How to spend one day in Montreal. Best things to do and things to see.

Welcome to Montreal, Quebec! Let’s explore the city in just 24 hours!

We start things off in the historic Old Montreal. We walked around and explored the old cobblestone streets, the main square (Place Jacques-Cartier) all while being surround by so many beautiful, historic buildings. We also headed down to the Old Port of Montreal which seems to be somewhat newly developed with a Ferris wheel, lots of water activities and vendors. We stopped at one food truck called Felix and Norton for a cookie (which came highly recommended).

Old Montreal

We are starting things off in old Montreal. One of the most beautiful and historic parts of the entire city. It is one of our favourites in Canada. It's got some serious European vibes. You can also see cobblestone streets, beautiful old buildings and people enjoying being outside. The city dates back to 1642, at that time, it was called Ville-Marie. But, in the 18th century, the name gradually changed to Montreal. The Jacques-Cartier square is amazing, it is a touristy spot where you can find mainly expensive restaurants and souvenir shops.

Old Port of Montreal

We came over to the port to see the enormous Ferris wheel which reminded us of the London eye. It costs 25 per person. There is a lot of activities to enjoy, such as paddle boats and pirate ship where you can do zip-lining and obstacle courses in bouncy castles. There are also food trucks and stations. We tried a special cookie from a place called “Félix and Norton”. It was crunchy on the edges and soft on the inside. It was delicious.

Notre-Dame Basilica

Our second stop was the most famous church in all of Canada “Notre Dame Basilica”. We visited in Covid time so it was unfortunately closed (however, we have toured it in the past and it’s beautiful inside). But in normal times, you go inside and check it out. It is beautiful. We also went to a place called Tommy, one of our favourite cafes in the city to get our caffeine fix. Here we ordered an Iced americano. It was refreshing and much needed.

St. James United Church

Later we headed downtown towards Rue Ste. Catherine where we came across St. James United Church. To our surprise, we found a beach in front of the church along with some lounge chairs and real sand. In Montreal, you can always find outdoor seating areas, especially compared to other cities. Moreover, some streets are completely shut down and are pedestrian-only, so you can hang out and just chill with your friends without worrying about vehicles.

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Booking.com

Climbing Mont-Royal

After that, we came over to Peel Steps to climb up Mont-Royal which is the hill/mountain in the middle of the city (and also where Montreal gets its name). There are lots of walkways you can take but they'd be a little longer. We decided to go the direct way with the 400 stairs. Thankfully there are benches along the way where you sit and take a breath. The place on the way up is so beautiful and full of green space. The climb was worth it. We could see the whole city from the top and the sun was perfect. Montreal looks amazing from this view and also quite large. After all, it is the second big city in Canada after Toronto.

St. Viateur Bagels

Lastly, we came to The Plateau Neighbourhood, one of our favourite neighbourhoods in Canada. We came to the street of Mont-Royal. It is filled with graffiti and great restaurants. It is a popular place for locals and young people. We decided to visit St. Viateur Bagels and try one of their bagels. Montreal is famous for it’s bagels. While here, we got a breakfast sandwich. The classic sesame bagel has egg, lettuce, tomato, bacon and mayonnaise. It smelled delicious and it tasted even better. If you come to the city you must try it.