The Perfect 3-Day Weekend in Montreal: Mountain Cycling, River Surfing, and Feasting at Every Turn

Montreal might be the most culturally spirited town in North America right now. Just a few hundred miles from metropolitan “neighbors” like New York City and Toronto—but otherwise what feels like a continent apart—Canada’s island city on the St. Lawrence River is its own richly distinctive harbor for cuisine, art, music, adventure, and virtually nonstop citywide celebrations (it's home to nearly 100 annual festivals) that run the gamut. Visitors will find no shortage of things to do in Montreal at any time of year. In fact, it'll take several trips to get your full fix of this one-of-a-kind town, but here's a very solid start.

From skiing at nearby Bromont Montagne and surfing the St. Lawrence River’s rowdy Lachine rapids to catching Andre 3000’s melodies at the International Jazz Festival and bringing a bottle to one of the 300-plus BWOW eateries in a city famed for its culinary offerings, the world’s fourth-largest French-speaking town boasts an endless supply of unique activities for travelers.

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This is a city stirring with cultures. You’ll find some of the most addictive honey-baked bagels at St. Viateur Bagel, your latest favorite coffee beans at Eritrean-owned Laurel Café, Italian belted over ‘70s Cameroonian funk-jazz at La Fin du Vinyl, and loads of other discoveries. After multiple trips here, my greatest observation about Montreal is: It’s not a place you visit so much as fully inhabit, however long you stay. What follows is a 72-hour taste of Montreal that will lead you back for more.

How to Get to and Around Montreal

Direct flights into Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) arrive from numerous U.S. hubs, including Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. From the airport, it’s about a 20-minute ride into centreville (downtown) via taxi, and longer for a shuttle dropping you off at the Berri-UQAM metro station. Rail travelers from New York’s Penn Station will arrive in Montreal in 10 hours via Amtrak.

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Once in Montreal, you really don’t need a car. The city’s excellent train system, the STM (Société de transport de Montreal, aka the métro) offers unlimited transit passes for three days, a weekend, or a month. The green, orange, yellow, and blue lines will get you where you want to go around the city from 5:30 a.m. until about 1 a.m. For those late-night thrills, those two-toned cars driving around the city with the word Bonjour printed on the side are 24-hour cabs you can hail or call.

BIXI is a public bike sharing service with bike stations all over town. There’s practically a station on every block, and even some extended over the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the Montérégie city of Longueuil. On foot, Montreal ranks high among the world’s most walkable cities.

When to Visit Montreal

Montreal’s long, cold winters feature numerous outdoor skating rinks and urban cross-country skiing opportunities in the city’s vast green-turned-white spaces. Between truncated shoulder seasons, summer is when things really heat up here—buzzing with bikes, rollerblades, ubiquitous block parties, water sports, and festivals galore, ranging from Nuits d’Afrique for the African diaspora, Italfest (Italian culture), Pocha MTL (South Korean), the International First Peoples’ Festival, and one of the world’s biggest French-culture celebrations—Francos de Montreal. Hey, these are Celine Dion's stomping grounds, after all.

Where to Stay in Montreal

Dating back to 1871 in the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, the historic H?tel Gault and its 30 luxury suites will have you double-checking your plane ticket to make sure you didn't wind up in the 9th arrondissement. Loaded with quaintness and sleek decor, it's right around the corner from a writer’s paradise, Librarie Bertrand. The Warwick Le Crystal is an extravagant boutique hotel in the heart of downtown equipped with an indoor saltwater pool, sauna room, a rooftop hot tub, and spa. Suites are furnished with a glossy kitchenette and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer some of the city’s best panoramic views.

Where to Eat: Best Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner in Montreal

Located in an industrial bunker, Osmo X Marusan is a Japanese cafe that unfolds as a community space, work lounge, radio station, and a favorite site to indulge in some of the city’s best breakfast pastries. Gyokuro green tea is the perfect starter to a soft morning out on the cafe’s two terraces. Inside, there’s plenty of space and natural light to do some reading, listen to curated morning jams, or meet new folks on the camp-style bench tables.

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Colloquially known as Le Café, Cafe Central Portugais is a piece of Porto in Montreal—and the kind of place that doesn’t need a website, social media, or any sort of digital presence to draw you in day after day for the poisson du jour platter—preferably enjoyed with a shot of Portuguese brandy. Here you get what’s available, so coming in for a late lunch will require some flexibility. Not to worry, the chef will know just the right dish to place in front of you.

Dinner is a big occasion in Montreal, and Liverpool House gets that. From front to back, it’s a gourmand’s fantasy in an extended-family setting. Fresh oysters, lobster spaghetti, steak frites, fried gnocchi with smoked haddock—every plate is an exclamation to the beautiful things in life.

Best Bars in Montreal

Bar Henrietta is a classic Portuguese-style tavern in Montreal’s trendy Plateau neighborhood featuring tasty house cocktails, Quebec beers and ciders, an extensive wine list, and the perfect small plate dishes (think albacore tuna ceviche and roasted sweet and sour octopus) to enjoy them with. The vibe here is energetic yet casual—a neighborhood spot that immediately feels like home. Vin Papillon encapsulates Montreal with its borderless wine list from Galicia to the Shenandoah Valley. It’s the sort of place where independent conversations from separate groups blend into a night out with new friends.

Don’t Miss: Top Attraction in Montreal

Home to Montreal’s bike festival in May, F1 Grand Prix du Canada in June, and the World Triathlon Para Series, Parc Jean-Drapeau (celebrating 150 years) is a 20-minute train ride from the Station Berri-UQAM metro station. The Parc is split into two islands by the Saint Lawrence River. Here you can get your adrenaline pumping at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, marvel at the Biosphère eco-museum, or simply have a dip at Jean-Doré Beach.

Savvy Tips for Visitors to Montreal

Dépanneurs (commonly referred to as “dep”) are your best friends while on the move in Montreal. Equivalent to a New York City bodega or your local corner store, these mom-and-pop shops are lifesavers when you need some Canadian cash, international snacks, gum, or any other convenience store activity.

Things to Do in Montreal Over Three Days

Day 1: Explore Old Montreal, Gallery Hop, and Hear Some Jazz

Start at the Italian staple Café Olimpico. The coffee grounds here are churned into cups of Giorgio de Chirico-esque cappuccinos. Today you’re taking in the iconic art of Montreal. The architecture, streets, and galleries in Old Montreal (the part of downtown that has been preserved in its original state) are core experiences. From Café Olimpico, go around the block to one of the largest Inuit art galleries in North America, Galerie Le Chariot, where you can admire the nomadic reflections of the Indigenous Inuit population. Then head south to nearby Images Boréales, a gallery featuring contemporary Inuit art and immense expressions that still thrive today.

Continue through Old Montreal, marveling at the historic features of the Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal’s City Hall, and the Pointe-a-Callière national archaeological and historic site. Catch some of the polyvalent installations at Centre PHI, an avant-garde visual art museum dedicated to expressions of our collective senses. Grab lunch at Galerie MAM—go with a grilled cheese or two—while admiring local art on the walls and your charming setting right off the old port. On a breezy summer day, eating on a bench here by the harbor is a beautiful moment.

The best way to take advantage of Montreal’s gusty afternoons is by spending some time on the water in a sailboat. A 15-minute cab drive across the Jacques Cartier Bridge is Ohana Sailing Agency. Right off the Longueuil Marina, you get a refreshing view and historical account of the city from the St. Lawrence River while learning the difference between a jib and a genoa.

That evening, dine at Restaurant Graziella, which serves a sweet duck confit tortelli you’ll be thinking about for days. Take a post-dinner stroll to Philemon Bar for a big glass of cab, then cap the night at Diese Onze Jazz Bar for great tunes and another glass.

Day 2: Cycle Up a Mountain and Stay Fueled With Fine Comfort Food

Make your way into the Petite-Bourgogne neighborhood for a pancake breakfast at September Surf Café—a sunny surfer hub where you can fuel up for a big day ahead. Then it’s time for Montreal’s collective morning passage up the city’s namesake natural feature, Mont Royal. The 1.2-mile pilgrimage up the Westmount Loop offers a classic, clandestine view of the city. Crossing the northern slope of Mont Royal leads to Parc Tiohtià:ke Otsira'kéhne, for a meditative moment and the best vistas of the island city’s northern end.

For lunch, the Cutlet 2.0 Pressed Chicken sandwich at Bossa is a true replenisher—and proof that the art of sandwich making is a serious practice in Montreal. Or make it a poulet panko at Kahwa Café, a fine representation of the native smothered fries dish.

Rent a bike at Le Grand Cycle, and ride north along Rue Commune from the Old Port of Montreal before turning west on Rue Berri and rolling through the charming Plateau neighborhood. Continue south on Rue Rachel and across Jean-Mance Park before entering the Olmstead Road Multi-Use Trail for a 10-mile loop up and across Mont Royal. Once you make it up the hill on wheels, you can enjoy coming down the east side portion of Mont Royal that feeds out onto Avenue des Pins Ouest.

After logging 20 miles, treat yourself to an assortment of plates at Le Red Tiger for dinner. The sautéed garlic bok choy, shrimp and chicken fried rice, chicken wings, and Vietnamese mini crepes are dreams for any palate. Head to Barbossa for late-night music or favorite vinyl-spinning lounges Sans Soleil and Vin Disco.

Day 3: Market Hop, Surf the St. Lawrence, and Savor Seafood

Ideally, you opted for the three-day bike rental option. Either way, head south across Griffintown—once an old industrial part of Montreal that has been revitalized—and continue on Rue Commune along the Lachine Canal. Grab a coffee to go at Marché Italien Le Richmond and experience the culinary smorgasbord at Marché Atwater. One of the city’s best public markets, it's a sensorial scene for fresh, in-season, Quebecoise delights—from tomatoes and strawberries to a dizzying array of smoked cheeses.

Continue south onto the eastern bank of the Lachine Canal, cross the Montreal aqueduct, and stay south on the canal bike path until you hit Rue Crawford. Head eastward and then south along Boulevard LaSalle. Here you’ll find Montreal’s best surf point and top local outfitter KSF, which will introduce you to the rowdy southern rapids of the St. Lawrence River on surfboards and kayaks.

Celebrate your first Montreal surf session afterward with a pint at Bar Wills, a treasured Mile End neighborhood brewery and bar that often quadruples as an art exhibit, cider launch, and Argentinian barbecue spot.

Dine at top seafood restaurant Le Filet, home to the city’s most delicious buckwheat galette snow crab and jalapeno miso gratin oysters, before capping off your visit with a late show at the comedy club Le Bordel. If your feet are still up for it, groove to the DJs at Datcha or Le Systeme into the wee hours before resting for your next visit to the city of 100 festivals. And, yes, lots of poutine.