Montreal Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Montreal
How to choose the right base in Montreal — the romance of Old Montreal, the convenience of downtown and its indoor network, the value of Griffintown and the convention district, and the local life of the Plateau, with our hotel picks for each.
Montreal is not a big city to get around, but where you stay changes your trip more than you might expect. The old town by the river feels like a different world from the glass towers of downtown, and both are a short metro ride from the lively residential neighbourhoods where locals actually live. Winter adds another factor: in January, an indoor link to the metro is worth a great deal. Here is how to choose.
Old Montreal: for romance and history. If you picture Montreal as cobbled streets, stone facades and church bells, stay in Old Montreal. The district between Rue Saint-Antoine and the Old Port is full of boutique hotels in converted warehouses and merchants' houses, and staying here means stepping out each morning onto Place d'Armes or Place Jacques-Cartier, with Notre-Dame Basilica, Pointe-a-Calliere, the Old Port and La Grande Roue all within a few minutes' walk. Evenings are atmospheric and quieter than downtown once the day visitors leave. The drawbacks: prices are higher, streets are cobbled and sometimes steep, the summer crowds on the main squares can be noisy, and in winter you will walk outside to reach the metro. Our picks: Hotel William Gray, two eighteenth-century houses and a modern wing on Place Jacques-Cartier, with a rooftop terrace and a spa with a thermal circuit; and Hotel Place d'Armes, four nineteenth-century buildings beside the basilica, with a hammam spa, two restaurants and a seasonal rooftop terrace.
Downtown and the Golden Square Mile: for convenience and comfort. Downtown is the practical heart of the city: the main shopping streets of Sainte-Catherine and Sherbrooke, the Museum of Fine Arts, McGill University, the Bell Centre and the Quartier des Spectacles, with the paths up Mount Royal starting a few blocks north. It is the best base for a winter visit, as many hotels connect directly to the Underground City and the metro, and it suits families, shoppers and business travellers. The drawbacks: it is busier and less charming than the old town, and some blocks feel corporate after office hours. Our picks: Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, the landmark hotel above Central Station, with the Lennon-Ono Bed-In suite, an indoor pool and indoor access to the station; The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the grand dame of Sherbrooke Street since 1912, with Maison Boulud, afternoon tea and an indoor saltwater pool; and Le Germain Hotel Montreal, a calm, stylish Quebec boutique hotel on Rue Mansfield, close to the 747 airport bus.
The edge of Old Montreal and the convention district: for value and location. The blocks around the Palais des congres, Chinatown and the Place-d'Armes metro sit between downtown and the old town, and hotels here combine central location with lower prices. You can walk downhill to Notre-Dame in a few minutes and reach the Quartier des Spectacles just as quickly. Our pick: Hotel Monville, a modern design hotel with compact rooms, a 20th-floor rooftop terrace, robot room service and the metro one minute away.
Griffintown: for a young, local feel at a fair price. The former industrial district beside the Lachine Canal, south-west of downtown, has become one of the city's most dynamic neighbourhoods, with new apartments, restaurants, cafes and bars along Rue Notre-Dame Ouest and the canal path at your door. Old Montreal is about fifteen minutes on foot, downtown a short walk north. Our pick: Alt Hotel Montreal, the smart budget sister of Germain Hotels, with bright rooms, fast free Wi-Fi and a 24-hour gym.
The Plateau and Mile End: for neighbourhood life. If you want to live like a Montrealer, among bagel bakeries, cafes, bookshops and bring-your-own-wine restaurants, the Plateau and Mile End are the places. There are few hotels, so most visitors rent apartments; check local rules, as Quebec regulates short-term rentals and requires them to be registered. The orange metro line links the area quickly to downtown and Old Montreal.
Choosing by season. In summer, Old Montreal and the Plateau are at their best, with terraces and street life, and festival weeks fill downtown hotels fast; book early for the Jazz Festival in late June and early July and for the Grand Prix, which now falls in late May. In winter, downtown hotels with indoor links to the metro and the Underground City make life far easier, while Old Montreal offers quiet, snowy beauty for those happy to wrap up. Autumn and spring offer the best value and pleasant walking weather.
Choosing by traveller. Couples: William Gray or Place d'Armes in Old Montreal, or the Ritz-Carlton for a special occasion. Families: the Queen Elizabeth for its pool and indoor connections, or Monville for value and its robot. First-timers in winter: downtown, close to the metro. Budget travellers: Alt Griffintown or Monville. Food lovers: anywhere near the Plateau, or Griffintown for the restaurants of Rue Notre-Dame Ouest.
Practical notes. Hotel prices are quoted before taxes, and the provincial lodging tax plus sales taxes are added at checkout. Parking downtown and in Old Montreal is expensive, and many hotels charge a daily fee, so arrive by train or plane if you can. Check-in is generally mid-afternoon. Whatever you choose, check how far your hotel is from the nearest metro station: in Montreal, that is the measure of a good location. Finally, compare the total price including taxes and any resort or parking fees, rather than the headline rate, before you commit.