Montreal, Canada
Montreal travel guide
French North America, 90 minutes from New York
- Airports
- YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport
- Region
- Canada
- Best time to visit
- June to September is festival season and the terrasses are open — Jazz Fest in late June, Osheaga in August.
- Shortest flight
- 1h 20m from Toronto
- Round trips from
- $89 (live)
- Time zone
- America/Toronto
About Montreal
The city sits on an island in the St. Lawrence. Old Montreal, at the waterfront, is the oldest part — cobblestones, the Notre-Dame Basilica and 17th-century warehouses now full of hotels. North of it, downtown gives way to the Plateau and Mile End, low-rise neighbourhoods of spiral staircases, bagel bakeries and cafés, and above everything sits Mount Royal, the park that gives the city its name and its best view.
Getting in: Montréal-Trudeau is about 12 miles west of downtown. The 747 express bus runs around the clock to downtown for roughly C$11 and takes 45–70 minutes depending on traffic; taxis charge a fixed fare to the downtown core, about C$41. Rideshares operate. Americans need only a valid passport — no visa and no eTA.
French is the working language and the law requires it on signage, but downtown, Old Montreal and the Plateau are comfortably bilingual and nobody minds an English question opened with bonjour. Stay downtown for convenience, Old Montreal for atmosphere at a premium, or the Plateau for the version of the city people actually live in. Tip 15–20%; the posted price excludes two sales taxes totalling about 15%.
Best time to visit
June to September is festival season and the terrasses are open — Jazz Fest in late June, Osheaga in August. May and October are cheaper and still pleasant. Winter is genuinely cold but hotel rates fall sharply and the Underground City makes it livable.
Where to stay
Neighborhoods our travelers like: Old Montreal, Downtown / Ville-Marie, The Plateau, Mile End, Griffintown.
Flights to Montreal: typical round-trip fares
What economy round trips to YUL usually cost from major US cities, alongside the lowest live fare we can see in the next 90 days. Prices are per traveler and include taxes.
| From | Flight time | Typical fare | Lowest live fare | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (JFK) | 1h 35m | $218 | $89 · Wed, Oct 7 | Search dates → |
| Boston (BOS) | 1h 35m | $208 | $94 · Tue, Nov 10 | Search dates → |
| Chicago (ORD) | 2h 40m | $268 | $89 · Wed, Oct 14 | Search dates → |
| Orlando (MCO) | 3h 30m | $258 | $131 · Tue, Oct 13 | Search dates → |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 5h 50m | $378 | $172 · Tue, Oct 13 | Search dates → |
| Toronto (YYZ) | 1h 20m | $138 | $126 · Tue, Nov 17 | Search dates → |
Typical fares are editorial estimates for economy round trips booked 3–8 weeks out. Live fares refresh several times a day and are shown for the cheapest departure date we found.
Airports in Montreal
What to do in Montreal
The places our editors send first-time visitors.
- 1
Old Montreal and the Old Port
Cobbled streets, the Notre-Dame Basilica's blue-lit interior, and a waterfront that turns into a skating rink in winter.
- 2
Mount Royal
The park above the city, laid out by the designer of New York's Central Park. Walk up for the Kondiaronk lookout and the whole St. Lawrence valley.
- 3
Jean-Talon and Atwater markets
Year-round public markets — Quebec cheeses, maple everything, and produce from the surrounding farmland.
- 4
The Plateau and Mile End
Spiral staircases, murals, and the two rival wood-fired bagel bakeries that both run 24 hours.
- 5
The Underground City
20 miles of connected passages linking metro stations, malls and hotels — the reason a Montreal February is survivable.
Montreal weather by season
Average highs and lows in °F, with what each season means for fares and crowds.
Winter
25° / 10°
Cold and snowy; the cheapest hotel rates of the year.
Spring
54° / 38°
Late thaw; terrasses reopen in May.
Summer
79° / 62°
Warm, humid and full of festivals.
Fall
57° / 43°
Crisp, with strong fall colour on Mount Royal.
Travel tips for Montreal
- Take the 747 bus from the airport; it runs 24 hours and costs a fraction of a taxi.
- The metro is fast, cheap and clean — a single ride is about C$3.75 and day passes are good value.
- Restaurant prices exclude roughly 15% in combined taxes, then you tip on top. Budget accordingly.
- Opening with 'bonjour' rather than 'hello' changes the temperature of every interaction, even if the rest is in English.
- Book well ahead for Grand Prix weekend in June and for Jazz Fest — the whole city sells out.
Montreal flights: frequently asked questions
Do Americans need a visa or eTA to fly to Montreal?
No. US citizens need a valid passport for air travel to Canada; no visa and no Electronic Travel Authorization is required. A passport card works only for land and sea crossings, not flights.
Do I need to speak French in Montreal?
No. Montreal is functionally bilingual in the areas visitors spend time, and staff will switch to English readily. Greeting someone with 'bonjour' first is courteous and universally appreciated.
How do I get from Trudeau airport to downtown?
The 747 express bus runs 24 hours a day to downtown for about C$11 and takes 45–70 minutes. Taxis charge a fixed fare of roughly C$41 to the downtown core.
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