Old Montréal & Notre-Dame Basilica
Cobblestones, the old port, and a breathtaking blue-lit basilica.
Montréal in pictures
Montréal
European charm, North American energy
Destinations › Canada › Montréal
Montréal blends cobbled old-world streets with a fearless food and festival scene. It is the easiest 'feels like abroad' weekend a GTA traveller can take without leaving the country.
From Toronto, VIA Rail runs downtown Union Station to downtown Montréal in about 5 hours — no car needed at either end. Flights from Pearson take roughly 1h15.
Downtown and Old Montréal are very walkable. The STM Métro is fast, clean and cheap; BIXI bikes appear in the warmer months; and the underground RÉSO network keeps you out of the winter cold.
Cobblestones, the old port, and a breathtaking blue-lit basilica.
The Olmsted-designed park with the city's best skyline lookout.
One of North America's great open-air markets — go hungry.
Murals, staircases, cafés and the city's most photogenic streets.
Summer is festival season (the Jazz Festival lands late June into July). Autumn brings colour and smaller crowds; winter is cold but genuinely festive.
Compare the ways to get there, then build a day-by-day plan.
From Toronto, VIA Rail runs downtown Union Station to downtown Montréal in about 5 hours — no car needed at either end. Flights from Pearson take roughly 1h15.
Downtown and Old Montréal are very walkable. The STM Métro is fast, clean and cheap; BIXI bikes appear in the warmer months; and the underground RÉSO network keeps you out of the winter cold.
Summer is festival season (the Jazz Festival lands late June into July). Autumn brings colour and smaller crowds; winter is cold but genuinely festive.