Base: Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, near Beaubien metro (Orange Line) Transport: Driving up from Boston

Schedule Overview

Day Date Theme Notes
Sun Apr 19 Arrival + Habitat 67 Drive from Boston, Habitat 67 tour 2:00 PM
Mon Apr 20 Mile End + Outremont Museum-free day; most museums closed Mondays
Tue Apr 21 Plateau + Pointe-a-Calliere Museum visit in afternoon
Wed Apr 22 REM + Biodome + HoMa Biodome at 1:00 PM anchors the day
Thu Apr 23 Jean-Talon + Grande Bibliothèque Breather day, home-neighborhood start
Fri Apr 24 Canal + Westmount + CCA Long walking day; CCA 4-6 PM
Sat Apr 25 Biosphere + Departure Drive home to Boston

Sunday April 19 — Arrival + Habitat 67

Leave Boston early morning (~7:30-8:00 AM). Drive straight to Habitat 67 — Cité du Havre is right off the Champlain Bridge on the way into the city.

Habitat 67 guided tour at 2:00 PM, 90 minutes. Includes Safdie’s renovated apartment, elevated pedestrian streets, footbridges, suspended terraces. Dress for weather; significant outdoor portions. Latecomers cannot join. $58 CAD/person. Ends ~3:30 PM.

Drive to the accommodation (~15 min from Habitat 67, plus parking), arriving ~4:15 PM. Rest until ~5:15, then head out for dinner. The walk toward Jean-Talon passes Plaza Saint-Hubert and the residential blocks on Rue de la Roche and Rue Garnier.

Dinner options:

  • El Rey del Taco (232 Jean-Talon Est, ~8 min walk, inside Jean-Talon Market) — house-made corn tortillas, street-style tacos. Open Sun 9am-10pm. $-$$.
  • Pho Tay Ho (6414 Saint-Denis, ~10 min walk) — chicken pho, clear northern Vietnamese broth. Same family since the ’70s. $.
  • Pho Hung (3222 Beaubien Est, ~15 min walk east) — neighborhood Vietnamese, fish, shrimp, and vegetarian options. Open daily until 10pm. $.
  • Au Tarot (500 Marie-Anne Est, Plateau, ~25 min walk or short metro) — Algerian-Moroccan-Tunisian, 35+ years. Couscous, chicken tagine, BYOB. Open daily until midnight. $-$$.

Many neighborhood restaurants close Sundays, so save the bigger dinners for later in the week.

Monday April 20 — Mile End + Outremont

Museums closed Monday. Pure neighborhood day. Walk west from home into Mile End, then continue west into Outremont.

Morning Coffee

  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est, ~10 min walk)
  • Cafe 8 oz / Chez l’Editeur (7240 Saint-Hubert, ~5 min north)

Then walk west/southwest to Mile End (~20 min).

Late Morning — Bagels + Reading

  • Fairmount Bagel (74 Fairmount O) and St-Viateur Bagel (263 Saint-Viateur O) — 10 min walk apart, buy from both, eat warm
  • Cafe Olimpico (124 Saint-Viateur O) — settle in and read. No wifi, no laptops, Italian espresso, the platonic Montreal reading cafe.

Lunch

All in Mile End within a few blocks. Classic Fairmount Ave picks like Wilensky’s (salami-bologna) and Drogheria Fine (pecorino) are also in range if you want the heritage deli lineup.

  • Falafel Yoni (54 Saint-Viateur O) — falafel counter, vegan menu except sabich. Loonie-sized falafel balls, tahini, schug. Pita or bowl. Daily 11am-9pm. $.
  • Banh Mi Banh Yiu (255A Saint-Viateur O) — banh mi shop, chicken/tofu/satay. Mon-Fri 11am-5pm. $.
  • Le Bay Ca Phe (5263 Saint-Laurent) — Vietnamese bistro, pho and banh mi, Vietnamese iced coffee. Mon-Thu 11:30am-9:30pm. $-$$.
  • Tsukuyomi Ramen (5207 Saint-Laurent) — homemade ramen. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm. $$.

Afternoon — Books, Architecture, Walking West

  • Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard O) — flagship bookshop of the indie comics publisher. Literary fiction, graphic novels, BD.
  • Old Saint-Louis town hall (Saint-Laurent & Laurier) — 1905, now a firefighters’ museum
  • Church of St. Michael the Archangel (Saint-Viateur & Saint-Urbain) — Byzantine-influenced, shamrock motifs, ex-Irish Catholic parish. Signals Mile End’s layered immigrant history.
  • Walk the residential blocks between Saint-Laurent and Park — Rue Clark, Saint-Urbain, Waverly. Richler’s streets. Exterior stairs, triplexes, narrow lots.
  • Mordecai Richler Library (5434 Avenue du Parc) — Mile End branch library in the neighborhood he fictionalized
  • Continue west on Bernard into Outremont — feel the density gradient (lots widen, buildings lower, tree canopy thickens). Theatre Outremont (Art Deco cinema). Hasidic streetscape — synagogues, yeshivas, eruv wire on utility poles.
  • Wander the residential streets (Bloomfield, Querbes, Champagneur) — wide, tree-lined, front gardens. Contrast with Mile End’s tight lots.
  • Parc Outremont — small neighborhood park at Bloomfield/Saint-Viateur, benches, good rest stop.

Dinner

Eat in Mile End or walk home through Plaza Saint-Hubert.

  • Molenne (5309 Saint-Laurent, Mile End) — seafood-forward French brasserie. Black cod in shiitake broth, razor clam salad, duck liver tartlet, seasonal vegetables. Open 7 nights, reservations Sun-Wed. $$-$$$.
  • Tsukuyomi Ramen (5207 Saint-Laurent, Mile End) — homemade ramen. Mon 5-9:30pm. $$.
  • La Toxica (7221 Saint-Hubert, Plaza Saint-Hubert, ~15 min walk from home) — birria specialist, shrimp tacos, cochinita pibil, al pastor. Daily 11am-9pm. $-$$.
  • Umami Ramen (6660 Rue Clark, Mile-Ex, ~15 min walk from home) — fully vegan ramen, homemade noodles, mushroom/seaweed broths. Dinner only 5-10pm. $$.
  • Damas (1201 Avenue Van Horne, Outremont/Mile End border) — upscale Syrian, Michelin listed. A la carte mezze and mains or 10-course tasting menu (~$75-160). Covered patio. Daily 5:30-10pm. Reservations recommended. $$$-$$$$. (514) 439-5435.

Tuesday April 21 — The Plateau + Pointe-a-Calliere

Plateau morning, metro to Old Montreal in the afternoon for Pointe-a-Calliere.

Morning Coffee

  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est, ~10 min walk from home) — if stopping before heading south
  • Dispatch Coffee (4021 Saint-Laurent, Plateau) — third-wave cafe on the Main, for coffee after walking in

Morning — The Plateau

Residential walk south from home through La Petite-Patrie into the Plateau. Triplex architecture, exterior staircases, ruelles vertes. Loop from north to south, ending near a metro that goes to Place-d’Armes (Sherbrooke or Saint-Laurent).

  • Avenue du Mont-Royal — main east-west commercial strip, the Plateau’s high street
  • 1,000,000 Comix (3868 Rue Saint-Denis) — large comic shop on Saint-Denis
  • Fichtre! (Saint-Denis, near Mont-Royal) — Franco-Belgian BD specialist, art stands on its own without French
  • Avenue Duluth — residential street, classic Plateau triplexes and exterior staircases
  • Parc La Fontaine — 34 hectares, two linked ponds, Theatre de Verdure summer stage. The Plateau’s best reading park.
  • Square Saint-Louis — small Victorian square surrounded by rowhouses with exterior staircases. Peak Montreal.
  • Rue Prince-Arthur — pedestrian street, BYOB restaurants, connects Saint-Louis to Saint-Laurent
  • Boulevard Saint-Laurent / The Main — historic north-south commercial spine, immigrant history
  • The Word (469 Rue Milton) — tiny legendary used English bookshop, floor-to-ceiling, further south toward McGill. Optional detour before metroing to Place-d’Armes.

Lunch — Plateau

  • La Matraca (4607 Saint-Denis) — Mexico City-style taqueria, suadero/chuleta/al pastor tacos. Open Tuesday. $.
  • Kahwa Cafe (331 Mont-Royal Est) — Mediterranean sandwich counter, chicken/falafel/kebab on fresh-baked bread. Daily, open late. $.
  • Yokato Yokabai (4185 Rue Drolet) — Hakata-style ramen, Michelin-listed, homemade noodles, vegan broths available. Daily. $$.
  • Ramen Isshin (1217 Mont-Royal Est) — Osaka-style ramen, in-house organic. Sun-Thu 11:30am-9pm. $$.

Afternoon — Pointe-a-Calliere

Metro from Mont-Royal or Sherbrooke to Place-d’Armes (~10 min ride). Archaeology/city history museum on Montreal’s founding site — seven pavilions connected by underground archaeological passages. $29 adults. 2-3 hours.

Typical Tuesday hours 10am-5pm — verify at pacmusee.qc.ca before heading out. Aim to arrive by 1:30pm at the latest to get the full visit; earlier is better for avoiding school groups.

Dinner — Casual

Coming back from Old Montreal. Eat in the Plateau on the way or head all the way home.

In the Plateau:

  • Le Majestique (4105 Saint-Laurent) — oyster bar, seafood tapas, octopus, mackerel spread. Lively, open late. Daily 4pm-3am. $$.
  • Yokato Yokabai (4185 Rue Drolet) — if you didn’t lunch here: Michelin-listed ramen, casual. Daily. $$.
  • Ramen Isshin (1217 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est) — Osaka-style ramen, all in-house organic, ~30 seats. Sun-Thu 11:30am-9pm. $$.
  • L’Express (3927 Rue Saint-Denis) — Montreal institution since 1980, classic French bistro. Duck confit, octopus, bone marrow. Open daily until 1am, late-night menu. $$-$$$.

Near home:

  • Juliette Plaza (6220 Saint-Hubert, ~8 min walk from home) — neighborhood French bistro, Quebec produce with Asian influence, casual sibling to Montreal Plaza. Tue-Sat 11am-11pm. $$.
  • Calaveras (2040 Rue Beaubien Est, ~12 min walk east) — neighborhood taqueria, corn tortillas, pollo chipotle, mole, chorizo, carnitas, fish and vegetarian options. Tue-Thu & Sun 5-9pm. $-$$.

Wednesday April 22 — REM + Biodome + HoMa

Morning coffee, then the REM ride. Biodome at 1pm, then HoMa walking the rest of the day.

Morning Coffee

  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est, ~10 min walk) — third-wave specialty roaster
  • La Brume dans mes Lunettes (378 Saint-Zotique Est, ~8 min walk) — tea room, wooden tables and armchairs, designed for lingering
  • Elsdale (2381 Beaubien Est, ~15 min walk east) — cafe-buvette-boutique, brunch, brioche sandwiches

Morning — REM Deux-Montagnes (9 AM - 12:30 PM)

Orange Line from Beaubien to Bonaventure (~15 min), then board the Deux-Montagnes branch at Gare Centrale. ~40 min end-to-end through the Mount Royal Tunnel, 14 stations to the North Shore.

Stations worth hopping off at:

  • Édouard-Montpetit — ~72m below surface, one of the deepest metro stations in North America. New REM platform opened 2025; connects to the Blue Line. The descent (11 escalators) is the main event. Exits into the Université de Montréal / Côte-des-Neiges area. 10-15 min stop for the engineering, or longer if grabbing lunch (see below).
  • Mont-Royal (not the Plateau’s Mont-Royal metro — this is in Town of Mount Royal) — TMR is a Garden City planned community designed by Frederick Todd (trained under Olmsted) in 1911-12. Radial street plan, green parkways, civic center — distinct from any other Montreal neighborhood. 30-45 min walk loop if you get off here.
  • Canora — also in TMR, one stop south of Mont-Royal. Either station works for the TMR walk.
  • Île-Bigras — small station on a literal island in the Rivière des Prairies. Curiosity factor; residential and quiet. 10 min look-around.
  • Deux-Montagnes (terminus) — commuter suburb on Lake of Two Mountains. Short walk to the waterfront. Food options here are limited; better to eat elsewhere.

Lunch: Édouard-Montpetit is a short walk from Côte-des-Neiges, one of Montreal’s most diverse food neighborhoods (Lebanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Ethiopian, Persian). Or eat downtown near McGill/Gare Centrale on the way back. The mid-line stations are primarily suburban and not known to me for specific dining.

Timing: Round trip with 1-2 short stops is ~3 hours door-to-door. Budget for that and aim to be at Pie-IX by 1pm.

Biodome (1:00-3:00 PM)

Pie-IX metro (Green Line) drops you at the Olympic Park complex. Biodome entrance is a few minutes’ walk.

Taillibert’s converted 1976 velodrome, now four ecosystem replicas (tropical forest, Laurentian forest, St. Lawrence marine, sub-Antarctic). The cycling track geometry is still visible in the building. ~$22-24 adults, 1.5-2 hours.

Afternoon — HoMa Walking (3:00-7:00 PM)

Walk the Beaux-Arts civic cluster and the revitalizing commercial strip. Grand early-1900s public buildings out of proportion to the modest rowhouse neighborhood, legacy of the civic beautification campaign that bankrupted Maisonneuve ($18M in debt by 1918) before annexation to Montreal.

  • Chateau Dufresne (corner of Pie-IX and Sherbrooke) — Beaux-Arts mansion museum, Guido Nincheri stained glass (same artist as the Madonna della Difesa frescoes in Little Italy). Built by the Dufresne brothers, shoe manufacturers, as twin adjoining homes. Optional museum entry for an indoor stop.
  • Boulevard Pie-IX / Morgan — walk south; the civic cluster runs along this axis
  • Marche Maisonneuve (Rue Ontario Est) — Beaux-Arts market building, still in daily operation
  • Maisonneuve Public Bath and Gymnasium (Rue Morgan) — ornate 1916 public bath
  • Maisonneuve Library (former town hall) — Beaux-Arts, coats of arms on marble floor
  • Canard Cafe (4299 Rue Ontario Est) — mid-walk cafe break, specialty coffee, sandwiches, Viennese pastries. Mon-Fri 7am-5:30pm.
  • Rue Ontario Est between Pie-IX and Valois — revitalizing commercial strip, Place Simon-Valois public square
  • Residential blocks between Ontario and Hochelaga, east of Pie-IX — rowhouse fabric, wider lots and more uniform facades than the Plateau

Dinner

In HoMa — the Promenade Ontario strip (Rue Ontario Est between Pie-IX and Valois) is a dense restaurant corridor; most of these are within a ~600m stretch:

  • Helicoptere (4255 Rue Ontario Est, ~15 min walk from Biodome) — seasonal tasting menu plus small plates by chef David Ollu (ex-Bouillon Bilk). Fish and vegetable-forward, rooftop-garden produce. Tue-Sun 5:30-10pm. Reservations. $$-$$$. (514) 543-4255.
  • Motel Ontario (3325 Rue Ontario Est, metro: Frontenac) — seasonal sharing plates in a former bank by the Vincent Chatelais team. Salmon tartare, fried cod bao, crispy eggplant, tataki. Warm room, unpretentious. Daily 5-11pm. $$. (438) 386-5188.
  • Rufus & Anna (3882 Rue Ontario Est) — modern rotisserie opened 2025, Chef Nicolas Marra. Smoked chicken (whole/half), ribs, oysters, rotating seafood platter, smoked trout. Festive but casual. Mon-Wed & Sun 4pm-midnight, Thu-Sat 4pm-2am. $$.
  • Octo (4045 Rue Ontario Est) — reimagined dim sum opened 2024 by the Pied de Cochon / Chien Fumant / Alma team. Duck spring rolls with passion fruit sauce, shrimp wonton in Tom Yum broth, bao hot dog. Walk-ins only, 44 seats. Tue-Fri 5pm-1am. $-$$.
  • Copilote (4263 Rue Ontario Est) — 25-seat hidden bar next to Helicoptere, same team. Oysters, tartares, crudo, chicken liver mousse. Walk-ins. Tue-Sun 5pm-1:30am. $$.
  • El Pacifico (3353 Rue Ontario Est, metro: Frontenac) — northern Mexican coastal, ceviche, aguachile, tuna tacos, al pastor. Cantina-style. Daily 5-10pm. $-$$.

Near home (post-metro back):

  • Parapluie (44 Rue Beaubien Ouest, ~10 min walk) — Bib Gourmand French sharing plates, oysters, lobster, trout preparations. Reservations recommended. $$-$$$.
  • Casavant (350 Rue de Castelnau Est, Villeray, near Jean-Talon Market) — modern French brasserie by chef Charles-Tristan. Bib Gourmand. Sea bass à la grenobloise, smoked mackerel, duck magret. Closed Sun-Mon. $$-$$$.
  • Mastard (1879 Rue Belanger, Rosemont, ~12 min walk) — Michelin one-star, Chef Simon Mathys. Five-course carte blanche centered on Quebec terroir. Reservations required, fills fast. $$$$.

Thursday April 23 — Breather Day / Markets + Grande Bibliothèque

Home-neighborhood morning (coffee → Marc-Favreau library → Jean-Talon Market → second coffee), then south for lunch and the Grande Bibliothèque via Champ-de-Mars for the stained glass.

Morning Coffee

  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est, ~10 min walk) — third-wave specialty roaster
  • Cafe 8 oz / Chez l’Editeur (7240 Saint-Hubert, ~5 min north) — literary cafe
  • La Brume dans mes Lunettes (378 Saint-Zotique Est, ~8 min walk) — tea room, designed for lingering

Bibliothèque Marc-Favreau

Bibliothèque Marc-Favreau (535 Rue Calixa-Lavallée, ~10-15 min walk from home) — contemporary branch library by Chevalier Morales Architectes. Origami-like folded copper facade, sculptural quality. 15-20 min for the architecture, longer if you linger.

Jean-Talon Market + Second Coffee

Walk back north-west to the market (~15-20 min from Marc-Favreau). Largest market in Montreal; in April the year-round indoor merchants are in full swing plus early-season outdoor vendors.

  • Camellia Sinensis — serious tea vendor
  • Joe la Croûte — bread
  • La Boîte aux Huîtres — 60+ oyster varieties, largest selection in Canada, eat standing at the counter. Mon-Sat 9:30am-6pm, Sun 9:30am-5pm. $.
  • Marché Hung Phat (7099 Saint-Denis, just outside the market) — $7 banh mi, Vietnamese grocery/deli

Second coffee:

  • Cafe Saint-Henri (Jean-Talon Market) (260 Place du Marché-du-Nord) — terrasse overlooking the market
  • Louise Boulangerie (6835 Saint-Laurent, Little Italy, ~5 min walk south) — possibly Montreal’s best butter croissant

Midday — South to Champ-de-Mars

Metro Orange Line from Jean-Talon to Champ-de-Mars (~12 min, 6 stops). The station features Marcelle Ferron’s stained glass (1968) — one of Montreal’s iconic metro art installations, abstract colored glass flooding the mezzanine. Stop and look before exiting.

Lunch — Chinatown / Old Montreal edge

Champ-de-Mars sits at the northern edge of Old Montreal, walkable to Chinatown.

  • La Capital Tacos (1096 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Chinatown, ~8 min walk) — heirloom corn from Oaxaca nixtamalized and stone-ground on-site daily, tacos from across Mexico (al pastor, birria, rosarito, carnitas). Open daily (verify lunch hours). $$.
  • Crew Collective (360 Rue Saint-Jacques, Old Montreal, ~10 min walk south) — former Royal Bank headquarters converted to cafe. Soaring ceilings, marble columns, ornate banking hall. Sandwiches, salads, coffee. The dossier calls this the cafe to visit in Old Montreal.

Afternoon — Grande Bibliothèque (BAnQ)

475 Boulevard De Maisonneuve Est, Berri-UQAM metro. One stop north from Champ-de-Mars on the Orange Line, or 10-15 min walk.

33,000 m² public library by Patkau Architects + Croft-Pelletier, opened 2005. Copper-and-glass facade, six levels each with distinct character, 50,000 visitors/week. Free.

Plan for either a 30-min walkthrough of all six levels or a full 2-hour reading session. The dossier calls this a must-visit.

Afternoon Pastry Break (optional)

  • Farine & Cacao (1315 Rue Ontario Est, near Beaudry metro, one stop east on Green from Berri-UQAM) — La Liste Pastry Discovery Gem (only Canadian spot). Lemon-yuzu tart, Paris-Brest. Thu-Fri 10am-7pm — Thursday is the first day of the trip it’s open.

Dinner

Casual day, casual dinner. Options:

  • Mexico (2474 Rue Jean-Talon Est, Villeray, ~20 min walk or short metro home) — generous portions, cheap, daily. $.
  • L’Express (3927 Saint-Denis, Plateau) — classic French bistro since 1980, open daily until 1am. Duck confit, octopus.
  • Revisit a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday favorite if one stuck — Molenne, Juliette Plaza, or back to a HoMa spot you didn’t get to.

Friday April 24 — Canal Walk + Westmount + CCA

Canal walk west from Griffintown to Atwater, then Saint-Henri/Little Burgundy, up into Westmount, east to CCA. Long day; metro between sections if tired.

Morning Coffee

Two paths — coffee at home first, or start at a Griffintown cafe after the metro.

At home:

  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est, ~10 min walk) — third-wave specialty roaster

Canal-adjacent (Griffintown):

  • La Bête à Pain (195 Rue Young) — cafe-bakery by chef Marc-André Royal, lacquered-crust croissants, bread, sandwiches. Mon-Fri 7am-7pm. $-$$.
  • White Heron Coffee (370 Rue des Seigneurs) — third-wave, verify hours.

9:30 AM — Canal Walk

Orange Line from Beaubien to Bonaventure (~15 min). Worth stopping at Square-Victoria-OACI along the way for the Guimard Paris Metro entrance (metro art). Walk south to Peel Basin to start the canal. West to Atwater: ~3-4 km, 1-1.5 hours with stops.

  • Parc du Bassin-Peel — canal start, lock 1 area, views of the old industrial basin
  • Griffintown — tabula rasa condo development on former Irish working-class grounds, contested urbanism
  • Silo No. 5 (southern canal bank) — massive 1906 grain elevator, silent and weathered
  • Farine Five Roses sign (350 Rue Mill) — iconic 1948 red neon on the flour mill, visible from the canal
  • Industrial heritage along the canal — converted factories, working locks
  • Atwater Market (138 Avenue Atwater) — Art Deco 1933 building, Première Moisson bakery inside, farmers’ vendors

~12:00 PM — Lunch in Saint-Henri

Cross from Atwater into Saint-Henri via the pedestrian bridge; lunch options cluster on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest.

  • Arthurs Nosh Bar (4621 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — Jewish-inspired brunch, gravlax plate, shakshuka. Mon-Fri 8am-3pm. $$.
  • Miette Sandwicherie (4619 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — gravlax/tuna/turkey sandwiches on Miette sourdough. Tue-Sun 8am-3:30pm. $-$$.
  • Sumac (3618 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — Middle Eastern counter, falafel, shawarma, hummus, salads, house pita. Fri 11:30am-10pm. $-$$.
  • Tacos Frida (4350 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — southern Mexican tacos, quesadillas, tortas. Daily 11am-9pm. $.
  • Atwater Market vendors — build a lunch from the stalls inside the Art Deco building.

Afternoon — Saint-Henri / Little Burgundy Walk (1:00-2:30 PM)

Walk east along Notre-Dame Ouest through Saint-Henri into Little Burgundy. Former working-class industrial neighborhood (Saint-Henri), historic Black community with jazz heritage (Little Burgundy — Oscar Peterson, Oliver Jones).

  • Rue Notre-Dame Ouest — revitalized commercial strip, cafes, restaurants, galleries
  • Place Saint-Henri — public square around Place-Saint-Henri metro, everyday neighborhood texture
  • Oscar Peterson Park (corner of Notre-Dame Ouest and Des Seigneurs) — park honoring the jazz pianist who grew up here

Westmount (2:30-4:00 PM)

Walk northwest up into Westmount, or short metro Lionel-Groulx → Vendome if legs are done.

  • Westmount Square (Atwater and Sainte-Catherine) — Mies van der Rohe, 1965-67, modernist 4-building mixed-use complex at the eastern edge of Westmount
  • Westmount Park — large central green
  • Victoria Hall — Westmount’s civic hall
  • Westmount Public Library (4574 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest) — 1898 Tudor Revival sandstone, oldest municipal library in Quebec, built for Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Coffered ceilings, decorative moldings, three floors.
  • Mansions along Côte Saint-Antoine and Roslyn — the enclave feel of English Montreal
  • Centre Sanaaq / Bibliothèque Sanaaq (1200 Rue du Sussex, near Cabot Square / Atwater metro) — new 2025 public library and cultural centre by Pelletier de Fontenay + Architecture49, on the former Montreal Children’s Hospital site. Contemporary architecture, black-box theatre, cafe. Sits on the walking path between Westmount Square and CCA.

4:00-6:00 PM — CCA (Canadian Centre for Architecture)

1920 Rue Baile, metro Guy-Concordia. Walk east from Sanaaq / Cabot Square (~10-15 min).

Wed-Sun 11am-6pm, Thu until 9pm. $15 adults, free Thursdays after 5pm (today is Friday — full admission). Aim to arrive by 4:00 PM for 1.5-2 hours before 6pm close.

Exhibitions during April 2026:

  • Everlasting (Shaughnessy House, through Aug 23)

  • Interactive Entertainment Architecture: Culture Lab, Toronto 1991-1994 (Octagonal Gallery, through Aug 30)

  • Audible Archives (Hall Cases, through Oct 18)

  • Charney sculpture garden across Boulevard René-Lévesque from the main building — easy to miss, don’t skip

  • CCA bookshop — one of the best architecture bookshops in North America; budget browsing time

Dinner — Canal Corridor

Walk or metro back down to the Joe Beef cluster on Notre-Dame Ouest (near Lionel-Groulx metro).

  • Liverpool House (2501 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — market-driven French with strong seafood focus: raw bar, arctic char, lobster. Joe Beef’s sister restaurant, fish-friendly. Tue-Sat 5-11pm. $$$-$$$$. (514) 313-6049.
  • Vin Papillon (2519 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest) — vegetable-forward wine bar from the Joe Beef group. Smoked-meat carrots, wood-roasted cauliflower, celery root with bagna cauda. Walk-ins only, allow ~3 plates per person. Tue-Sat 5-10:30pm. $$-$$$. (514) 439-6494.
  • Restaurant Bruce (Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Little Burgundy) — Scottish tavern opened Dec 2025 by Joe Beef alumni. Cullen skink (smoked haddock soup), rumbledethump. $$-$$$. Verify hours.

Timing note

This is a long day — ~11 hours door-to-door with lots of walking. Sections where you can cut without losing the arc: the Saint-Henri/Little Burgundy walk can shorten if lunch runs long; skip the Westmount mansion stretch and go straight from Westmount Square to CCA if legs are done; metro Lionel-Groulx → Vendome → Atwater rather than walking up the hill.

Standalone Items (thread into the week)

  • Metro art stations — hit naturally: Champ-de-Mars (stained glass), Square-Victoria-OACI (Guimard Paris Metro entrance), Place-des-Arts (glass mural)

Saturday April 25 — Departure Day

Last neighborhood morning. Revisit whichever cafe became your favorite, or try one you haven’t gotten to yet.

  • Automne Boulangerie (6500 Christophe-Colomb) — croissants for the road
  • Cafe Pista (500 Beaubien Est) — one last serious coffee
  • Marche Hung Phat (7099 Saint-Denis) — $7 banh mi to grab for the car, if you haven’t been yet

Drive to Ile Sainte-Helene (~15 min) for the Montreal Biosphere. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, steel structure exposed since the 1976 fire. Current exhibitions: “Transform: Designing the Future of Energy” (Vitra Design Museum) and a building history exhibit. 1-1.5 hours.

Cross the Champlain Bridge to the South Shore and head south. ~5 hours to Boston. Grab provisions from the neighborhood before leaving, or stop along the way.