Canada · Quebec

Montreal

Andrew's hometown · a vibrant city · winter adventures all around

The trip

This one's personal — it's home.

Montreal is where I (Andrew) was born and raised, so this guide comes straight from the heart. Melody first visited in 2023 and fell for it too, and we come back regularly to see family. It's a beautiful, bilingual, endlessly vibrant city — genuinely one of the best places we know to live, to raise a family and to explore. What we love most is that Montreal has four truly distinct seasons, and every one is worth showing up for. Summers are one long run of festivals and terrace nights; autumn sets the whole region on fire with red-and-gold leaves, apple orchards and pumpkin patches; and winter turns it into a playground — we've gone tubing, skiing, dog sledding and skating, all within reach of the city. And of course, you've got to love hockey season. Here's how we'd spend time in our city, across the seasons, and just beyond it.

Area one

Montreal

A walkable, creative, festival-loving city where French and English mingle on every corner. Old-world charm down by the river, a buzzing modern downtown, green space everywhere, and food worth planning your whole trip around.

Melody at the giant J love MTL sign in Montreal's Old Port

By the river01

The Old Port & La Grande Roue

📍 Vieux-Port de Montréal

The Old Port is where we always start. It's a gorgeous stretch of waterfront along the St. Lawrence — cobblestones, patios, the big Grande Roue observation wheel (the tallest in Canada, with a view over the whole city), and the classic "J ❤ MTL" sign for the obligatory photo. Ride the wheel at golden hour, then hop on a river cruise to see the skyline and Habitat 67 from the water.

Best skyline viewsPhoto-op central

GetYourGuide We'd recommend

Montreal: La Grande Roue de Montréal Entry Ticket

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GetYourGuide We'd recommend

Montreal: 1-Hour St. Lawrence Sightseeing Cruise

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Melody on the Mount Royal lookout ledge with the Montreal skyline lit up at dusk

The lookout02

Mount Royal & the skyline

📍 Kondiaronk Belvedere, Mount Royal

The city is named after the little mountain at its heart, and the Mount Royal lookout (the Kondiaronk Belvedere by the old chalet) gives you the definitive Montreal view — the whole downtown skyline spread out below, especially magic at dusk when the lights come on. The park itself, designed by the same man behind New York's Central Park, is a huge green playground for hiking, picnics and winter skating.

The iconic city viewGo at dusk

Melody in a summer dress on Rue Sainte-Catherine in downtown Montreal

Melody at the Bonjour Montréal sign with the downtown skyline behind

Melody by the colourful rainbow glass of the Palais des congrès in Montreal

The heart of it03

Old Montreal, downtown & the food

📍 Vieux-Montréal & Rue Sainte-Catherine

Cobblestoned Old Montreal is all European stone facades, horse carriages and Notre-Dame Basilica, while downtown — Rue Sainte-Catherine, the "Bonjour Montréal" sign and the rainbow glass of the Palais des congrès — brings the modern energy. Wander both on foot. And do not leave without eating: this is a world food city, so come hungry for poutine, a wood-fired Montreal bagel and a mountain of smoked meat. A local food tour is the tastiest way to do it.

Old-world charmWorld-class food

GetYourGuide We'd recommend

Explore Old Montreal: Extra-Small-Group Walking Tour

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GetYourGuide We'd recommend

Montreal: No Diet Club Unique Local Food Tour

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The landmark04

Saint Joseph's Oratory

📍 Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Mount Royal

Perched on the slope of Mount Royal, the Oratoire Saint-Joseph is the largest church in Canada and its huge copper dome is a Montreal landmark you can spot from across the city. Climb the steps (or take the escalators) for sweeping views over the north side of town — it's peaceful, grand and worth the trip up the hill.

Iconic domeCity views

Melody with a drink in front of the giant orange Gibeau Orange Julep in Montreal

Only in MTL05

The Gibeau Orange Julep

📍 Gibeau Orange Julep, Décarie

Every city has its quirky icon, and ours is a three-storey orange. The Gibeau Orange Julep is a beloved retro drive-in shaped like a giant orange, serving its secret-recipe frothy orange drink since the 1940s. It's pure Montreal nostalgia — grab a julep, snap the photo, and soak up a slice of local history.

Retro roadside iconFun photo stop

Melody on a wooden boardwalk over a lily-covered pond at Île-Bizard nature park

Green escape06

Nature inside the city

📍 Parc-nature du Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard

One of the things we love most about Montreal is how much nature sits right inside it. The Île-Bizard nature park is a favourite — long wooden boardwalks stretch out over marshes and lily ponds full of turtles and birds, and it feels a world away from downtown despite being minutes from it. Bring a picnic and slow right down.

Boardwalks & marshesEasy nature

The giant Leonard Cohen mural towering over Crescent Street in downtown Montreal at night

Us dressed up under a leafy tree on a sunny summer day in Montreal's West Island

Summer nights07

Crescent Street & summer in the city

📍 Crescent Street & the West Island

Montreal in summer is unbeatable — festival season (jazz, comedy, fireworks), buzzing terraces and warm nights out. Downtown's Crescent Street, watched over by the towering Leonard Cohen mural, is the classic spot for nightlife, while the leafy West Island (where I grew up) shows the calmer, greener, family side of the city. It's a place that knows how to make the most of the warm months.

Festival citySummer terraces

The lit-up ice at the Bell Centre before a Montreal Canadiens hockey game

Hockey night08

Habs hockey at the Bell Centre

📍 Centre Bell, downtown Montreal

If you're here in season, catch the Montreal Canadiens — the most storied franchise in hockey — at the electric Bell Centre. Even if you're not a huge fan, the pre-game light show and 21,000 roaring locals are an experience in themselves. Hockey is basically a religion here, and there's nothing quite like a Habs night in Montreal.

Iconic atmosphereBook ahead in season

Area two

Autumn colours

If we had to pick a season, it might be this one. From late September through October the forests around Montreal explode into red, orange and gold — and the whole city leans into it with apple orchards, pumpkin patches and crisp blue-sky days. It's pure magic, and endlessly photogenic.

Us hugging under a brilliant red maple in a Montreal park in autumn

Melody twirling in a park under fiery red autumn maples in Montreal

Us kissing on a leaf-covered forest trail near Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue in autumn

Leaf-peeping09

The fall colours

📍 West Island parks & Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

You don't have to go far for the leaves — Montreal's own parks and the leafy West Island (where I grew up) turn absolutely spectacular. We love wandering the trails around Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and the West Island's riverside parks, kicking through fallen leaves under canopies of fiery maples. Bring a warm layer, a camera, and time it for golden hour — the light through red maples is unreal.

Peak foliage in OctoberMost photogenic season

Us biting into the same red apple at a Montreal orchard in autumn

Melody reaching up to pick apples with a red bag at a Montreal orchard

Us by a red barn and tractor at an apple orchard in Montreal's West Island

Fall tradition10

Apple picking

📍 Orchards around Montreal (Rougemont, Oka & the West Island)

Apple picking is a Quebec autumn tradition, and we do it every single year. Orchards ring the city — you grab a bag, wander the rows and pick (and taste) your way through a dozen varieties, usually with fresh cider, warm doughnuts and a big red barn in the mix. It's the coziest, most quintessentially fall day out you can have.

Cider & doughnutsClassic autumn day

Selfie of us in a pumpkin patch holding a pumpkin near Montreal in autumn

Melody sitting among rows of orange pumpkins in a field near Montreal

Melody holding up a large pumpkin in a pumpkin field near Montreal

October fun11

Pumpkin picking

📍 Pumpkin farms around Montreal

Right alongside the apples come the pumpkins. The farms around Montreal open their fields in October so you can wander a sea of orange and haul home the perfect one to carve. It's ridiculously fun for photos and a lovely, low-key way to spend a crisp autumn afternoon in the run-up to Halloween.

Sea of orangeGreat for photos

Area three

The Laurentians

One of the best things about Montreal is everything around it. Head an hour or two north into the Laurentian mountains and you hit a string of pretty towns that come alive in winter — snowy villages, ski hills and frozen lakes made for adventure. This is where we come to ski, tube, dog sled and skate all winter long.

Selfie of us in the colourful pedestrian village of Mont Tremblant in the snow

Melody by a giant decorated Christmas tree in the snowy Mont Tremblant village

Andrew in a red jacket beside a huge snow-caked evergreen at Mont Tremblant

The mountain12

Mont Tremblant

📍 Mont-Tremblant, ~1.5 hrs north of Montreal

Mont Tremblant is the Laurentians' star — a storybook pedestrian village of candy-coloured buildings tumbling down to the base of the biggest ski mountain in eastern Canada. In winter it's magic: ski or snowboard the slopes by day, then wander the snow-globe village past giant decorated trees and snow-caked evergreens for hot chocolate and that cosy alpine glow. It's an easy, gorgeous day trip or weekend from the city — and lovely in summer and fall too.

Skiing & snowboardingSnow-globe village

A team of husky sled dogs on a frozen lake near Saint-Sauveur

Selfie of us on a dog sled on a sunny frozen lake near Saint-Sauveur

Us holding snow tubes at the bottom of a tubing hill in Saint-Sauveur

Winter playground13

Winter fun in Saint-Sauveur

📍 Saint-Sauveur, Laurentians

The ski town of Saint-Sauveur is our go-to for winter play. We've gone dog sledding across a frozen lake behind an excited team of huskies, and spent whole afternoons snow tubing — flying down groomed lanes on an inner tube and riding the lift back up to do it all over again. Add skating and skiing nearby and you've got a full winter's worth of fun packed into one pretty little town.

Dog sledding & tubingFull winter playground

Area four

Parc Oméga

Another brilliant day out from the city — a safari-style wildlife park where you drive slowly through the forest and Canada's animals come right up to your window. It's a hit with families and honestly just as fun for grown-ups, and it's stunning when the autumn colours are out.

A majestic elk with large antlers by a pond among autumn colours at Parc Oméga

A large bison in the autumn forest at Parc Oméga

Wildlife drive14

A wildlife safari by car

📍 Parc Oméga, Montebello (~1 hr from Montreal)

Parc Oméga is a drive-through wildlife park where you wind through forests, meadows and lakes past bison, elk, wolves, bears and deer roaming free. The stars are the friendly deer, who'll walk right up to your car window looking for a snack (you can buy carrots at the gate) — it's hilarious and genuinely magical, and majestic elk wander the shorelines too. Go in autumn for the blazing colours or winter for the snowy scenery.

Animals at your windowGreat for families

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