Last Updated on January 21, 2026 by Home in the World
For my first ever trip to Canada, I headed straight to its bilingual heart: Montreal, in Quebec Province. A unique corner of the world that doesn’t feel quite French, nor quite North American. It really is a fusion of the two cultures, evident in its language, food and architecture
Read on to find out some of things I recommend in terms of what to see in Montreal, based on my travel experience.
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Montreal. You can also read more about the GPSmyCity concept in this blog post.
First impressions and general cityscapes
At first glance it seems like a pretty standard North American city, with glass high-rises and the typical outdoor fire-escape staircases that cling to the side of buildings – something I noticed was quite prevalent across the north-eastern part of the continent.
But delve a little deeper and the European, specifically French, influences become increasingly evident, not least in the language. I have a pretty decent level of French, and have little problem conversing with people from France, but I did struggle a lot with many of the Quebecois. The accent was often very difficult for me to grasp.
Fortunately almost everyone in this town is fluent in both French and English, so when things got really tough, you could always take the easy way out – though some knowledge of French is still useful for reading signs etc.
I have subsequently talked to some French people about this language issue and they have told me they too sometimes have difficulty with the Quebecois – so that made me feel a little better!
Old Montreal
Nowhere is this Frenchiness more apparent than Old Montreal, wedged between the Downtown area and the Old Port of Montreal.
Its main landmark is the 17th-century Notre-Dame Basilica. The Gothic Revival structure is more slender than its Parisian counterpart, but it still adds a definite Parisian feel – and is incidentally also where one of Canada’s most famous daughters, Celine Dion, got married in 1994.
Strolling further along the lush waterside promenade that flanks the St Lawrence River, Old Montreal adopts a bit of a Montmartre vibe in the area surrounding Rue St-Paul.
The cobblestone streets, restaurants, ornate street lamps, pop-up handicraft stalls and artists displaying their paintings, coupled with the distant sounds of accordions, really does feel like a little slice of France in North America. I was actually hoping this district would be larger but it seemed to only encompass a few blocks.
Mont Royal Hill and the Olympic stadium
Montreal hosted the summer Olympics in 1976, and its stadium is located in the district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, approx. a 15-minute drive north of the city centre. It was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert, and is distinguished by its iconic 165-m-high (540 ft) Montreal Tower that slants at an angle of 45°, making it one of the tallest inclined structures in the world.
Unfortunately, it is these days more of a white elephant, costing $32 million a year to run – but would be even more expensive to pull down. So it remains standing, and Mont Royal hill nearby (from which the city gets its name) provides a great view of it.
Perched atop Mont Royal’s Westmount Summit is St Joseph’s Oratory. Set amongst beautifully manicured gardens, it was built around 1904 by a monk named Brother André as a shrine to St Joseph. It is Canada’s largest church, and looked spectacular as it bathed in late afternoon sun for my photo just before the laden skies behind it opened.
Day trip to Quebec City
While Montreal itself certainly has a distinct French element to it, this becomes more pronounced in Quebec City, located an approximately 3-hour drive north.
Many tourists actually choose to be based there for several days, but I only visited for the day as part of a group day tour. We approached the city on a cruise along the St Lawrence River, which passed by Montmorency Falls. They are supposedly taller than Niagara (83 m / 272 ft), but I suspect that is the only statistic in which they outdo that mighty natural wonder.
The day we visited Quebec City, we were blessed with clear blue skies, and it looked like a picture postcard from our vantage point on the water.
Its townscape is dominated by the iconic Château Frontenac, now a Fairmont hotel, with its distinctive red-brick exterior and green copper roof. It is one of several château-style hotels to have been built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company in the late 19th and early 20th century, and is apparently the world’s most photographed hotel.
The people in this part of the world are fiercely proud of their French heritage, and there have been numerous pushes to become an independent country. Indeed some locals only speak French (or at least claim to; I suspect most still understand English), and many signs are only written in French.
The Old Quebec neighbourhood, which comprises the Upper Town and Lower Town, is all about cobbled streets and petite squares surrounded by low-rise stone buildings with sharply sloping roofs (the winter snowfall can be intense here) and brightly coloured framing and shutters, where lush greenery and flowers often tumble out of picturesque window boxes. There are crêperies, auberges and souvenir shops galore. It’s all very quaint and charming.
We had some lovely filled rolls at one little eatery called Casse-Cou, whose owner had actually lived in Australia for 8 years!
One of the last stops before leaving Quebec City was Place Royale – a small, cobbled square surrounded by 17th and 18th-century buildings, including the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church. It is one of the oldest stone churches in Canada, and stands on the site of the city’s first settlement.
Another cute attraction at Place Royale is the Fresque des Québécois mural, depicting the four seasons, elements of Old Quebec, and some of the province’s great historical figures.
The day trip to Quebec City was definitely worth it – though beware it is quite long and involves an early start. From memory I think it was at least a 12-hour day. Of course the other option, as mentioned earlier on, is to actually spend a few nights there.
Eclectic architecture
Back in Montreal, the last day or so was spent wandering around admiring its buildings, which almost always reflected a mix of old and new – of modern North American and traditional European styles that so typify the essence of this French-Canadian metropolis.
I enjoyed stumbling across quirky artistic gems like this bronze statue called ‘Les chuchoteuses’ or ‘The gossipers’ on Rue St-Paul…
…as well as this magnificent equestrian statue at the Montreal Boer War Memorial in Dorchester Square…
…and the brightly coloured glass façade of the Montreal Convention Centre (Palais des Congrès).
Not to mention admiring some of the intricate and varied brickwork on buildings like the one below, which features a different design on each level.
Final thoughts on what to see in Montreal
All in all, Montreal was a pleasant enough city. It is clean, functional and has a certain charm, particularly in terms of architecture.
The shopping was quite decent too, particularly in the downtown area around Rue Sainte-Catherine, where you will also find the city’s famous Underground City – a subterranean network of shops, restaurants and offices, which comes in pretty handy during the brutal winters when snow falls thick and fast and temperatures can plummet to -30°C (-22°F).
I did, however, somehow expect it to be a little more French, though. I loved the arty European vibe in the Vieux Montréal district – if only there had been more of it. Quebec City satisfied this urge a little though – and I definitely recommend doing that day trip.
Still, Montreal is a unique slice of Gallic Europe on the North American continent, and certainly makes a decent destination for a city break.
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Trip facts
When I visited: The first half of September 2010
Weather: I visited during the first half of September (which included the Labour Day weekend) and the weather was very pleasant (approx. 20-25°C / 68-77°F). It was that perfect little gap between the intense heat and humidity of the summer and the biting iciness of the winter, with very little rain. Quebec City was a bit colder, being further north, but overall I would definitely recommend visiting at that time of year.
Where I stayed: Embassy Suites by Hilton
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