Your budget-friendly guide to Montréal
B & B's and hostels Hotel Leisure activities $ $$
Travelling to Montréal – or even playing tourist in your own hometown – needn’t break the bank. In fact, quite the opposite: Montréal is a year-round hotbed of budget-friendly accommodations, shopping options and super-fun and affordable activities. Consider the following to be your guide to some of the best deals in town.
Get your “Passeport” (no, that’s not a typo) to Montréal
If you’re someone who likes to be on the move, we’ve got a city pass tailor-made for adventure and thrill seekers such as yourself. Passeport MTL is your ticket to an unforgettable journey through a multitude of Montréal’s amazing activities and attractions this summer/fall season. Two different Passeport MTL options are available, offering free admission to either three or five activities of your choice for $56 and $86 respectively. Sweetening the deal, the Passeport also offers deep discounts and other rewards on a wide range of other experiences.
The “passport,” which comes in two-day and three-day versions (for only $85 and $99 respectively), can be applied to over 70 top-tier attractions. Among the many hotspots granting free admission with the presentation of your MTL Passeport are the Biodôme, the 65-metre-high Port of Montréal Tower and observatory, the Grande Roue de Montréal Ferris wheel, the Ecomuseum Zoo, the self-explanatory Rage: Axe Throwing, the McCord Stewart Museum (which is also free for kids 17 and under), the Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden) and Insectarium, Laser Game Évolution, the Pointe-à-Callière – Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, and the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. And speaking of art, if self-guided tours of the city’s stunning collection of public art are more to your liking, then Art Public Montréal seriously has you covered with tons of fascinating, thematic walking tours of varying durations in many of the city’s most dynamic neighbourhoods.
Montréal is a year-round hotbed of budget-friendly accommodations, shopping options and affordable activities.
Downtown hotels: where the price is right
Auberge du Plateau
HÔTEL ST-DENIS
In the heart of Montréal’s historic Golden Square Mile, the Château Versailles is a completely renovated 19th-century home close to must-see spots like the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. The tasteful accommodations of Le Square Phillips Hôtel & Suites provide an optimal option a short walk from Central Station, the Bell Centre (home of the Montréal Canadiens) and the Quartier des Spectacles. Speaking of which, ideally situated between the Quartier des Spectacles and the trendy Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood is the warm, friendly and familial Auberge du Plateau with its scenic outdoor terrace. Located in the Quartier Latin just above a lively stretch of Saint-Denis Street, the comfy Auberge le Jardin d’Antoine puts you close to Old Montréal and The Village especially. In The Village itself is the modern M Montréal, named the number 1 best youth hostel in North America in 2024 by Hostelworld, and which features rooftop jacuzzies, an in-house bar and separate terraces for families and younger folks. And, built in the 1920s, the Hôtel St. Denis is proximate to all the cheerful pubs, bistros and intimate live music venues that the Quartier Latin is renowned for.
Take up another type of residence
McGill University Residences (Royal Victoria) provide dormitory-style rooms equipped with a work desk. The rooms are private, while the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms are shared. The residences are located in the heart of downtown near the McGill metro station. For its part, Concordia University’s historic Grey Nuns Residence offers summer stays from June through August and is located right downtown. Rooms can accommodate one-to-two people, include access to high-speed internet, and have a fridge. Hostels provide another low-cost option, and the downtown Auberge Saintlo offers shared accommodation for 2 to 10 people or private rooms with ensuite bathroom, free Wi-Fi, coworking spaces, laundry facilities, a fully equipped kitchen, luggage storage, bike rentals and storage, lockers and 24/7 reception service . For its part, the Alexandrie Hostel in the Village has furnished apartments that can accommodate up to six guests.
And shopping for all!
Montréal also has many top-notch vintage fashion shops and fripperies, such as the Mile End neighbourhood’s Annex x LOCAL with its colour-coded selection of quirky mod or Little Italy’s Ex-Voto. Mile End’s LNF and Lau B on the Plateau both boast a diverse array of unisex cool, while Lazy Vintage is worth a perusal for those seeking modern-leaning menswear. If you felt like grabbing some of the city’s famous bagels along the way, do yourself the favour of popping into Bohème Vintage on Saint-Viateur Street and see why it’s earned its place as a neighbourhood staple for over three decades. And there's nothing quite like devoting an afternoon lost amongst the racks, on the hunt for a hidden gem. Chaotic and beloved staple of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Eva B, is one such establishment to do exactly that. The now-iconic vintage clothing emporium is a Montréal landmark.
And the amazing deals don’t end there
Montréal’s restaurant scene is a thriving and dynamic one filled with establishments spanning the gamut from fine dining to fast casual, proving that one can eat well in our fair city, no matter what your budget is. Check out this guide to affordable restaurants in Montréal where you can eat well without pillaging your pocketbook. Similarly, you don’t need to win the lottery to have fun at a range of playful, inspirational and entertaining activities throughout the city, and just to prove the point, here are 20 things to do in Montréal for $20 (or less). And if “free” is more to your liking, we’ve got you covered in that department as well. Whether it’s free public programming at one of Montréal’s famous festivals, art gallery visits, holiday markets, outdoor activities or more niche community events, there are a multitude of free things to do in the spring, summer, fall and winter. Enjoy!
Jamie O'Meara
Jamie O'Meara was the Editor-in-Chief at C2 Montréal and the former Editor-in-Chief of alt-weekly newspaper HOUR Magazine.