois shopping, souvenirs and art in a beautiful neoclassical building. 

Le Magasin Général du Vieux Montréal - lives up to its name of shabby chic. Bought the most feminine bowl to eat my ramen and veggie dishes from here. Regret not picking up their hair pieces to experiment with. 

Ssense - looks like a modern art museum with designer pieces as decor. 

Pepin Shop & Maison Pepin - Local and exclusive brands with clothing and home decor. I wanted to see this dreamy space so badly, but the hours sucked. Check before you go, because they're closed 3 days a week and don't open before noon. 

U&I - Apparently this is a well known winter jacket shop for most of the year. However, it's summer now and chock full of Italian clothing that made my heart happy. I got one of my favourite dresses of the year here. It's fantastic in real life (website is meh), and their dog is an adorable companion while you browse. 

Eat

  

Le Club Chasse et Pêche - Quebecois chef Claude Pelletier's restaurant specializing in fish and game. Their website is perfect - from the typography to the imagery. Love.     

 

Tommy - For fun drinks and healthy, colourful dishes. I actually just saw they have one location now in Oakville (so if you're from the area, hop in). The aesthetic is fairy pretty. 

Garde Manger - seafood & fish masters

                   

Helena - Elegant Portuguese restaurant. Their bolos de bacalhau and caldo verde were on point, which is impressive given the amount of Portuguese food I've eaten my entire life. Worth trying if you haven't eaten Portuguese food before.

Little Portugal - of course I'd go here

Shop

La Petite Garçonne - minimalist women's clothing shop with great accessories and a jewelry store. 

Boutique 1861 - sister store of the above, and specializing in everyday dresses and evening/wedding wear. It's a princess store - very feminine and pink.

Eat

Schwartz's Deli - I had to see it after the Somebody Feed Phil episode, and it was BUSY! I recommend using the take-out window to speed things up. Wasn't my favourite, but I'm glad I ate it at least once (smoked meat sandwich).

Sophie Sucrée - vegan bakery with amazing reviews. Their breakfast options look absolutely delicious!

Mile End

Shop

Jeans Jeans Jeans - most famous denim spot in the city due to its massive selection and great SAs. Unfortunately, closed when I was in the city, but was ranked high on my list.

Ruse - designer consignment shop and they also sell online.

FYI: There are a ton of vintage shops in this area if that's your thing. Take a stroll down Ave Laurier 0 because it's also full of unique shops, and a great magazine store if you're looking for rare collections. I picked up my Lula and tmrw on my walk. Is anyone else gravitating back to hardcopy magazines? 

Eat

St-Viateur Bagel - iconic place for Montréal bagels. A total must!

Café Olympico - Best Italian coffee & sweets in the neighbourhood. Rave reviews.

Kem Coba - famous ice cream shop with delicious, creamy flavours. They always have 'tastes of the week'!

The Rest

In no particular order since they didn't fall within the neighbourhoods above. 

Retyche - highly recommended by one of my youtube faves Melissa Soldera. She has the BEST designer vintage collection, and a lot of her gems are from this place. They also have online shopping. If you're American, the dollar is working significantly in your favour! 

Take a gander to the actual Mont Royale for the day and enjoy the outdoors. While there you can see live music, or make your way to St Joseph's Oratory. 

Maude Abbott Medical Museum for the science nerds among us.

What else do you recommend seeing while in Montréal?

Hope you enjoyed the post. If there's anything to correct/update by the Montrealais reading this, please leave a comment down below. 

Cheers,

Chantelle