Montreal, Ranked: The Unmissable Experiences

Montreal wears Europe and North America at the same time and makes it look effortless. Mass is sung in French beneath Gothic Revival vaults; bagels emerge from wood-fired ovens at 2am. Here is what genuinely cannot be missed, ranked.

Key facts

• Language: French first, English widely spoken
• Best months: May–October; festival season peaks in July
• Getting around: Metro plus BIXI bike share; the city is flat except for the mountain
• Winter note: January is brutal but beautiful — the Underground City (RÉSO) keeps you warm

1. Climb Mount Royal for the classic lookout

The forested hill that gives the city its name is Montreal's front porch. Walk or take the staircases up through Mount Royal Park — landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame — to the Kondiaronk Belvedere in front of the chalet. The panorama of downtown, the St. Lawrence River, and, on clear days, distant hills is the definitive Montreal view. On Sunday afternoons in summer, the tam-tams drum circle takes over the mountain's eastern slopes.

2. Notre-Dame Basilica and Old Montreal

The basilica's deep-blue, gold-starred interior is one of the most theatrical church spaces in North America. Around it, Old Montreal's cobbled streets — Place Jacques-Cartier, the Old Port, the silver-domed Bonsecours Market building — reward slow, aimless walking, especially early morning before the crowds.

3. The bagel-versus-smoked-meat pilgrimage

Montreal's two culinary icons demand a double pilgrimage. In Mile End, St-Viateur and Fairmount have been hand-rolling and wood-firing sweet, dense bagels for generations — the eternal rivalry is half the fun. Then head to boulevard Saint-Laurent, where Schwartz's, the century-old Hebrew delicatessen, still slices smoked meat by hand. Order it medium-fat, with rye and a pickle.

4. Jean-Talon Market

In Little Italy, one of North America's largest open-air markets overflows with Quebec produce — strawberries in June, sweet corn in August, maple everything year-round. Graze the stalls, then walk the surrounding streets for espresso.

5. The Plateau's staircases and murals

The Plateau Mont-Royal is Montreal's most photogenic residential quarter: winding exterior staircases, ivy, and a constantly refreshed open-air gallery of murals (the legacy of the annual MURAL festival on Saint-Laurent). Rent a BIXI and drift.

6. Festival season

From late June, the city becomes one continuous stage: the Montreal International Jazz Festival — among the largest jazz festivals in the world — plus comedy's Just for Laughs and fireworks over the river. Many of the biggest outdoor shows are free in the Quartier des Spectacles.

7. The Botanical Garden and Olympic Park

Montreal's Botanical Garden ranks among the world's finest, its Chinese and Japanese gardens worth an afternoon alone. Next door, the leaning tower of the 1976 Olympic Stadium and the Biodôme's ecosystems make an easy family half-day.

8. Habitat 67 and the river's edge

Moderne-architecture lovers should walk or cycle out toward Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie's stacked-cube housing landmark from Expo 67, best seen from the Old Port or the parks along the St. Lawrence.

Tip: Do the mountain at golden hour and the bagels straight afterward — St-Viateur's ovens run around the clock, and a hot sesame bagel eaten on a Mile End curb at dusk is Montreal distilled to its essence.