Montreal 2026

I have heard that Montreal is incredible for many years but have only now managed to get over there. Wow! This is one of North America’s top cities in my view and I am so glad we took the whole family. We went in August which was great, the city is alive in the summer. I loved hearing all the French and the charming streets in Old town and all the flowers on the store fronts.

We stayed for 5 nights at Hotel Place d’Armes and I couldn’t have asked for anything more – just perfect. The room was spacious, there was a pool table in the lobby that my boys thoroughly enjoyed, there is a rooftop terrace for drinks/dinner and it is across the street from Notre Dame.

Montreal Sites

Bike ride on F1 track. – we booked here and selected a private tour. The guide was so great and curated an awesome path with really cool stops to and from the track. Montreal has an impressive bike path so it felt really safe for our 10 and 12 year old boys. https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/7118057
Cirque de Soleil is headquartered in Montreal. We went to the Echo show and the whole experience was super special. It is inside an outdoor tent and the level of talent is just surreal. Kids had their mouths open with amazement most of the show.
Montreal bagel making class. I did not realize that Montreal was known for bagels, very different than NY bagels. Since we love to do a cooking class on all of our international trips, this was the perfect thing to do for us. We booked one through Airbnb “The Bagel Class : Montreal Bagel Making Workshop”. It was a larger class, took about 25 minutes by car from old town so only go out there if you can make an afternoon out of it. We went to the Botanic Gardens and Olympic Stadium after.
Botanic Gardens were beautiful with the Chinese gardens being the highlight for me. We had the time so enjoyed exploring but I would not rush to do this if you only have 3 days.
The Ferris wheel downtown might be a classic touristy thing to do but we did so at dusk just after it had rained and you spin 3 times around so have plenty of time to enjoy the views.
Bota bota spa if no kids – we walked in there to check it out but couldn’t enjoy but everyone raves about it.
Aura show at Notre Dame – Just wow, a must in my opinion. It’s pretty short (less than 30 minutes) and so stunning with the lights and music.
Mount Royal – A hike or drive up to the mountain is the jewel of the city with stunning views and cute little parks and a lake inside. We did the walk up on a very hot and humid day so I would be lying if i didn’t tell you that I required a turbo boost from my children to help get me up there! There are paths where you go straight up stairs or more of a windy way. We took the windy way up and stairs down. The people taking the stairs up looked to me like they were questioning their life choices so you’ve been warned.

Montreal Eats

The cafe crema at Café Olímpico, it’s like this coffee custard that is to die for- worth the wait. They have multiple locations.
Banquise for Poutine. It was outside the Old Town area but we loved walking around the neighborhood and thought the Poutine was exceptional. That gravy is just divine. Many say this is the best poutine but I think this is a debate amongst natives just like the Chicago pizza debate.
We did the Jean Talon market and then stroll through Little Italy. The market was nice and we had great food there (buckwheat crepes were my favorite along with fresh berries). However, I wouldn’t say you have to go far out of your way for this market. I am unnaturally happy when I am around so much fresh produce so it was my jam. The walk through little Italy was awesome and we wished we had room in our bellies to enjoy but we were too full from the market. Little Italy also had a super cool classic car show so we were very glad we went there.
Dinner at Ha for Vietnamese was awesome. This is where Niko ventured and enjoyed the bone marrow. I thought everything was delicious.
Hayat came recommended to us by our Lebanese friend so we knew it was a must. We spoke to the Chef after and he uses a lot of recipes from his mom. Great location and absolutely delicious Lebanese and Syrian cuisine.
Drinks on terrace of Hotel Place de Arms. I would go here for drinks but skip the dinner, it was not a stand out in our opinion.
Milos – we didn’t make it here but have heard from many that it is incredible in the “Greek Town” area.
Mandy’s Salads – I first learned about the Canadian chain Mandy’s from my cousin in Toronto when she gifted me their cookbook. It has LENA written all over it and I love everything about it. 3 hours into my arrival in Montreal, I took the kids (while George was working at his Montreal office) with me to Mandy’s and all of us got something we loved. There are many locations so I highly recommend you pop in.
Pangea Celcius was a great lunch spot with a fun vibe, great music and a variety of foods with great patio and indoor as well in the heart of Old Town