Hello everyone! Montreal is a fantastic city to visit. There is so much to do and see, and it feels like a little piece of Europe in Canada. In this post you will find my top recommendations and an itinerary for how to spend a fantastic weekend in Montreal, Canada.
From the Northeastern United States, you can easily drive to Montreal. For example, Montreal is about 6.5 hours from NYC, 5 hours from Boston, and less than 2 hours from Burlington, Vermont. If you prefer to fly, there are tons of flights from the USA and other countries worldwide.
Another great reason to visit Canada, if you’re from the USA, the UK or EU, specifically, is the great exchange rate! These currencies are all much stronger than Canada’s, making it a more budget friendly destination.
How to Spend an Amazing Weekend in Montreal
Sleep – Hotels + AirBnbs for a Weekend in Montreal
When I travel I love to stay in a mix of AirBnbs and hotels. There are tons and tons of beautiful AirBnbs all over Montreal, and they are great for families and groups of friends.
If you prefer to stay in hotels, there are also tons of fantastic options at a variety of price points!
Hotel recommendations for a weekend in Montreal:
- Hôtel Uville Montréal
- Hotel Monville
- Hôtel Birks Montréal
- Le Petit Hotel Montreal
- Auberge du Plateau (hostel recommendation)
Eats – Delicious Restaurants in Montreal
Breakfast, Brunch + Coffee
Maison Publique
For an amazing brunch head over to Maison Publique. The restaurant is cozy and rustic, and it is the perfect location to enjoy brunch with a group of friends.
Maison Publique has a ‘family-style’ menu that is written on a board in the main dining room. The restaurant has breakfast classics such as pancakes and breakfast sandwiches, but they also have more unique dishes such as fish croquettes and bone marrow.
Additionally, the restaurant offers lots of delicious vegetarian options, which I appreciated. We tried a little bit of everything (perks of having a large group), and all of it was delicious! I especially recommend the scones and the breakfast potatoes!
Menu board
Scones and coffee 
Breakfast Sandwich 
Pancakes
Restaurant Le Vieux Saint-Laurent
If you need a hangover breakfast after a night out then head on over to Restaurant Le Vieux Saint-Laurent. On a weekend morning this place will be packed, but guests move in and out quickly so the wait likely will not be too long.
This cute little diner is not by any means fancy, but they serve large portions of yummy food and have an extensive menu. Most all of the breakfast favorites also come with coffee, which is an added bonus.
Breakfast combo 
Huge crepe!
Other delicious breakfast recommendations:
- Frenco – a health food store that serves great coffee
- Tim Hortons – a must visit chain when in Canada (think Dunkin’ Donuts)
- Coco Frutti – this restaurant is a chain, but they serve great food!
- Eggspectation – another chain, but great breakfast!
- Olive et Gourmando – they’re famous for their Cuban sandwich
- Arthurs Nosh Bar – traditional Jewish deli
Lunch/Dinner
Lunch + dinner recommendations:
- Patati Patata Friterie de Luxe – gret for poutine
- Mae Sri – delicious Thai food
- Damas – a beautiful restaurant serving upscale Mediterranean food
- Nouilles de Lan Zhou – a casual spot for Chinese noodle bowls
- Arepera – very casual for arepas and empanadas
Dessert
La Diperie
If you’re in the mood for ice cream, I highly, highly recommend La Diperie. This ice-cream shop has locations all over Montreal and it is so good. At La Diperie all ice cream creations start with a vanilla, soft-serve ice cream which you can then dip in tons of different flavors and add toppings.
Add this ice-cream shop to your list, you’ll definitely be back more than once.
More sweet treats:
- Leche Desserts – great for delicious doughnuts
- Alati Castera – an Italian bakery that is famous for its cannolis
Drinks – Fun Bars and Clubs
Montreal has a super fun bar and club scene! There are tons of different options for any vibe you’re looking for. I chose not to take photos in these bars as the lighting was pretty bad, but I’ve linked all of their websites so you can check out the ~professional~ photos.
Club Pelicano
If you’re in the mood for a fun, more upscale bar, to enjoy a few drinks with friends then check out Club Pelicano.
This bar is super cool – the interior is decorated as if you’re inside a pool. The music was good, and although there were some people dancing, I would not consider it a dance bar. Definitely check this place out for the ambiance and delicious cocktails!
Boho
For a fun speakeasy check out Boho. This bar is decorated in an adorable tropical style with potted trees, blue plush couches and tall tables.
I loved the interior of the speakeasy, there is definitely room to dance but also room to sit and have a relaxing drink with friends.
Bar Philemon
If you’re in the mood for a low-key, rustic style bar then head over to Bar Philemon.
The lights are kept low, and although there is seating, this bar is the perfect place to dance. Late into the evening the bar is definitely a little more wild, and it was giving me college-bar vibes (just with a slightly older clientele). This was my favorite bar we visited, it felt very local and definitely a go-to spot.
Apartment 200
Apartment 200 is a very hip, low-key bar that is very popular with a young (18-25) crowd. We arrived at around midnight and there was a huge line, even in the pouring rain.
Inside, the bar has tons of couches, but it also has arcade games and a space to dance. I wouldn’t consider Apartment 200 to be a club, but it is a fun bar where you can definitely dance if you want to.
The bar has mixed reviews online, but if there’s no line then I for sure recommend checking this place out. It has cool vibes and is definitely a fun place to visit.
Haunted Pub Ghost Tour
If you want to enjoy a night out of drinking, while also learning about ghostly hauntings in Montreal – definitely check out this haunted pub ghost tour!
If you prefer your pub crawls to be ghost free, then check out The Sip of Montreal Brew Tour!
Adventures – Fun Things to do in Montreal
Rent Scooters and Tour the City
If you’re in Montreal when the weather is nice, then I highly recommend renting electric scooters from Dyad and touring the city.
The scooters are about $30 for three hours, and they are a fantastic way to get around the city. You can ride with one or two people on the scooter, and they don’t charge you extra for an added passenger!
We took the scooters to many of the major tourist attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Port, along the Lachine Canal and to Atwater Market. At first I was a little nervous to ride in traffic with the scooters, but it was super easy and a fast way to get around.
If you would feel more comfortable scootering around the city with an expert, you can also take a guided scooter sightseeing tour!
Dyad scooters 
Check Out Atwater Market
Atwater Market is an amazing indoor/outdoor food market – it’s basically a giant farmers market.
There are tons of fresh vegetables, fruits, breads, meat and cheese, and I really wanted to buy everything. The market also features small pop-up restaurants where shoppers can stop to enjoy lunch.
This market was filled with locals doing their grocery shopping, as well as tourists tasting the local food. If you’re staying in an Airbnb this is a great place to come to stock up on the groceries that you will need for your stay.
Atwater Market 
Maple Products 
Fresh Squash 
Fresh Flowers
Hike Mount Royal and Visit McGill University
McGill University is beautiful, and it is definitely worth the time to walk around and explore the campus.
Additionally, from McGill it is super easy to get to Mount Royal, a great hiking area that features amazing views of Montreal. At the top of the mountain there are also parks, ice-cream stands and tons of picnic areas. It is truly the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Hiking to the top of Mount Royal is not strenuous and it only takes about 25 minutes. We saw people of every age hiking and it seemed like everyone was having a great time.
Once at the top of Mount Royal and after taking in the views of the city, we ventured over to the park area to rest on the grass. If you are hiking Mount Royal then I definitely recommend taking a picnic to enjoy at the park.
Alternatively, if you do not want to hike up, you can also drive up Mount Royal. This is a great activity for anyone and if the weather is nice it will be super enjoyable!
McGill’s Campus 
Views from the top of Mount Royal
Explore Old Montreal
One of my favorite places in Montreal are the beautiful, cobblestone streets of Old Montreal. This part of the city dates back to the 17th century and it is a wonderful place to walk around.
In this part of the city you’ll see the lovely Old Port area located on the St. Lawrence River, in addition to major landmarks like Notre-Dame Basilica.
There are tons of shops, coffee shops and restaurants in the area, and it’s definitely a fun and picturesque place to explore.
Take Tours
One of my favorite parts of visiting new places is going on tours or other organized activities. I think that this is a such a fun way to meet other travels and learn more about a city.
Fun Tours in Montreal:
- Helicopter Tour Over Montreal – if you’re feeling brave, the views are amazing
- History Walking Tour of Old Montreal – great for history lovers
- Beyond the Basilica a Walking Tour in Montreal – a combination of history + street art
- Beyond the Market Food Tour in Montreal – I always try to go on a food tour in every new city I visit!
So there you have it! I hope you found my guide for a fun-filled weekend in Montreal to be helpful!
Montreal is a wonderful city to visit year round and it really does feel like visiting Europe without leaving North America.
If you have any questions, or anything to add to a weekend itinerary for Montreal, let me know in the comments!
Lastly, I appreciate you sharing this post with someone you know who would love a weekend trip to Montreal!
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♡Kate
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Montreal seems super cool, I can’t wait to check it out sometime! Love this guide and all of the pictures!
Miss Montreal soooo much!! lived here for a year and this brings back memories! 🙂
What a fun place! I would love to visit Atwater market and stock up on all that local, fresh produce. Oh, and all those maple products, of course 🙂
I have heard that Montreal is very European looking. I would love to check out the old town, the market, and the helicopter tour.
Oh, i love Montreal! There’s this awesome place for foie gras pasta that I love, a little place called Foiegwa. I wish to go back there again someday 🙂
My friend used to work at Leche doughnuts! I had a mixed time in Montreal, so I really want to go back and see if I can have a different experience. Will follow some of your tips next time!
Montreal has the best food and so glad you went to Atwater Market. YUM. Don’t forget Montreal bagels too. And if you go in the summer, the festivals are incredible! Scooters looked like a blast!
Yesss! Montreal bagels are so good. Sometimes when I was growing up, we’d drive over the border just to go grocery shopping and get bagels!
Sounds like such a fun city, we’ll add it to our list!
Love Montreal! We used to live just an hour south in Vermont. This is a fabulous itinerary for a lovely weekend.
Great guide! We will be visiting Montreal again this summer, so I will hopefully be able to add a few of these items to our itinerary (our first visit the weather was horrible so we missed out on a lot!).
oh my gosh the rental scooter program looks like such a fun way to get around! do you need any sort of special license for them??
The scooters are so fun! You actually don’t need any license at all for them as long as you’re legal driving age 🙂
I’ve never been to Montreal but would love to go someday! It’d be cool to get to check out the Atwater Market + I definitely want that ice cream! 😛
Such a great list of spots to visit and the food looks very delicious. Thanks for sharing 😊
Great guide! I’m hoping to visit later this year so this was so helpful!
Now I really want to go to Montreal! This looks like so much fun!
I haven’t made it to Canada yet but your post makes me think it is a place I would really enjoy. Seems like you would never get stuck for things to do over the weekend. I would definitely enjoy the historic walking tour of Old Montreal.