# Going to Montreal. What should I not miss while there? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [June 21, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078 "2026-06-21T18:59:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/1 "2026-06-21T18:59:51Z")
We (my Wife and I) will be heading to Montreal in early July for a short vacation. What should we see and do while there? I have never been to Canada and my wife went to Toronto some years ago but never Montreal. Any restaurants or museums we shouldn’t miss? Any and all suggestions and advice welcome. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/2 "2026-06-21T20:32:31Z")
A visit to Old Montreal is always a delight, and there are great restaurants there. I couldn’t name any as it’s been a long time since I was there. But this is Montreal – you couldn’t find a bad restaurant there if you tried! And drop in to Schwartz’s Deli for lunch or dinner – the place that invented Montreal Smoked Meat! And from what I recall – but again, it’s been years – their chopped liver is incredible! ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/3 "2026-06-21T20:33:26Z")
Montreal smoked meat. Bagels from St-Viateur and Fairmount. Walk Sainte Catherine Street in all its glory. I’ve spent happy days just wandering around as a tourist. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/4 "2026-06-21T20:48:01Z")
Most Montreal museums have a “free admission” evening once a week, or free the first Sunday of a month. Check their web sites. [Montreal Museum of Fine Arts | MMFA](https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/) is closed on Mondays. Two excellent museums concentrating on the history of Montreal are [McCord Stewart Museum - Montreal Social History Museum](https://www.musee-mccord-stewart.ca/en/) and [POINTE-À-CALLIÈRE](https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/) . If you’re into architecture, there is the excellent [Canadian Centre for Architecture](https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/) . Excellent dining everywhere in all price ranges. Check out the [Pedestrian-only streets in Montreal: here’s the list for 2026](https://guelph.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/these-montreal-streets-will-be-pedestrian-only-this-summer/) - there are always activities and street food. There are alternatives to Schwartz’s (food is good, but I consider it a “tourist trap”) smoked meat - try [#1 Montreal Smoked Meat Restaurant & Deli |Dunns famous](https://dunnsfamous.com/) , [Lesters Deli | Best Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich Spot](https://lestersdeli.com/) , or [Welcome to Snowdon Deli, a Montreal institution Since 1946](https://www.snowdondeli.com/) . Let’s not forget [Savour the Best Hardwood Charcoal Roasted Chicken in Montreal](https://www.chaletbbq.com/en/eng.html) at Chalet BBQ. All locations are downtown or a short Metro ride away. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/5 "2026-06-22T18:57:01Z")
This is all very helpful. Thanks everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/6 "2026-06-22T20:05:44Z")
Thank you for the great list. My son will be attending Schulich @ McGill starting this fall so we’re expecting to make a lot of trips there over the next four years. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/7 "2026-06-23T18:09:49Z")
If you like acrobats, jugglers, and the like [The Montreal Circus Festival](https://montrealcompletementcirque.com/en) will have both free outdoor and paid indoor events throughout the city. We were there a few years ago and enjoyed it. And if that’s not enough Cirque Du Soleil’s [Echo](https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/canada/montreal/shows) is going on then as well. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/8 "2026-06-24T22:52:23Z")
About Schwartz’s, unless you like standing in line, I would try to go between 2 and 5. Try to stick to the Metro as so many streets are dug up, traffic is horrendous. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/9 "2026-06-27T12:11:38Z")
Old Montreal is a tourist zoo with overpriced, middling food. There is plenty better for less everywhere else and the metro is super convenient. But if you’ve never been there, it’s worth checking out. Past thread (there are many others): > [@What else to do in Montreal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-else-to-do-in-montreal/1018221): > > We already have a dozen or more threads that I’ve mined for past visits, and I feel like I’ve hit most of the common suggestions people make. So I’m soliciting any hidden gems that might not make the typical lists for weekend visit. I will not have a car but will have ready metro access; I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of surfacing at a random metro station and exploring a neighborhood. I like tasting food and drink. Here’s what I remember visiting before (incomplete because I kept poor record… The Michelin guide has a handful of “Bib Gourmand” restaurants. The ones I’ve visited were all good. ---
**Author:** ![MinkMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minkman/32/19170_2.png) [@MinkMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinkMan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/10 "2026-06-29T17:21:33Z")
At [Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History](https://museesmontreal.org/en/museums/pointe-a-calliere-montreal-archaeology-and-history-complex) there is a permanent exhibit dedicated to the [first sewer](https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/detail/memory-collector/) in North America that features a walk through section that’s worth a visit if you like the eclectic. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/11 "2026-07-09T10:39:06Z")
Just returned from our trip and had an amazing time. I wanted to thank everyone again for their suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-montreal-what-should-i-not-miss-while-there/1031078/12 "2026-07-11T17:26:47Z")
I, also, returned recently. I didn’t have a lot of free time, but i had Montreal smoked meat at both Schwartz’s and Dunn’s, and ate a lot of Kettleman’s bagels. (It was close to the hotel, and one of the best options to grab a quick meal.) I saw the Canada Day fireworks (from a distance, because our bus was diverted and the show started as we were walking towards it), took a bus, a couple of subways, and an Uber, and walked around in the not-too-sweltering heat. The meat was similar at Schwartz’s and Dunn’s, and we didn’t need to wait in line at Dunn’s. Also, their rye bread was excellent.