Best Things To Do in Montreal Canada 2025

What's going on everybody? This is Island Hopper TV coming to you from Montreal in Quebec, Canada here. We're going to show you the top things to do from all across this city. There will be timestamps below so you can click around from destination to destination. Montreal is the second largest city in Canada and it has a population of 4.3 million people in the metro area. Now let's get started on showing you the best things to do. First up is here in Old Town, Montreal. This historic neighborhood dates all the way back to the early 1600s, making it Montreal's oldest neighborhood, just several blocks away from the waterfront of the St. Lawrence River. Here you'll find street shows and plenty of entertainment, also many different restaurants. You can walk down Rue Saint Paul, this cobblestone road, where the buildings still hold the charisma from the past of this old neighborhood. In Old Montreal, you'll find the Montreal City Hall, as well as Place des Armes, as well as the Bon Secours Market. Rue Saint Paul is a very popular place during the weekends and in the evenings, probably from 12 till around 10pm, come out here. Next up is Mount Royal Park at the top of Mount Royal. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and he is actually the same architect who designed the landscape for New York City's Central Park. It is 494 acres, offering a wide range of recreational activities and amenities, so you can come up here and do a picnic, hike, walk pass, lots of outdoor activities can be had up here. And in the winter, Beaver Lake turns into an ice skating rink. Next up is exploring the underground city of Montreal. Because it is so cold here, people go underground. The underground network extends over 32km or 20 miles in the downtown Montreal area, and it's the largest underground complex in the world. The development actually began in the 1960s, in response to the harsh winters of Montreal. The underground network connects to the public transportation grid, as well as offering post offices, grocery stores, medical facilities, pharmacies, you name it, they've got it down here in the underground. If you love the arts, do be sure to check out the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Originally founded in 1860, it's become one of the largest art museums in North America, with a collection of over 43,000 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and much more, along with several archaeological relics. Next up is St. Catherine Street, also known as Rue St. Catherine. This is one of the most famous and vibrant streets in Montreal, and it basically is a commercial artery that runs east to west through the heart of downtown. And the best part about it for me is that it's walking friendly. For those of you who love to shop, you'll definitely want to check this out because it offers a wide array of retail stores, boutiques, department stores, shopping malls. This is really the international fashion brand location you're looking for, for those of you who are into that kind of stuff. But it's also a very pedestrian-friendly area because of its entertainment and cultural venues that take place down here. One quick note, they say there's two seasons in Montreal. There's construction, and then there's winter. Here we are at La Chine Canal. This is a 14.5 kilometer, 9 mile trek right through Old Port of Montreal. And then at the end, you'll see Habitat 67, which is this cube-shaped apartment residential area. It's really cool to check out. While in Montreal, do be sure to go out for some nightlife. This is one of the best nightlives you will find in North America. Some of these nightclubs are world-renowned. If you go down to Crescent Street in the downtown area, you'll find lively bars and clubs. Also Plateau Mont-Royal and Mile N neighborhoods, so don't miss that. Next up, we're headed to the Montreal Botanical Garden, which was inaugurated in 1931. Nowadays, it's 190 acres of pristine, well-manicured North American flora and fauna. This place is spectacular, in my opinion. Walking around here will really knock your socks off. They have a Japanese garden and many other gardens for you to explore, including flowers and a rose garden. Here you'll also find a biodome that recreates four different, distinct ecosystems found in the Americas, which include the Tropical Rainforest, the Laurentian Forest, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Sub-Antarctic Islands from around Canada. They also have an insectarium for those of you who want to see a collection of live insects and preserved specimens. Tickets are around $20 CAD for adults and $15 for kids. The location of the Botanical Garden is right next to the old Olympic Park. Now here we are at the Jean Talon Market. This is actually a farmer's market. It's open-air, with many different vendors selling produce, meats, cheese, fish, and baked goods. Located here in Little Italy, it was established in 1933. If you're a food enthusiast, definitely come on down here. Here we are at the Old Port of Montreal, right along the St. Lawrence River. Nowadays, it's a popular tourist destination. They have the old cobblestone streets and historic buildings, mostly intact still. Lots of recreational activities and vibrant atmosphere. You'll find here some zip lining. You'll also find a big ferris wheel right down here, as well as a high ropes course. You can rent kayaks, paddle boats, paddle boards, all from right here. I actually caught a ferry going across the St. Lawrence River from this area, so definitely a place to bring the family, I would say. Also, if you plan to visit Canada, check out our travel guides from Toronto and Vancouver. We'll put links to those in the description below. Next up, here we are at Coitier des Spectacles. This is actually renowned for its concentration of theaters and concert halls, art galleries, and festivals that take place down here in downtown Montreal. It's considered a central hub. It does bump up right next to St. Catherine, so if you wanted to do both and walk this trek in the afternoon, I would highly recommend doing so. While in Montreal, you've got to indulge in the local cuisine. That's going to include bagels with salmon or other fresh meats. You also have poutine. Now, poutine is considered one of the national dishes here in Montreal, so do try some poutine. It's cheese curd with bacon and fries, but there's also a variety of different styles that you can apply to this dish, and then you're going to have a variety of different ethnic cuisines, everything from Lebanese to Chinese down in Chinatown, Vietnamese food. Such a foodie paradise, really, here in Montreal, so you're going to enjoy Montreal for the food. Fine dining is popular here, and then they have many different food markets and food festivals that you're going to have to check out the dates for. There's also a popular Montreal hot dog here called a Steamy. And here we are at Olympic Park. This area is still popular with locals and tourists because of the Montreal Tower and its unique design of the Olympic Stadium. People like to just walk around here and visit this important landmark in the city's landscape. Here we are out at St. Helens Island. If you can, get out. Here we are at St. Helens Island. This actually is a very beautiful island right here in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. You can get out here by car or you can just take the ferry boat across to St. Lawrence, which is also fun. Here you'll notice they had an expo in 1967 where they have the Biosphere, which is this big geodesic dome. Here we have Place Jacquez Cartier. This is actually a public square located in the heart of old Montreal, and it's actually one of the city's most iconic and historic squares where you'll find street performers, restaurants, shops. I come down here and get my breakfast. It actually dates back to the 18th century. This really was a vibrant square for the locals way back then, and certainly now it's a very pedestrian-friendly place. Just a couple quick facts about Montreal. It's actually a bilingual city because they speak both French and English commonly. Sometimes you'll even bump into people who don't even speak English here, but with that being said, there's over 120 different ethnic communities residing in the city. It's one of the most diverse cities in the world, and Montreal is known the world over for its festivals. So many different festivals here, it's known as the Festival City. If you get a chance, do a cruise along the St. Lawrence or simply take a ferry or a water taxi across to St. Lawrence. I noticed when I was going across, the currents are very strong, and I was impressed with how strong the engines were on the ferry as it was crossing because it goes against the current to get across the river. A trip on the water taxi costs around $3.50 Canadian. I also recommend getting over to the St. Joseph's Oratory, which is actually the tallest church in Canada and famous for its large dome. I also highly recommend getting onto the Via Rail, whether you go back towards Toronto or in this case, go to Quebec City. I do recommend going to Quebec City if you are in Montreal, and I suggest doing it by Via Rail. Now once you get to Quebec City, that's another thing to do is explore this beautiful city. It is actually the only fortified city north of Mexico and considered the birthplace of French Canada. Old Quebec was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Another area that I recommend exploring is Chinatown. This is a really good place for food diversity, especially if you like Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean. They have that down here in Chinatown, so do be sure to check this place out if you're looking for some quality Asian cuisine, mainly Chinese food. And quite possibly the best cathedral in all of Canada right here, the Notre Dame Cathedral. Do check this place out. They do a light show at night. It's open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4.30pm and from 12.30pm to 4pm on Sundays. And with that being said, that's going to conclude this episode of Island Hopper TV from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. If you enjoyed it, please hit the like button and consider watching our other videos including things to do in Toronto and Vancouver. See you guys on the next one.