Montreal is one of the coolest cities in Canada with the mix of Canadian and European influences. You are sure to love wandering the cobble stone streets of old town and then take a short walk to the heart of downtown and walk among the sky scrapers. I wanted to share some of the coolest places to visit in Montreal with a mix of popular attractions and a few of my fave gems!
Related posts: The most Instagrammable places in Quebec City and tips for visiting the Bruce Peninsula National Park in Ontario!
Jean Talon Market
One of the largest markets in Montreal, found in the Little Italy neighborhood north of the city. They sell a wide variety of high quality and fresh produce as well as seasonal items. You can get some amazing cheese curds to make home made poutine!
Climbing the stairs to the lookout 
George Etienne Cartier 
Mont Royal Lookout
The best views over the city is this lookout point! The only way to get up here is so walk up a million stairs but it’s so worth it. It’s a lovely and peaceful view at sunrise and packed with tourists during the day. If you visit on a Sunday afternoon in the summer months head to the Monument to Sir George-Etienne Cartier where there is an amazing drum circle and such a fun time!
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal
One of the most beautiful cathedrals in Montreal and the largest in Canada. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and a Catholic shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph. It is a little out of the way from downtown so I suggest taking public transport or Uber. The hours are 6 am-9 am everyday and it is fee to enter and you can provide a donation when exiting if you wish.
Dragon Flowers
One of the most unique flower shops I have ever seen and the sweetest story. The owner’s shop burned down in 2016 and the locals in the area all pitched in so she could reopen her shop. The owner is from HK and she was was chatting with me the entire time I was taking photos.
Location: 159 Rue Bernard O, MontrΓ©al
Montreal Botanical Garden
Escape the hustle and bustle of busy downtown and explore the 75 hectares of garden space at the Montreal botanical gardens. Discover the themed gardens like the Japanese, Chinese and First Nations gardens plus enjoy the 10 greenhouses that are open year round. The cost is $12 for adults and half price for kids.
Square Saint-Louis
I love this pretty park surrounded by the most charming an colourful houses. This park is close to lots of coffee shops like Mamie Clafoutis. Grab a latte and pastry and sit on one of the many benches and enjoy the day.
Parc Jean Drapeau
This park is on St. Helen’s Island which is an island across from downtown. It can be accessed by car by the Jacques Carter Bridge or taking the subway to Jean-Drapeau Station. This park is home to the Biosphere Environmental Museum, Aquatique Center, Six Flags amusement park.
Old town
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
Definitely the most popular attraction in the city and for good reason! The Basilica dates back to 1824 and is found in the heart of old town. It has the most beautiful interior and stunning stained glass windows. The cost for entry is $5 for adults and $4 for kids and includes a 20 minute guided tour.
Habitat 67
This attraction might not be of interest to many but people who enjoy art and architecture will appreciate this revolutionary housing complex. It’s original purpose was to improve quality of life by rethinking living spaces. It was constructed by Moshe Safdie’s for Expo 67 held in Montreal, one of the largest world fairs and now his work is recognized around the world.
Location: 2600 Av Pierre-Dupuy, MontrΓ©al
Crew Collective Cafe
A super unique cafe and co working space in the heart of old town. The building was the original Royal Bank of Canada head quarters built in 1928. Anyone can go in and enjoy the huge stunning space, large cafe selection and they sell products from Quebec brands. Also, you can pay to become a member and have benefits of the working space like the meeting rooms.
Location: 360 St Jacques St, Montreal
I hope this guide will give you some insight to all the cool things to see in Montreal. The city is full of amazing gems and new places are popping up all the time! What are some of your favourite places in Montreal? Tell me in the comments!
Great post and amazing pictures! I live in Montreal and I’ve never heard of Dragon Flowers – will look out for it! Let me know if you ever come this way again!
Thanks so much Kim! Dragon Flowers is such a cute shop in Mile End and I will let you know!
Looks like there is some beautiful architecture there and an interesting mix of old and new. We are only about 3 hours from Montreal, so hoping to take a trip of there soon! Thanks for sharing!
Totally, so much old and new in the heart of downtown! Hope you can go back and visit for longer Melissa!
Montreal looks like a fairytale town in Europe! I’ve been to Canada many times, yet still haven’t made my way over to Montreal – will definitely have to add it to my itinerary next time.
It definitely does and Quebec city even more so! Definitely explore Montreal, such a mix of Canada and Europe. We also have super cheap bus tickets with Megabus from Toronto to Montreal!
Montreal looks absolutely beautiful! I have just moved to Vancouver and I will need to go and visit, it looks like it has a lot more old buildings than in Vancouver and plenty of cool stuff to see.
Thank you Pauline! I love Vancouver sooo much, good luck with the move! I also recently wrote a post on 15 places to eat in Vancouver https://passportofmemories.com/amazing-places-to-eat-and-drink-in-vancouver/
Montreal looks so pretty and reminds me of a European city! I have always wanted to visit and even more so now. Youβre photos captured it beautifully!
Yes so much European influence, especially in the old town! I hope you get to visit Vanessa, thank you!
I LOVE Montreal. I grew up in Toronto so we visited a lot. Habitat 67 is one of my faves!
Thank you Nina, it’s a great city! I live in Toronto and this was the first time i’ve been back in over 7 years ahaha
Wow! It looks amazing! The photo is just super! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Darina, happy you liked it!
Montreal is my favorite city in Canada. When I went it rained for 10 days straight though so I missed out on many of these wonderful places. Now I want to go back!!
It is such a cool city, love the mix of cultures! Definitely hope you can go back soon!
I visited in the winter but I can see that I definitely missed a few things to do in Montreal! Love the city and I can’t wait to visit again. Square Saint Louis is just the cutest, it looks so European.
Thank you so much, it’s definitely a cool city! Omg that square is my favourite!
I have never visited Canada, but have heard and read so many interesting things. And Montreal definitely sounds like a wonderful place to explore. Thanks for taking me on a virtual journey.
I hope you get to visit one day and so glad you enjoyed the post!