Notre-Dame Basilica
Old Montreal · 60 min
In at opening before the groups, for the blue vaulted ceiling and the Sacred Heart chapel behind the altar. It is closed to visitors during mass and until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays.
C$16
Montreal · Canada · 3 days
3 days in Montreal
Three days by neighborhood: Old Montreal and the port, then the Plateau and Mile End for bagels, smoked meat and the sunset from Mount Royal, then the islands or the east and a walk along the Lachine Canal.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 3 days
- 20 stops
- 3 with a ticket
- from C$100 a day
When to go
June to September is the best stretch: terraces open, the festivals run and the river is warm enough to look at. Late September and early October bring the maples on Mount Royal. January and February sit around 14°F (-10°C) and the city moves underground; July can hit 86°F (30°C) with humidity, so plan the afternoons indoors.
Where to base yourself
The Plateau for the best mornings and evenings on foot. Old Montreal if you want the stone streets at night and do not mind the day crowds. Downtown around Peel or McGill puts you on both metro lines and inside the Underground City in winter.
Getting around
The metro covers the whole plan: Old Montreal is Place-d'Armes, Mile End is Laurier or Rosemont, the islands are Jean-Drapeau, the Botanical Garden is Pie-IX and the Atwater Market is Lionel-Groulx. A single ride is C$3.75 and a 3-day pass is C$21.75, loaded onto a C$6 OPUS card or a cheaper disposable Occasionnelle card from any station machine. Bank card tapping at the gates was promised for 2026 and is still rolling out, so buy the fare first. Walks between stops on each day are 10 to 20 minutes.
Day 1
Old Montreal and the port
- FromYour hotel in The Plateau and Mile End
- 1
- Next door
- 2
Place d'Armes and Rue Saint-Paul
Old Montreal · 60 min
The square faces the basilica, the Bank of Montreal and the Aldred building. Walk east along Saint-Paul, the oldest street in the city, with the galleries and the stone warehouses.
- 7 min · walk
- 3
Olive et Gourmando
Old Montreal · 60 min
On Saint-Paul: the Cubain sandwich or the daily soup, and a brioche to carry out. Lunchtime only, so eat early or expect a line.
- 15 min · walk
- 4
Bonsecours Market
Old Montreal · 45 min
The silver dome at the end of Saint-Paul, now Quebec craft shops under the arcades. Twenty minutes inside, then the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours next door with its sailors' ship lamps.
- 12 min · walk
- 5
Pointe-à-Callière
Old Montreal · 120 min
The archaeology museum built over the city's birthplace; the underground walk through the old sewer and the first cemetery is the reason to come. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at weekends, closed Mondays; tickets stop an hour before closing.
C$30
- 20 min · walk
- 6
The Old Port and the Clock Tower
Old Port · 75 min
Along the quays from the museum to the Clock Tower at the eastern end; the beach beside it is for lying on, not swimming. The Grande Roue runs if you want the view from above.
- 13 min · walk
- 7
Saint-Paul or Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Old Montreal · 120 min
Modavie on Saint-Paul for lamb and live jazz, no booking needed early in the week. Or ride two stops to Saint-Laurent for a bring-your-own-wine bistro around Prince-Arthur; buy the bottle at an SAQ before 6 p.m.
Day 2
The Plateau and Mile End
- FromYour hotel in The Plateau and Mile End
- 1
St-Viateur Bagel
Mile End · 45 min
Sesame, hot from the wood oven, eaten on the sidewalk; 263 Saint-Viateur Ouest, open 6 a.m. to midnight. Fairmount Bagel is three streets south if you want to settle the argument yourself.
- 3 min · walk
- 2
Mile End streets
Mile End · 60 min
Saint-Viateur, Fairmount and Bernard: the cafés, Drawn and Quarterly for books, the Hasidic bakeries on Hutchison. Coffee at Café Olimpico on Saint-Viateur.
- 21 min · walk
- 3
Little Italy
Little Italy · 45 min
Walk north up Saint-Laurent under the Little Italy arch: Caffè Italia for a standing espresso, Milano for the grocery shelves, the Madonna della Difesa church with its Mussolini fresco.
- 8 min · walk
- 4
Jean-Talon Market
Little Italy · 75 min
The city's big open market, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 5 p.m. on Sundays. Eat at the counters: a Quebec cheese and a baguette, oysters at the fish stall, a maple soft serve in summer.
- 4.2 km · transit or taxi
- 5
The murals of Saint-Laurent
Plateau · 90 min
Metro from Jean-Talon to Mont-Royal, then walk down Saint-Laurent between Mont-Royal and Sherbrooke; the MURAL festival paints new walls every June and leaves the old ones. Avenue Mont-Royal and Rue Saint-Denis for the shops.
- 9 min · walk
- 6
Schwartz's
Plateau · 45 min
Smoked meat medium, on rye with mustard, a pickle and a black cherry soda; share one if dinner is coming. Open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., later at weekends; mid-afternoon is the short line.
- 1.6 km · transit or taxi
- 7
Mount Royal and the Kondiaronk lookout
Mount Royal · 120 min
Walk west on Rachel into the park and up the Olmsted path, about 40 minutes, or take bus 11 to the chalet. The lookout over downtown and the river is the sunset spot; in June that means 8:30 p.m., so stay for it or come back after dinner.
- 2.1 km · transit or taxi
- 8
L'Express
Plateau · 120 min
The Saint-Denis bistro that has not changed in forty years: steak frites, bone marrow, a pitcher of the house wine. Book a day or two ahead or sit at the bar; the kitchen runs late.
Day 3
The islands or the east, then the canal
- FromYour hotel in The Plateau and Mile End
- 1
Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Biosphere
Parc Jean-Drapeau · 150 min
Take the yellow line to Jean-Drapeau for Buckminster Fuller's Expo 67 dome, now the Biosphere environment museum (open from 9 a.m., closed Mondays). Then walk or rent a bike around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and the free Floralies gardens.
C$25.50
- 5.1 km · transit or taxi
- 2
Atwater Market
Saint-Henri · 75 min
Metro to Lionel-Groulx, then five minutes to the art deco market hall on the canal: the Première Moisson bakery, a smoked meat or a lobster roll from the counters, cheese for later. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and until 5 p.m. at weekends.
- 3.1 km · transit or taxi
- 3
The Lachine Canal
Lachine Canal · 120 min
Walk or cycle the towpath east from the market toward Griffintown, past the old locks and the converted silos; a BIXI bike makes it a loop. The path is flat and shaded for most of it.
- 2.0 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Saint-Henri · 60 min
Back up from the canal into Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy: the antique shops, the record stores, a beer on a terrace. The Joe Beef restaurants are along here, which is why the street looks the way it does.
- 8 min · walk
- 5
Saint-Henri or Griffintown
Saint-Henri · 120 min
Le Vin Papillon on Notre-Dame Ouest takes no bookings: vegetables cooked like they matter and natural wine by the glass. Or Griffintown's Rue Notre-Dame and Rue Peel for the newer rooms; book those a week out.
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Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
The practical bits
From the airport
From Trudeau airport (YUL), the 747 bus runs around the clock every 10 to 20 minutes to Lionel-Groulx and downtown, about 45 to 70 minutes depending on traffic. The C$11.25 fare is a 24-hour pass for the whole zone A network: pay with exact coins on board, at the airport vending machines or in the Chrono app, not with a bank card at the door. A taxi to downtown is a flat rate of around C$50 and takes 25 to 40 minutes.
What a day costs
About C$100 to C$150 a day per person for meals, tickets and the metro. Market lunches are C$15, a bistro dinner C$40 to C$60 before the 15 percent tax and the tip, and a 3-day transit pass is C$21.75. The Aura light show at the basilica runs about 45 minutes most evenings, and the combined day and evening ticket starts at C$43.50; book ahead.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- Open with bonjour and switch to English once they do; everyone downtown speaks both and the first word is the one that counts.
- Prices show before tax; sales tax adds about 15 percent and the tip is 15 to 20 percent on top, chosen on the card machine.
- Wine and spirits come from the SAQ, which closes around 6 p.m. most days; grocery and corner stores sell beer and a small range of wine later.
- In winter the Underground City links the downtown metro stations, malls and food courts for 30 kilometers; plan the cold days around Peel, McGill and Place-des-Arts.
- Late June into early July is the Jazz Festival (June 25 to July 4 in 2027) and July brings Just for Laughs: free outdoor stages around Place-des-Arts and full hotels, so book early or come in September. Piknic Électronik takes over Parc Jean-Drapeau on summer Sundays from the afternoon.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Swap the Biosphere for the Botanical Garden on day 3Where do we get on the 747 at the airport and does it take cards?Is the Aura light show worth it on our first night?It is 5°F (-15°C) on day 2, what can we do underground instead?Add a Quebec City day by train after day 3
Questions
Is three days enough for Montreal?
Three days cover Old Montreal, the Plateau and Mile End, and one of the islands or the gardens at a walking pace. With a fourth you can take the train to Quebec City or head to Mont-Tremblant in the hills.
Which day works in the rain?
Day 1: the basilica, Pointe-à-Callière and the Bonsecours Market are indoors and a few minutes apart. On day 3 the Botanical Garden (green line to Pie-IX) is the swap for the islands, with its greenhouses and Chinese and Japanese gardens, best from September for the lanterns; the Olympic Tower beside it is closed for a rebuild until 2027. Ask Waystop for a rain plan and Chat builds a second version of day 3 that you switch to from the day's menu, leaving the main plan alone.
Do I need an OPUS card?
Yes for now. Buy the C$6 card or a disposable Occasionnelle at any station machine and load a 3-day pass. Bank card tapping at the gates was promised for 2026 and had not reached every reader when this was written, so do not count on it.
Is Montreal expensive?
Mid-range. Lunch from a market counter is C$15, a bistro dinner C$40 to C$60 before tax and tip, and the three museum tickets on this plan total about C$72. The sunset, the murals and the canal are free.
Before you go
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Your version
Now make it fit your trip.
Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.