When is the best time to go to Montréal?

19.09.2023 - 20:55 / lonelyplanet.com

A vibrant mashup of styles, Montréal has both Parisian-style bakeries and cutting-edge arts events. You could spend weeks exploring the city’s many layers, with 18th-century architecture, canal-side trails and hilltop overlooks all woven into the urban landscape.

Most people think only of summer when planning a trip to Montréal, but there’s really no bad time to visit (as long as you pack knitwear in winter). The city has an abundance of activities and festivals all year round, and visiting outside of the busy summer season will help you beat the crowds and enjoy substantial savings on accommodation.

Plan the perfect time for your visit with this guide to seasons and events in Montréal.

The summer brings an undeniable current of joie de vivre to the streets of Montréal with a packed lineup of outdoor concerts and other big events.

Going strong for more than 40 years, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal draws music lovers from around the globe to see some 600-plus concerts — over half of which are free. Also kicking off in June, the Mural Festival sees top graffiti artists transform blank walls around town into brilliant works of art. Dance parties add to the fun.

Montréal’s great diversity is celebrated at gatherings like the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, representing over 30 countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. There’s also the Korean street food fest of Pocha MTL, the outdoor EDM celebration of Ile Soniq and the rock-loving Osheaga — staging some of the world’s top performers.

Music and revelry aside, the summer is the best time to be out and about, and you can spend your day hopping between outdoor cafes or watching the sunset at rooftop bars like the Terrasse Place d’Armes and Terrasse William Gray.

For a more active experience in Montréal, head to the Old Port for zip lining, taking the kids on a challenging ropes course or heading off on a jet boating adventure on the St Lawrence. The Old Port is also a great starting point for a spin along the Canal de Lachine. You can hire a bike at Ça Roule and pedal out to the Atwater market, the perfect spot for a picnic, and keep going all the way out to Parc René Lévesque (a lovely 15km/9.3-mile ride) if so inclined.

There’s more kid-themed fun at La Ronde, an amusement park on the Île Sainte-Hélène opposite Old Montréal. On various nights over the summer, the park shoots off fireworks during the L'International des Feux Loto-Québec. Viewing is best from the park grandstands, though you can see the fiery display in other parts of Montréal as well.

You needn’t trek into the wilderness to see leaves painted gold, crimson and orange during the fall. Montréal’s parks and tree-lined neighborhoods offer enviable photo ops of