Walk Montréal's car-free streets all summer 2026!

Make the scene in the Plateau-Mont-Royal

One of Montréal’s most recognizable quartiers, the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood closes some of its busiest streets to car traffic throughout the summer months. Endlessly photogenic, the Plateau is a hot-spot of québécois culture, music, theatre, fashion, arts and cuisine. 

Mont-Royal Avenue (western segment)

• Where: Between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Denis Street
• When: May 28 to October 12, 2026
• Why you should go: Stretching between two of Montréal’s biggest shopping thoroughfares, this chunk of Mont-Royal Avenue is home to tasty snack stops, bookshops, performing spaces and vintage stores. Pop-up patios and shops make summer feel endless here.

Mont-Royal Avenue (eastern segment)

• Where: Between De Lorimier Avenue and Saint-Denis Street
• When: May 28 to September 7, 2026
• Why you should go: Crossing the neighbourhood from east to west, this stretch of Mont-Royal Avenue is home to some of Montréal’s best record shops, florists, hip new restaurants and more. Each year, there’s also an open-air farm with fresh produce growing and eye-popping decorations painted onto the street itself.

Duluth Avenue East

• Where: Between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Hubert Street
• When: June 18 to October 12, 2026
• Why you should go: Another of the city’s favourite Plateau streets, the cobblestoned Duluth Avenue is home to microbreweries, cafés and artisanal boutiques. Its gentle slope makes it ideal for a leisurely bike ride, and gathering spots are often busy with impromptu musical performances.

Explore Verdun’s riverside charm

Montréal’s southwestern neighbourhood of Verdun is unlike anywhere else in the city. And having been founded in 1671 (existing as its own separate city until 2002), Verdun is also one of Canada’s oldest settlements with a character entirely its own.

Promenade Wellington 

• Where: Between Regina Street and 6e Avenue
• When: June 15 to September 14, 2026
• Why you should go: Ranked one of the coolest streets in the world, Promenade Wellington (lovingly called “la well” by locals) is a gathering spot for those-in-the-know that’s not to be missed. Chock-a-block with intriguing shops, cafés and shopping, Wellington guarantees a definitive summer in Montréal experience.

Experience local life in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

Better known as HoMa, this historically working-class neighbourhood is home to some of Montréal’s feistiest personalities, eating spots and shopping. Under the shadow of the space-age Olympic Stadium and its adjacent halls, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is as genuinely Montréalais as it gets.

Promenade Ontario 

• Where: Between Pie-IX Boulevard and Darling Street
• When: June to September, 2026
• Why you should go: When closed to car traffic, there’s an easy flow to the pedestrianized Promenade Ontario punctuated by antique shops, creative installations and some of the east end’s best cafés and patios. It’s a perfect break or dinner destination away from the hustle-bustle of Downtown.

Walk through stately Outremont

Some of Montréal’s most eye-popping houses are in the quiet Outremont quartier, and throughout the summer this neighbourhood is particularly beloved for its theatre scene, bakeries and welcoming park spaces.

Bernard Avenue

• Where: Between Bloomfield Avenue and Wiseman Avenue
• When: May 23 to September 20, 2026
• Why you should go: Throughout the summer, beautifully tree-lined Bernard Avenue’s  colourful restaurants and eclectic shops open onto the sidewalk. There’s plenty of places to sit and take a break—not to mention some top-tier people watching opportunities and some world-class ice cream.

Hey hey, Villeray!

Noted as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, Villeray is home base for Montréal creatives, artists and musicians. Only steps away from the magnificent Jarry Park and walking distance from the Jean-Talon Market and Little Italy, it’s a dreamy neighbourhood worth a visit.

Place De Castelnau

• Where: Between Saint-Denis Street and De Gaspé Avenue
• When: Temporarily closed in 2026 due to construction; however, the shops will remain open.
• Why you should go: The cozy Place de Castelnau makes for an excellent place to stop, relax and collect your thoughts after some shopping or eating at one of the many excellent restaurants and cafés nearby. And while this car-free zone may be small (albeit undergoing an expansion and glow-up), there’s a big programme of performances ranging from music to circus scheduled throughout the season.

Villeray Street

• Where: Between Lajeunesse Street and De Gaspé Avenue
• When: Temporarily pedestrianized in summer 2026.
• Why you should go: Quaint shops and eateries including Spanish fare, sushi and pizza line Villeray Street, the neighbourhood’s namesake thoroughfare. When closed to traffic, it’s a great spot to grab a seat, a drink and a snack and engage with the locals.

Summer fun in The Village

Adorned with pride flags for every orientation and interest, The Village is no doubt one of Montréal’s most welcoming neighbourhoods and a de rigeur summer destination.

Sainte-Catherine Street East

• Where: Between Saint-Hubert Street and Papineau Avenue
• When: May 15 to October 12, 2026
• Why you should go: The Saint-Catherine East Street pedestrianized zone has long been a true sign of summer in the city. With more than 50 inviting patios (many staying open late into the evening) to satiate our thirst and appetite, plenty of colourful characters to distract our attention, extravagant drag queens and more, there’s few finer summer days than those the Village has to offer. And better yet, plans are afoot to keep this zone permanently car-free!

Feel the excitement in Quartier latin

Populated with restaurants, bookstores, theatres, cafés and bars, Montréal’s Quartier latin has always been an epicentre of culture in the city. And each year, the local terrasses dot the street with plenty of outdoor seating, eye-popping decorations and more.

Saint-Denis Street

• Where: Between Sherbrooke Street East and Sainte-Catherine Street
• When: June to September, 2026
• Why you should go: This sloping section of Saint-Denis Street closes to traffic during the summer, allowing music fans at the street’s venues and revelers at the local bars to relax onto the sidewalks and streets. The street’s quick eats feature Vietnamese subs, Middle Eastern wraps and juicy burgers.

Join the crowds in the Quartier des Spectacles

The perfect spot to explore Montréal’s packed summer festival calendar, the Quartier des Spectacles is the vibrant heart of the city’s arts and performance scenes, regularly closed to traffic for special events and celebrations all year long.

Sainte-Catherine Street West

• Where: Between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and de Bleury Street
• When: All year round
• Why you should go: Amid Downtown’s busy thoroughfares, Sainte-Catherine Street West passes Esplanade Tranquille, Place des Arts and Place des Festivals, site of some of the year’s biggest festivals and free activities. The car-free zone is the perfect place to catch a show, grab a snack or just relax and watch the world go by.

Experience the new Old Montréal and Old Port

The iconic historical heart of the city, Old Montréal and Old Port of Montréal have long called to visitors from across the globe for its side-by-side antique charm and cutting-edge modernism. As part of a larger pedestrianizing project, much of the area will be entirely car-free by 2030, but for now there’s no finer way to experience the quartier than on a glorious summer day, free of traffic. 

Saint-Paul Street East

• Where: Between Marché-Bonsecours Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard
• When: April 15 to October 29, 2026
• Why you should go: Old Montréal is at its most postcard-pretty down Saint-Paul Street, which gently meanders through the district past cozy restaurants, in-the-know bars, eye-catching galleries and the beautiful domed Marché Bonsecours and it’s next door neighbour the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel made famous in Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’. The rooftop views from the chapel make for superb vistas.

Place Jacques-Cartier

• Where: Between Notre-Dame Street and De-La-Commune Street
• When: April 15 to October 29, 2026
• Why you should go: The picturesque Place Jacques-Cartier has long been an assembly point for Montréal’s citizens and tourists, with its old world architecture and views towards City Hall on one end and the Saint-Lawrence River on the other. While no longer a bustling fresh market, it remains one of the city’s most recognizable spots.

Place d’Youville and Place Royale

• Where: Place d’Youville and Place Royale
• When: June 3 to September 1, 2026
• Why you should go: These leafy squares in Old Montréal are tucked-away beauties worth seeking out for a break from the crowds and a recharge. Under a canopy of trees, Place d’Youville is a perfect spot for a walk arm-in-arm, while Place Royale’s Pointe-à-Callière archaeology and history complex not only boasts an immersive look at Montréal’s founding histories, but also hosts an 18^th Century Public Market every August.