48 Hours in Montreal

Last Updated on December 7, 2023

If you’re looking for a 48-hour getaway with a different flavor, even in winter, consider a weekend in Montreal.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Updated for 2022 / 2023

By Jim Ferri

Given Montreal’s proximity to a good swath of the U.S – it’s only a six-hour drive from New York and a two-and-a-half-flight from as far away as Atlanta – it’s amazing how different the city’s architecture, cuisine, and culture is from its New England neighbors.

Nestled on the banks of the St. Lawrence, Montreal is a port city that for years has attracted numerous immigrants. Each has infused the city with the flavors of his/her former homeland. Nowhere is this more evident than in the multi-ethnic neighborhoods that still pepper Montreal today.

These immigrants have also made Montreal North America’s most European city. That alone makes it so attractive to travelers, especially for those within that 2 ½ hour flight range. Adding to its lure are the almost 100 festivals held every year. In every month, there are events of interest from theater, dance, and music to cinema and comedy. The city is also home to some 250 theater and dance companies.

If you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway, Montreal may be it. You’ll find there’s a lot you can do in only 48 hours.

Start Your Weekend in Montreal in Vieux-Montreal

As one might expect, the Old City is a most popular place for tourists. Ground zero for many is Notre-Dame Basilica on the Place d’Armes. With a highly decorated interior, it is one of the most beautiful churches in North America. If you’re a romantic or history buff, it’s also where Celine Dion was married. Be sure to see its majestic 100+-year-old organ (with nearly 7,000 pipes) and the Sacré-Cœur Chapel.

Also walk around the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Montreal, perhaps taking a carriage ride in warmer weather. Just let the atmosphere soak in. Then wander up Rue Notre-Dame to the Hôtel de Ville, Montreal’s City Hall. It was built in French Second Empire style. It’s also the place where Charles de Gaulle gave his controversial “Vive le Québec libre!” speech in 1967.

Early Architecture

Across the street, and in stark contrast to City Hall, is Château Ramezay. It’s a low-rise house with dormer windows typical of the building style of the early days of the city. Once the home of Montreal’s French Governors in the early 18th century, it now houses a small museum. You’ll find more of the same old-style architecture alongside it on historic Place Jacques-Cartier.

On Place Jacques-Cartier, right around the corner from Château Ramezay, you’ll see Nelson’s Column, which predates its London counterpart in Trafalgar Square. While its presence may seem ironic in a Francophile city, if nothing else, it symbolized the marriage of Montreal’s French and British heritages.

Spend Part of Your Montreal Weekend in the Quartier du Musée

Montreal has some terrific museums, several located in the Quartier du Musée. Most famous is the outstanding Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal) that boasts not only a collection that includes Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet but also superb works by Canadian artists. Admission to its permanent collection is free, although there is sometimes a charge for temporary exhibits.

Other Montreal museums include the Museum of Contemporary Art (Musée d’art Contemporain), the Montreal Science Centre, and the Museum of Archaeology and History.

Food and More Food for 48 Hours in Montreal

Montreal is one of the top food cities in North America, a foodies paradise that’s been described as a mix of Paris and Portland, with a unique Canadian flair. We had several delicious meals during our weekend in the city.

Best known of the city’s comfort-food offerings are smoked meat sandwiches (thick slabs of marinated brisket piled high on rye and slathered with mustard) and the Montreal bagel ­­– chewy dough boiled in honey-flavored water, baked in a wood oven and covered with poppy- or sesame-seeds – that tastes best, say purists, when pulled hot from a paper bag.

Whether you’re wandering about Vieux-Montreal, Little Italy, or among the skyscrapers downtown, you’ll find plenty of good restaurants and cafes. For the best experience dole out your dining in different areas of the city, perhaps taking in the historic atmosphere of the town during lunch in Vieux-Montreal and later enjoying dinner in an ethnic restaurant in one of the city’s ethnic neighborhoods.

Don’t Miss Marché Jean-Talon

If you’d like to see where much of that food comes from, as close as possible to the source, visit Marché Jean-Talon, the famous farmers market in Montreal’s Little Italy.

It’s one of the best farmers markets you’ll see anywhere and the largest outdoor public market in North America. In addition to myriad vegetables and other edibles, here you’ll find everything from sugar pies to every maple-flavored baked good imaginable as well as cheesemongers and fishmongers.

The best time to visit is during the summer and fall months when the food for sale is most abundant. But it is open year-round, even during Montreal’s notorious bitter winters.

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For a weekend getaway you may also enjoy: Things To Do in Miami – a Weekend Guide / A Winter Weekend Getaway to Vermont / A Fun, Delicious Weekend In Brussels

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A Unique Weekend Experience: The Underground City

If you visit Montreal from December to March, you’ll find that winter in the city is severe. But Montrealers have learned how to cope with the extreme temperature.

They’ve built themselves a subterranean city of passageways that connect many of the buildings at street level and the city’s sound Metro system. It’s a warm underground 33-mile mini-metropolis filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and most anything you’d find up above, all very clean and well lit. You can enter it through many of the Metro stations.

If you visit Montreal during the warmer months, head up to Parc Mont-Royal, the nearly 500-acre city park on the mountain that rises in the middle of the city. Initially landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s Central Park, it provides excellent views over the city.

If you’re traveling to Montreal, you’ll find Tourism Montreal to be a great source of information.