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Things to do in Montreal
Vacation Ideas

Things to do in Montreal #1: Music fans should plan your Montreal vacation to coincide with the Montreal Jazz Festival. It’s held every summer for about a week at the end of June through the beginning of July. Billed as the World’s Biggest Jazz Festival, this is a big event for Montreal and it draws top jazz artists from around the globe. During the festival the downtown streets of Montreal are thronged with people enjoying the hundreds of free concerts and the performances in the various downtown jazz clubs.

Enjoy a Jazz dinner river cruise aboard the Bateau-Mouche which leaves from Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port of Montréal.

There are packages available from some of the best downtown hotels that combine your room with free and reduced price admission to jazz concerts as well as other perks.

The Hyatt Regency Montreal, Le Westin Montreal, Delta Hotel Montreal and Dauphin Montreal Downtown are a few that offer these packages.

Things to do in Montreal #2: Mount Royal Park is a green oasis of trees and tranquility in the city of Montreal. It’s more of a hill than a mountain but that doesn’t matter. It’s the highest spot in the city and a great place to go for a stroll in the trees, a hike or run, a picnic and a wonderful view of downtown Montreal and the St. Lawrence River.

The park is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. A favorite with many visitors is the "Tam Tam Jam" where bongos and dancing are the highlight. The bike trails are particularly popular. During the winter the park is just as popular. The hill sides make great sledding, tobogganing and tubing spots. The many miles of trails are taken over by cross country skiers and snowshoers. Beaver Lake pavilion provides a place for ice skating. Mount Royal Park is considered by most to be a must-visit place during your Montreal vacation.

Things to do in Montreal #3: One of the most interesting and unique places in Montreal is the “Underground City”. This is a huge indoor complex of businesses that are all connected together indoors. Some it is actually above ground, but the whole place is weather proof and the whole place is accessible using the 20 miles of tunnels that link everything together.

The tunnels aren’t the dark damp cramped affairs that may come to mind. These are wide, well lit passageways that often large enough to accommodate shops along the way.

Access to everything you could want is here in this indoor city. Hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, loads of shopping, museums, metro stations – it’s all here. The place is massive and can be a bit of a maze to negotiate. But you will be amazed at the incredible variety of shops and eateries that are available here.

Things to do in Montreal #4: The Lachine Canal, in Montreal is one of Canada’s National Historic Sites. The canal is part of the city park system and a wonderfully scenic place to relax. The banks of the canal are lined with multi-purpose trails great a walk or bike ride. Tugboats and freighters can be seen as they make their way up the waters of the canal.

Visitors can also make use of the water. You can rent a variety of boats such as pedal boats, sailboats, kayaks or motor powered boats. Guided boat tours are available where you can relax as you enjoy the city views and learn about the history of the canal and the city.

During the summer the Lachine Canal hosts events featuring themed cruises, picnics, boat festivals and outdoor music performances. Near the entrance to the canal is the Rene-Levesque Park featuring an arboretum, outdoor sculptures and bike paths.

Things to do in Montreal #5: A fun place to visit in Montreal is the Insectarium. Here you can see thousands of insects, some beautiful, some creepy, displayed as you would expect, mounted on pins. But there are also many insect that are alive that you can see in their natural habitat.

There’s an ant colony where you can watch live leafcutter ants and two beehives where you can see honeybees and bumblebees. Watch these fascinating insects as they go about their busy workday building there homes. Explore and learn about the world of insects through these live exhibitions, interactive tours, close-up photos and film clips.

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