Top tips from the Montréal Tourism Information Office

I never miss the fireworks of the International des Feux Loto-Québec. I like to mix up my viewpoint on the competition, though — sometimes I watch them from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, the Village au Pied-du-Courant, the Clock Tower Beach, from a terrace or even from my own balcony at home!

Maisonneue Park is an ideal escape from the city buzz, when you need to reconnect to nature. My favourite is the Jardin botanique and the quaint Repaire de Biquette, an educational space where sheep, chickens and bees coexist in harmony next to a vegetable garden and areas where you can go and chill.

I wouldn’t let a summer go by without enjoying an ice cream cone from Iconoglace, where every bite tastes like creativity. When I get a comfort food craving I head for Gino’s, for a fresh-pasta lasagna, or Wilensky’s for the special: a beef salami and mortadella sandwich they’ve been serving since 1932.

Art lovers will enjoy a stroll along St. Lawrence Boulevard, which is a pedestrians-only street during the MURAL Festival in early June and the BLVD Festival in late August. The high-colour programming displays Montréal under a different light, revealing its full creative splendour. Plus, it’s free!

If I had to reveal a hidden gem it would be Place Ville Marie — it’s packed with refined spaces, stunning views and secret nooks which I won’t share here. But I invite you to discover them!

I love shopping in Plateau Mont-Royal thrift stores like Le Ninety, Kapara Vintage and Eva B to find outfits for my favourite festival, Osheaga. I always make a pit-stop at the Loup Bleu café, a little-known neighbourhood find.

A great way to discover Montréal history is at the McCord Stewart Museum. In addition to their permanent exhibition, Indigenous Voices of Today, which spotlights First Nations heritage, the McCord Stewart has temporary exhibitions every year like the one on costume balls, all about festivities in the 19^th century, and Pounding the Pavement, a look at the city through a variety of different lenses.

Plateau Mont-Royal has got to be one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Montréal and I always recommend it to people visiting for the first time. I love its artsy, chilled-out atmosphere as well as the mix of things to do there. Parc La Fontaine is magnificent all year round, with its pond and giant trees.

I recommend Le Petit Navire: it’s a boat tour that offers a sublime view of the city. It’s one thing to see the St. Lawrence River, but to sail on it is a unique experience!

"What a fantastic tourist information bureau. With a friendly welcome, the staff member answered a few initial questions and then provided us with many sight seeing options including detailed map instructions for each of over a dozen ideas. Highly recommend that you spend a few minutes here even if you have been to Montreal once or twice before since new shows and events come up that you may not be aware of." Rob L.