Take a solo Island Getaway in Montréal this summer

Who wants to shop? Downtown Montréal is home to the boutiques of Sainte-Catherine Street as well as the major shopping centres Complexe Desjardins, Centre Eaton, Place Montréal Trust, Cours Mont-Royal, Place Ville Marie, Centre Alexis Nihon and the luxurious Holt Renfrew Ogilvy. And on a particularly hot day, you’ll love the local life hack of sticking to the RÉSO Underground City that joins most of these shopping hot spots together.

And did someone say museums? Montréal’s downtown Quartier des Spectacles and Golden Square Mile districts are stuffed to the brim with some of North America’s finest arts institutions, and this summer’s programming is top tier.

All that shopping and culture is sure to make anyone hungry, offering the great opportunity of a stop at the area’s numerous gourmet food halls including LE CENTRAL—MANGER MONTRÉAL, Le Cathcart Restaurants & Biergarten and the Time Out Market Montréal. Take a load off at the cozy benches and green spots of Dorchester Square and Place du Canada and enjoy!

Pretty as a postcard, Old Montréal and the Old Port is also home to some of the city’s most forward-looking arts venues and gastronomic hot spots. The Fonderie Darling presents large scale works in a converted foundry, giving a glimpse into Old Montréal’s industrious past. The virtual reality focus of the PHI Centre makes for a perfect solo immersive experience, while the centre’s sister venue the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art hosts exhibitions by such living legends as Yoko Ono and Yayoi Kusama and the next generation’s Marigold Santos and Rajni Perera. If you’re looking for a collective visual adventure, be sure not to miss the eye-popping AURA Experience in the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica, and after darkness falls, join the wanderers taking in the large-scale Montréal en Histoires—Cité Mémoire projections triggered by an app on your phone throughout the quartier. Québec’s rich Indigenous history is on show at Galerie d’art Images Boréales, Heritage Gallery and Galerie Le Chariot, each offering sculpture, arts and handicrafts by Inuit and Iroquois artisans for sale.

Once the hunger hits, grab an outdoor perch for some good eats and people watching at gastronomic favourite Olive et Gourmando, hipster hangout Tommy, the adventurous vegan hotspot LOV McGill or the infinitely instagrammable Wes Anderson film set-esque Le Petit Dep.

The neighbouring quartiers of Outremont, the Plateau and Mile End give an unbeatable insight into local life, while also home to some of the city’s most beloved restaurants and boutiques. Every visitor is required by local custom to enter their thoughts on the eternal Best Montréal Bagel™ debate by hitting both Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagels (for us it’s an unbreakable tie). There’s a plethora of eating options including the $5 gnocchi at Drogheria Fine, the iconic Montréal smoked meat sandwiches at Schwartz’s, the local classic salami and baloney rolls at Wilensky, pastries to die for at Boulangerie Guillaume, Toni’s perfect pizzas, Yoni’s filling falafels and the area’s homegrown creativity on show at the triplet Mile End mainstays Lawrence, Larrys and Boucherie Lawrence. Caffeine junkies won’t want to miss the pampering of a tea service at the converted old timey dance hall that houses the Cardinal Tea Room and you’ll be sure to find a load of local tips at the brightly hued Pastel Rita café and wine bar (not to mention some delicious sandwiches and snacks, and a tattoo parlour in the back).

Your Instagram followers will thank you for uploads of the MURAL Festival’s sky-high murals (check out their interactive map to catch them all) and shopaholics will find their happy place on chic Laurier Avenue West and Mont-Royal Avenue with its views of Mount Royal at one end and the Olympic Stadium on the other. Join local cineastes at the intimate Cinéma Moderne (enjoying a drink in its café-bar beforehand), or take in a film under the stars at the Cinema-Parc Dante open air cinema every Wednesday in July. And there’s no better way to unwind than an evening stroll up the mountain for unbeatable views across the island and St. Lawrence River.

Home to the massive, mouth-watering Jean-Talon Market, Little Italy and Villeray are stuffed with unique shopping, leafy park oases and tasty Italian eats—and the latter was even named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world! The local favourite Pasticceria Alati-Caserta is rightfully famous for its cannoli, while Pizzeria Napoletana, Pizza Bouquet, Pizzeria GEMA and San Gennaro do the neighbourhood proud with some of the best pizza you can get outside of Italy. Keep on the go with Knuckle’s panzerottis, spicy east asian street food and curries at Pumpui and treat yourself by fulfilling your chocolate and goodie fixes at État de Choc, Boulangerie Louise and La Boulangerie Jarry. Not in a rush? Join the friendly crowds in Parc Jarry with provisions from the legendary Fruiterie Milano. Stop by Quincaillerie Dante to stock up your kitchen at home with top-notch cooking utensils and grab a little something special from one of the charming boutiques along Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

The working class neighbourhoods of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rosemont have long been home to an up-and-coming hive of restaurants and shops unlike anywhere else in the city. Beloved cafés like third wave specialists Hélico Café, Club Social Wolfgang (where you can get that MTL tattoo you’ve always wanted while enjoying a cuppa) and the vintage mod spot Atomic Café mark Hochelaga-Maisonneuve as a coffee-lover’s must-see. The forward-thinking Technopôle Angus is a tight-knit hub of cutting edge start-ups and hip cafés (including Station W) housed in renovated train buildings, while the shops and buzzing bars of Vieux-Rosemont’s high street Promenade Masson is the definition of Montréal coziness. Keep on your feet and feed your appetite at Restaurant Magnolia, État Major, Hoogan et Beaufort, Pizzéria Heirloom or at Flamant.

But Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rosemont are also ‘hoods of parks and urban wilderness, with the leafy expanses of Parc Maisonneuve and the blooming Jardin botanique gardens and the unforgettable Biodôme and Insectarium all bringing locals and visitors alike at one with nature.

Two of the city’s coolest hotspots are the adjacent neighbourhoods of working-class Saint-Henri and riverside Verdun alongside the banks of the Saint Lawrence. Start with a visit to Saint-Henri’s Atwater Market with its photogenic clock tower and farm fresh artisanal products. The Librairie Saint-Henri Books is sure to house your next holiday read, including curated selections of graphic novels, zines and queer lit. And after perusing those shelves, you more than deserve an ice cream at the Crèmerie Dalla Rose right across the street. Those feeling hunger pangs should make their way over to Elena, a pizzeria that also specializes in coffee and wine—and their beautifully designed book Salad, Pizza, Wine: And Many More Good Things from Elena makes for a great gift or memento. And everything goes down with a sunset beverage at the seasonal Riverside Club St-Henri on the banks of the Lachine Canal.

Across the canal in Verdun, head straight for Promenade Wellington (or “la well” to neighbourhood locals), named one of the coolest streets in the world by Time Out. Charge up your caffeine batteries at Lili & Oli, and grab some hearty eats at Millman’s—including fluffy pancakes topped with crispy chicken and bagels stuffed with salmon. Solios makes solar powered wristwatches that everyone will ask about, designer Marilyne Baril's Marigold Montréal’s forward-looking fashions are all designed and constructed in the city and Harricana has been peddling iconic hatwear and jackets since 1918 (utilizing recycled furs and other materials since 1994). And when it’s time for dinner, treat yourself to the vegan ingenuity of Archway, including their equally delicious and photogenic marinated watermelon pokai bowls and umeboshi shiitake tacos with edamame guacamole. 

Between Montréal and the so-called South Shore, the twin islands of Parc Jean-Drapeau offer up hiking trails, epic public art installations, a world class race track (the Formula 1 Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve—open to cyclists on non-motorcar race days), the La Ronde rollercoaster park and the Casino de Montréal. It’s the fitting place to wile away the hours in exploration and relaxation at the end of your solo break, backed by beautiful views of the Montréal skyline and the architectural wonder Habitat 67. Time for one last selfie tagged #mtlmoments and some final unforgettable memories to take home with you.