Compact, walkable, convenient and safe: that’s Montréal in a nutshell. It’s a city on a human scale with welcoming, easily accessed neighbourhoods that are a joy to stroll through. If you tire of walking, though, no problem — we’ve got a bike-sharing system, our ultra-modern public transportation system is a breeze to use, and taxis are available 24/7 throughout the city. Read on for all the details you need on getting around town.
Pedestrian friendly
Whether you’re walking through the Old Port, Chinatown, Little Italy or the Plateau, you’ll be in good company – Montrealers love to walk. In fact, WalkScore Index named Montréal one of the most accessible Canadian city for pedestrians.
You can choose your own path and follow your nose, since all neighbourhoods are connected and segue into each other in completely pedestrian-friendly ways. For a little more guidance, turn to one of the city’s many guided tours. You can uncover ghost stories, do a pub crawl, get a taste of the city at every stop… there’s a tour for everything.
When the weather isn’t inviting, you can still get your walk on in the Underground City, a pedestrian network spanning 33 km of walkways with 2,000 shops, restaurants and services. It connects to some 40 performance venues, theatres and cinemas, as well as hotels, attractions and the Montréal convention centre.
Ideal for cyclists
With its 900+ km of bike lanes (and counting!), Montréal is a great place to bike — ranked the best in North America, in fact, by the experts at People for Bikes. From the first signs of spring to the very last moments of fall, Montrealers ditch other modes of travel in favour of two-wheel transport.
Thanks to BIXI, you needn’t own a bike to enjoy cycling, either: this system allows you to rent a bike directly from any of the 800 stations, with use of the app. You’ll find 9,600 bikes (including 2,395 electric bikes) at your disposal, spread across 11 Montréal boroughs — you can return your bike at any of the stations. This service is ideal for short trips, within the city core (but not on Mount Royal), and helmets are recommended for all and obligatory for electric bikes.
Easy public transport
Montréal public transportation system is fast, convenient, wide-spanning throughout the city and a great sustainable option. The metro, linked to the Underground City through the downtown core, typically operates between 5:30 am and 1 am. The average cost for a one-way ticket is $3.50, which covers both the subway and bus. The public bus map is also extensive.
There is an express bus that services the airport (the 747 Express Bus), for which a one-way fare card — valid for 24 hours — costs $11. For more information on the public transportation system, visit www.stm.info/en.
And so many transportation services
Taxis are readily available outside the airport and hotels, and can be flagged on the street or found at taxi stands. A trip from the airport to downtown Montréal (or vice versa) will cost you a flat rate of $48.40 (between 5 am and 11 pm) or $55.65 (between 11 pm and 5 am).
At the airport, Uber users can choose to be picked up from either Door 20 on the arrivals level or Door 7 on the departures level. Uber and other such car-sharing services are available throughout the city — check with your provider before arrival.
Private transportation services are also widely available for event professionals in Montréal, whether it’s transportation solutions (Coach Canada, Autocar Excellence), concierge services (TraveL.I.C.E events agency, VDM Global DMC), turnkey event trip planning (Cantrav Services, Groupe Voyages Québec, JPdL Montréal) or more. Explore the services available, and, of course, we at Business Events Montréal are always here to help.
Welcome to Montréal!
Read this next: Transportation options to and from the Montréal airport
