Only about a five and a half hour drive from Toronto, you can visit the next province over and experience a different culture pretty close to home. For a one night stay in Montréal, Quebec, it would technically be a one and a half day stay since you do check out the next morning and will likely spend some time exploring or grabbing a bite to eat before heading back on the road. I like to take advantage of all the time I have so every hour counts! Although I have visited a few times when I was younger, I don’t have a clear memory of it. So I decided to revisit and capture more memories on this road trip, and explore like a new tourist once more. I’ve done this particular trip twice within the past 3 years and the time frame has worked out perfectly.
A lot of people may be tight on time, so if you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a quick stopover, one night and one and a half days is actually plenty of time to explore the most popular landmarks and stops in Montréal. Here is an itinerary that you can follow (in order so that you don’t have to waste time and double back from where you started – I’m all about efficiency) for your one night stay in Montréal.
Feel free to remove stops as you see fit and give or take a little more time on attractions that are more to your liking!
First Day In Montréal
1 – Visit St. Joseph’s Oratory On The Way In From Toronto
Time Spent: If you’re only taking photos from the outside, this could be take 10 – 15 minutes or so. If you want to explore the church, you might want about 45 minutes to an hour.
Parking: I will say though, that parking is hard to find – there is always a constant influx of visitors. Sometimes, they will not even let you in the front so you have to figure out another way to park. I was once directed to turn left instead of right into the church parking lot and park at a different building across the street. Just a note of advice, be prepared to make a quick decision since there are so many cars passing by.
Interesting Facts: St. Joseph’s Oratory is a Roman Catholic basilica and national shrine which started in 1904 and was completed in 1967. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and is also Canada’s largest church. It’s distinguishing dome can be seen from far away, and up close, it’s even more intriguing. There are 233 steps that lead up to the entrance of the church – and I saw a fashionable lady walk up these steps without breaking a sweat in Valentino heels! The inside is quite large and you can either take escalators or an elevator to reach different floors. Because it is so big, it feels more like a tourist attraction or museum with the amount of visitors rather than a holy place – even though I did see mass in session.
2 – Dare To Discover Mont Royal Cemetery
Time Spent: Not many people like visiting cemeteries, so this stop would be a skip or a quick visit. If you do plan to visit and walk through, 15 to 20 minutes is enough time to get the feel of the cemetery.
Parking: There is street parking outside the gates or if you want to drive through the cemetery and take a quick look around, you’ll probably be able to make this a faster stop.
Interesting Facts: Morbid but fun fact: cemeteries are where people used to hang out back in the day or even have picnics since there wasn’t any proper recreational spaces built for the public’s enjoyment. People found that it was a quiet place to take a stroll and treated it as a public park.
This cemetery was built in 1852 and you can find 459 war graves of soldiers from World War 1 and 2 buried here. Other famous entities buried here are John Redpath of the famous Redpath sugar company, John and Hartland Molson of the brewing company Molson Coors, Henry Birks of Birks Jewelry, and even Canada’s third prime minister, Sir John Abbott. The list goes on!
3 – See The View From Mont Royal (Or Hike It)
Time Spent: If you want to see the view quickly and take some photos, I would say about 10 minutes or so is enough time. If you want to hike, there’s a forest and trail nearby and it’s about 400 steps up to Mont Royal. It’ll take about an hour up and down.
Parking: There are different parking lots available depending on which entrance you take to get to the view. It might be a good idea to check Google Maps ahead of time to see which lookout you want to visit. The first time I went, we actually drove to the wrong spot and ended up entering the driveway to McGill’s Irving Ludmer Psychiatry Research and Training Building which had a great lookout to the city. It just looked like a historical building and there was literally no one there and had no gate. When I came back this year, I went the same way and that’s how I found out it wasn’t a lookout but private property – oops.
Interesting Facts: There’s a giant silver cross at the top of Mont Royal, which was installed in 1924. But the original cross was placed there in 1643 when the founder of the city fulfilled his vow to Virgin Mary for stopping a flood. If you have a lot of time on hand, you can actually hike from the Mont Royal Cemetery to the view at Mont Royal and explore Mont Royal Park while you’re at it. It’s all part of the Mont Royal Natural and Historical District.
In my most recent one night stay in Montréal, I actually stayed not too far from here. I definitely do recommend staying a little closer to the major hot spots that I have listed below if you don’t want to walk a lot.
4 – Enjoy The McGill University Grounds
Time Spent: Quick walk through as you tour the city on foot
Interesting Facts: McGill University was founded in 1821 and is one of the most popular universities in Canada as well as one of the leading universities in the world with students from all over studying here. McGill University has a lot of grounds to cover and has 70 buildings. One things I loved about walking through the McGill campus is that there are different monuments and statues to look at as well as the beautiful construction of the buildings.
The McLennan Library actually houses McGill’s oldest rare book – which is actually a clay tablet from 2275 BC. You can find this in the Rare Books and Special Collections area. Also, like with universities of beautiful architecture, you can also book weddings in a few locations on this campus.
5 – Pig Out At Time Out Market Montréal
Time Spent: 30 minutes or longer if you plan to stay and look around.
Interesting Facts: If you’re a food lover, this is the place to be. It’s a 40,000 square foot food hall featuring all types of food, and some of the best chefs in Montréal. There’s also a cooking school, retail shops, and even an area for entertainment and performances. The Time Out Market was started by a media company bringing the best foods of Montréal under one roof. Their saying goes, “If it’s good, it goes in the magazine; if it’s great, it goes in the market”. If you visit, you know you’ll be tasting some of the best food that this city has to offer.
6 – Explore Downtown (Centre-Ville de Montréal) On Foot
Time Spent: About 2 hours on foot. After you head through the McGill campus grounds, you basically enter the Downtown area. There’s lots to eat, drink, and shop through. During the evening, there is a lot of street entertainment which might make you pause and observe for a bit.
Interesting Facts: Like most big cities, downtown is where you can find most business districts. It is the same for Montréal. This is where you can find most of the city’s skyscrapers, which by law, actually can’t be taller than the cross on Mont Royal. There are a lot of public areas downtown, hence the amount of street entertainment you can find as you walk through the different streets. Montréal also has the highest number of restaurants in Canada per capita, and the second city in North America, right after New York City.
This is also a good spot for a one night stay in Montréal – it’s great for night life too.
7 – Stop By Chinatown For The Rich Culture
Time Spent: 15-30 minutes
Interesting Facts: Like it is in many countries, Chinatown is a rich cultural center and has many restaurants, businesses, and unique shops. It’s one of the oldest Asian communities as this is where the Chinese had congregated when they came to build the railroad in the 1800’s. There are 4 paifang (aka pailou – Chinese architectural arches/gateway) gates at each of the corner of this district. Montréal’s Chinatown actually holds the record for having more paifang gates in than other Chinatowns in Canada.
8 – Take In The Grandeur Of Notre-Dame Basilica
Time Spent: 10-15 minutes if you’re outside for photos. Another 15 minutes if you pay admission to visit the inside. Sometimes the line to get in is a very long wait, but seeing the inside is well worth it. Admission fees can be found here.
Interesting Facts: The Notre-Dame Basilica was completed in 1829 and is the first church in Canada built in the Gothic Revival style. My latest trip to Quebec this summer was a one night stay in Montréal, so I was actually able to visit the Notre-Dame in Montréal and Quebec City. Comparatively, the Notre-Dame in Montréal is much nicer than the one in Quebec City. The exterior of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal also gave me more European vibes than the one in Quebec City. Both interiors are beautiful, but Montréal’s Notre-Dame is more extravagant and grand. Celine Dion also got married at the Notre-Dame Basilica.
9 – Spend Some Time At Old Port Montréal
Time Spent: If you’re fast and would like to pass through and see everything quickly, 30-45 minutes. If you want to spend time for zip-lining, sampling food trucks, do a little shopping, visit the Montréal Science Center, and more, you could easily spend a couple hours here. Also, it depends on how many people are there. When I visited a couple years ago, it was nearly empty so there was no wait time for anything. In my most recent visit when Montréal had just opened up again and there were a lot of visitors in addition to those from other provinces, like everywhere else, it was crowds and lines galore.
Interesting Facts: Back in the 1600’s, Old Port Montréal was a trading post by the St. Lawrence River. It’s also one of the most popular fishing spots. The Montréal Clock Tower was built to commemorate the seamen who died in World War 1 and is a symbol of the port’s economic contribution to Montréal.
10 – Take A Walk Down Memory Lane In Old Montréal
Time Spent: 1.5 to 2 hours of exploring by foot to visit the quaint little shops and enjoy local food.
Interesting Facts: Probably the most popular tourist destination when visiting Montréal, Old Montréal was established in the 17th century by the first settlers of the city. You can really see the European roots of this area through the architecture and cobblestone roads. Personally, I think this is the nicest part of Montréal if you’re here for a one night stay. It feels like you’re transported to a European country and time has frozen. If you want to go really Canadian, visit Délices for Canadian Maple Syrup everything, local honey and jams, food tastings, and more.
Where To Stay For One Night In Montréal
I prefer staying in Downtown, Montréal or the Old Montréal area since everything is walkable and it’s not so friendly for drivers since it’s hard to find parking and it can get really busy. I usually get really good deals for stays here.
Second Day In Montréal
Your first day and one night stay in Montréal was an adventurous one and will lead you to seeing most of the major attractions when visiting Montréal. After a good night’s rest, the second day will be a lot easier as you’ll be driving to a few farther spots before heading back home.
1 – Experience The Biôdome
Time Spent: Up to 2 hours. If you want to get an early start on your day, you can arrive right at 9 am when it opens. Admission fees can be found here.
Interesting Facts: The Biodome was originally built in 1976 for the Olympics’ judo and cycling events. It is now an indoor zoo and aquarium that features 4 different ecosystems found in North America. It’s grand reopening after undergoing a 2 year transformation was in 2020 so there will be lots of new things to experience here. If you’re one for nature and have a love for animals, this is a must-visit spot.
2 – Revel In The Beauty Of The Montréal Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanique)
Time Spent: 2 to 3 hours. Admission fees can be found here.
Interesting Facts: Montréal Botanical Garden is one of the world’s most prestigious collections of plant life with the immense diversity and varieties that they have. The most popular gardens are the Japanese Garden with its peaceful and Zen atmosphere, the Chinese Garden replicated to look like one from the Ming Dynasty, and the First Nations Garden to proudly present Canada’s Indigenous Peoples’ medicinal plants and their artworks.
3 – Food For Thought At The Jean Talon Market
Time Spent: 20-30 minutes.
Interesting Facts: This open-air farmers market is open all year round and dates back to June 1933. You can find meat, fish, baked goods, bulk and imported foods here. In the early days, this market actually became the hub of where developers started building around.
A Few Tips For Your One Night Stay In Montréal
- Check opening and closing times! Especially during unstable travel times. You want to make sure you are going on days when certain attractions you want to visit are open. I also find that stores close a lot earlier in this city.
- For the first day, I highly recommend good walking shoes. Here are The Most Versatile Shoes For Traveling For Men And Women. You’ll be walking all over the city and you want to make sure you’re comfortable. Plus the cobblestone streets won’t be kind to high heels.
- If you’re not one for walking, book accommodations that are very short walking distance to your hotspots or order an Uber or Lyft if needed. For $50 CAD in ride credit, use my Lyft referral link.
- When in Montréal, you have to try poutine, Montréal smoked meat sandwiches, and their bagels!
- Traveling can be stressful since you want to make sure you planned your itinerary properly and packed for it. Here’s How To Take The Stress Out Of Traveling.