Montreal, like every major city nowadays, has markets that attract foreigners looking to purchase souvenirs or fresh groceries, often transforming them into tourist hotspots. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, some of you may be seeking a market that is more popular among locals. One such market is the Maisonneuve in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

Built in 1912, the original market occupied a grand building, which now functions as a community center, just meters away from its current location. It closed its doors in the 1960s, only to be reincarnated 20 years later as a farmers’ market and again as a public market in 1995. Today, it’s one of the best places to indulge in local delicacies and buy unique food items not found elsewhere.

The market offers a plethora of locally grown products from small farms, including vegetables, fruits, cheese, bread, meat, and especially flowers and herbs, whose mood-lifting scents waft throughout the building, somewhat intoxicating.

Montreal is well known for coexisting with its surrounding wilderness, boasting an extensive network of reserves, sanctuaries, and parks that showcase pieces of untouched nature.
Des Rapides Park is one of those places where you can witness nature in all its glory without actually leaving the city.

Nestled along the St. Lawrence River, the park is named after the nearby Lachine Rapids, which are visible from the grassy banks along its narrow, water-surrounded paths. A century ago, the river’s strong currents were harnessed by a hydroelectric station to generate electricity, though today little remains of the station, which was demolished in 1948.
The sheer magnitude of the rapids makes the park an ideal location for rafting. However, even if you’re not a thrill-seeker, you’ll find the energetic white water to be a very appealing spectacle to watch.

Additionally, Des Rapides Park and the adjacent Heron Island together form a migratory bird sanctuary, home to 225 species, including the great blue heron. So, make sure to bring a pair of binoculars to spot some of these adorable feathered creatures.

Tucked away in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, the island of Dorval is perhaps the most mysterious place in Montreal, even by local standards. According to the 2011 census, the island had a population of five people, making it the smallest municipality in Canada. Nevertheless, unofficial figures are estimated to be slightly higher, as not all residents are registered or permanent.

There are no paved roads on the island, so it’s practically considered a car-free zone. Since its minuscule size is roughly 0.2 km², riding a bicycle or walking can get you anywhere within a few minutes.
Reaching the island is probably the most challenging part, partly because it’s most of the time cut off from the mainland, connected only by a seasonal ferry service that operates from May to October (06:30 AM to 00:00 AM) from the pier in the town of Dorval, not to be confused with the island itself.

The ferry can only be boarded by property owners, residents, or invited guests, which makes the island extremely difficult to access. However, if you wish to explore this arcane speck of land despite the obstacles, it’s advisable to contact the municipality via their website or even shamelessly speak to embarking passengers.

Hidden near the banks of the Prairies River, Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park is another example of a pristine piece of nature within the metropolis of Montreal, unlike the lawn-based parks more common in the city center.

This 158-hectare park is home to a diverse ecosystem, particularly various types of birds, making it a magnet for birdwatchers who flock to spot wild species that have found refuge in this protected area. The park partially encompasses woodlands of rare black-maple trees along the Bertrand stream, teeming with aquatic fauna and flora.

What makes the park particularly friendly and safe for visitors is the network of stilted elevated trails that connect different parts of the forest while keeping the natural environment insulated from the harmful consequences of people roaming around.

Interestingly, the park completely changes its face each season, most notably in winter, when the trees are bare and the surface is covered by a thick layer of snow, and again in the spring, when it is dominated by mesmerizing carpets of flowers.

The reception at Pitfield House offers courses and equipment rentals for the multitude of activities available in the park, including snowshoes, sleds, ice cleats, and even camping gear.

As travelers, we usually don’t tend to view hospitals as legitimate tourist attractions. However, in some cases, a medical complex can hold many architectural wonders. One such instance is the Montreal Neurological Institute and the former Royal Victoria Hospital, located on the slopes of Mount Royal in the Golden Square Mile neighborhood.

The former Royal Victoria Hospital building at 757 des Pins Avenue West might look like a medieval castle from the British Isles to an unaware passerby. Yet, until 2015, when most of its departments relocated to the new campus, it was one of the city’s most important hospitals, internationally renowned for its pioneering research. The building’s exceptional multi-turret façade reflects its founders’ heritage—two Scottish businessmen who paid tribute to Queen Victoria’s jubilee by constructing a lavish hospital in her name.

Further upwards from the medical complex is the Montreal Neurological Institute, founded by neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, an architecture enthusiast who was inspired by his world travels to create a neurological center. The design aimed to facilitate both patient recovery and worker efficiency by incorporating architectural elements, paintings, sculptures, and decorations into the medical environment, resulting in a spectacular citadel-like edifice spanning both sides of Rue University and linked by an iconic stone bridge.

Ranked as the second-largest university in Canada in terms of student numbers, the University of Montreal is a gigantic education and research powerhouse, encompassing 13 faculties and 60 departments. While its main campus is located at the foot of Mt. Royal and is remarkably classy in its own right, the university maintains several other campuses throughout the city. One of these, the MIL Campus, is still under construction as of July 2020. However, parts of it, including the nearby network of plazas, gardens, and bridges, are already open to the public.

It might not seem trivial for travelers to consider an academic institution a must-see site; however, the brand-new campus offers an opportunity to experience ultra-modern architecture brimming with vibrant student life, echoing through its five-story foyer, where visitors and academy members sit on the wooden stairs, watching the never-ending commotion of laptop-armed scientists sipping cappuccinos from the cozy campus cafeteria.

Facing the campus eastward is Alice-Girard Plaza, a popular spot among local cyclists who occasionally ride on the elevated fountain, dodging the mini cold sprayers, while others continue to the adjacent bridge that connects the campus with the nearby neighborhood of Park Extension.
Suffice it to say that the campus itself is surrounded by many pleasant public spaces, perfect for architecture enthusiasts who wish to spend a pleasant afternoon exploring its premises.

Surpassed only by Russia in terms of size, Canada is a vast country, blessed with an incredible amount of arable land, making it a grain superpower worldwide for over a century. A clear epitome of its prominent role in global food production was the construction of several grain storage facilities throughout the 20^th century, one of which is Silo No. 5 at Montreal’s Old Port.

The extensive complex known as Silo No. 5 is the only extant example of a large-scale granary in the city, standing as an emblem of another era. Originally built in 1907, the silo was expanded several times during the following decades, ultimately consisting of more than 60 individual silos from different periods, interconnected by a series of hovering passages. The chronological differences between the silo’s construction created an interesting hodgepodge of industrial architecture to marvel at.

Following its cessation of operations in 1994, the complex’s physical state deteriorated, falling victim to vandalism and neglect, while also becoming a hotspot for graffiti artists. The site is officially closed to visitors nowadays, but for the adventurous among you, it’s possible to sneak in through a couple of breaches in the fence, as demonstrated in several YouTube channels.

However, it’s important to mention that extra caution is needed when exploring the site due to the lack of maintenance and regulation. Alternatively, you can also easily appreciate the building from the outside, as it’s clearly visible from its immediate vicinity.

One of the unwritten laws of urbanism is the existence of a red-light district in large cosmopolitan cities, where prostitution, gambling, strip clubs, and illicit activities are widespread. Montreal is no different in this regard, having one of the most famous (or infamous) red-light districts in North America, which peaked between the 1920s and 1960s as a hub for cabaret shows.

Some of the most renowned stars of that time started their careers performing in underground, cramped nightclubs, far from what we generally associate with celebrities. Nowadays, the area is a mere shadow of its former self. While there are still some cabarets and strip clubs, unlike in the 20^th century, they no longer serve as breeding grounds for promising talents.

To offer a perspective on both its past and present, the Burlesque Walking Tour provides an opportunity to learn about the district’s flamboyant history while strolling around its streets, visiting some of the most notorious brothels and strip clubs that once attracted dozens of partygoers. If you wish to complement the tour with an actual experience, the guide also covers the contemporary burlesque scene currently taking place citywide.