BUS 747. 45 to 70 minutes, depending on traffic, from the airport to Montreal downtown. You will need to buy a $10 24h pass, an $18 3-day pass, or a $25.50 weekly pass in the airport vending machines. These passes get you unlimited travel in the public transportation system throughout the city (bus and metro.) In the airport as you exit the baggage area and enter the arrivals hall you will find the orange vending machines as well as a ticket booth with a sales agent for the public transportation system (STM) who will assist you in selecting the most convenient fare. In both, vending machine and ticket booth, you can use either cash or credit card. Please note that if you don’t have a ticket once on the bus only coins are accepted. The buses offer enough space for luggage, have free WIFI, and are handicap accessible. All Downtown stops are indicated on the map below:

TAXI. 25 min from airport. A trip from the airport to the city or the other way around costs about 40$ (including the standard 10-15% tip for a taxi driver). Montreal taxis do not have a uniform colour, so you need to look for the light on the top of the car. Inside they should have a proof of registration and a photo ID installed in a place visible to the passenger. The average rates are $3.45 at meter drop, $1.70 per kilometer and $0.63/minute for any delay. Not all taxis accept credit cards, so please confirm with the company beforehand.

• Diamond Taxi: 514 273-6331 (accepts credit and debit cards)
• Taxi Royal: 514 274-3333
• Taxi Coop Montréal: 514 725-9885
• Atlas Taxi: 514 485-8585 (upon request)

Walking

Montreal is a city full of architectural sights, local commercial shops, and lively neighbourhoods. Letting yourself get lost by walking around is a great way of appreciating the city’s uniqueness. Spring is a beautiful time of the year. Temperatures are mild so if you have the time take a chance to walk around Concordia. Nearby you can walk through Rue Sherbrooke O, where you will find the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The downtown area is also great for shopping, specially rue Ste-Catherine, which is a short 5 min walk from the Hotel. If you feel sportier a walk through rue Sherbrooke, rue McGill and directly up Mount Royal is perfect to get a feeling of the contrast between the urban center and the mountain’s natural environment.

In general Montreal is a safe city, with a low crime rate. At night, particularly around the University and in the downtown area, streets are full of busy pedestrians. Take the usual precautions and you will have no problems.

Metro and Bus

Public transportation is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). A single ticket is $3.25, transfers included. In addition, daily ($10), weekend ($13), 3-day ($18) passes are available. Weekly passes ($25.50) are available on OPUS card, a smart card on which you can charge all STM transit fares. You can buy a regular OPUS card ($6) from ticket booth attendants in metro stations. As above-mentioned, 1-day, 3-day, weekly and unlimited weekend passes are also accepted on board of the 747-airport shuttle at no additional cost. For more information on ticket fares and the opening and closing times of individual stations please visit stm.info. If you have a smartphone we recommend you download the STM free app to consult bus and metro timetables.

Métro: there are four lines that operate daily from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. (Saturday at 1:30 a.m.) The green and orange lines cover a great part of the city. The green line will leave you directly in Concordia University, McGill University, UQAM, the Gay Village, the Botanical Gardens, and the Olympic Stadium. The orange line stops at the Atwater Market, the Bell Centre, the Bonaventure Station, the St. Denis shopping district, the Plateau, the Mile End, and the Jean Talon market. These two lines cross at both, Station Lionel-Groulx and Station Berri-UQAM.

Bus: Urban busses run around every 10 min during the day and less regularly at night. Frequency however depends on traffic and weather conditions. In general most bus stops include a line map and timetable, but we recommend consulting the STM-website’s travel planner beforehand. Note that to take the bus you will need either to buy a ticket before boarding the bus or exact change.

Montreal is essentially a bilingual city, where in most restaurants and stores they will happily attend you in English. You might find, however, some directions written in French. So to start we have prepared a basic language guide including a selection of common words you will come across with. We truly hope you enjoy our city.

Basics

Indications

Directions