Bikes, Old Montréal & the Lachine Canal

Montréal is one of those cities that feels familiar and foreign at the same time.

You’re unquestionably in North America, but then you turn onto a cobblestone street, hear French spoken at the table beside you and sit down for dinner in a centuries-old stone building that wouldn’t feel out of place in Europe.

Add an excellent food scene, neighborhoods built for walking and one of the best urban cycling networks I’ve experienced, and Montréal makes an almost perfect long-weekend destination.

My favorite way to experience the city was on two wheels.

We rented bikes, rode through Montréal’s neighborhoods and parks, climbed toward Mount Royal and eventually explored the waterfront around the Lachine Canal. We also spent plenty of time doing what Montréal arguably does best: eating and drinking.

If you only have a weekend, here’s how I’d spend it.

Old Montréal

For a first visit, start in Old Montréal.

This is the postcard version of the city: cobblestone streets, historic stone buildings, cafés and restaurants occupying structures that have been standing for centuries.

Walk down Rue Saint-Paul and through Place Jacques-Cartier, then make your way toward Notre-Dame Basilica and the waterfront at the Old Port.

Yes, this is Montréal’s most touristy neighborhood.

Go anyway.

Unlike historic districts in some North American cities, Old Montréal doesn’t feel like a few preserved buildings surrounded by a modern downtown. There are enough narrow streets and historic structures that you can wander for hours.

And this is somewhere I’d stay for dinner.

Montréal has one of North America’s best restaurant scenes, and Old Montréal offers plenty of atmospheric options inside the neighborhood’s old stone buildings. If you want something lively rather than overly formal, Modavie combines a French-bistro setting with live music. For something more refined, Monarque offers a modern interpretation of the grand French brasserie.

The specific restaurant matters less than the experience.

Find somewhere with an open terrace or an old stone dining room. Order some wine. Don’t rush dinner.

Then walk back through Old Montréal after dark.

That’s when the neighborhood looks its best.

See Montréal by Bike

The next morning, rent a bike.

Montréal is remarkably well suited for cycling, with an extensive network of bike paths connecting neighborhoods, parks and the waterfront. The city’s BIXI bike-share system also makes it relatively easy to pick up a bike without committing to a traditional full-day rental.

More importantly, biking allows you to experience Montréal differently.

You’re moving quickly enough to cover significant ground but slowly enough to actually see the neighborhoods you’re passing through.

And there’s one destination you should aim for first.

Ride to Mount Royal

Montréal is named for Mount Royal, the large hill rising immediately behind downtown.

Ride toward it.

The closer you get, the flatter city streets eventually give way to a considerably more noticeable climb. Depending on your route and enthusiasm for uphill cycling, you may eventually decide walking the bike isn’t such a terrible idea.

The payoff is worth it.

Mount Royal Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York’s Central Park, and remains one of Montréal’s defining public spaces. Its Olmsted Trail is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists.

Make your way toward the Kondiaronk Belvedere near the Mount Royal Chalet.

This is the view.

From the overlook, downtown Montréal stretches below you with the St. Lawrence River beyond it.

Stay for a while.

Particularly on a beautiful summer weekend, Mount Royal feels less like a tourist attraction and more like Montréal’s backyard.

Then enjoy the best part of having ridden a bike uphill.

Ride back down.

The Lachine Canal

For another ride, head toward the Lachine Canal National Historic Site.

This was one of my favorite areas of Montréal.

The canal cuts across the southwestern part of the city for roughly 14.5 kilometers, connecting the Old Port area with the St. Lawrence farther west. A paved multi-use path follows the water, passing through neighborhoods that feel increasingly removed from downtown Montréal.

It’s an easy ride.

The terrain is mostly flat, the water is beside you and there are plenty of places to stop.

Which you should.

This isn’t somewhere I’d try to set a cycling speed record.

Stop at Atwater Market. Grab something to eat. Sit beside the canal. Have a drink.

Several cafés, terraces and restaurants take advantage of the waterfront setting. Café Ma Bicyclette sits directly along the canal near the Atwater Market footbridge and makes a particularly natural stop during a ride.

If you continue all the way toward Lachine, you’ll find more waterfront restaurants and terraces. Il Fornetto, for example, sits beside the water and combines Italian food with the kind of outdoor setting that makes considerably more sense on a warm summer afternoon than sitting inside.

The canal itself is also a piece of Montréal’s industrial history, but today the old transportation corridor has become one of the city’s best recreational spaces.

On a summer weekend, you’ll pass cyclists, runners, families, boats and people doing absolutely nothing on the grass.

That last option isn’t a bad one.

Saint Helen’s Island

For a completely different view of Montréal, cross the St. Lawrence to Saint Helen’s Island — Île Sainte-Hélène.

Together with neighboring Île Notre-Dame, the island forms Parc Jean-Drapeau, a massive park immediately across the river from downtown.

The islands have a fascinating history.

Saint Helen’s Island was expanded and Île Notre-Dame was actually constructed using millions of tons of rock and earth excavated during construction of Montréal’s Metro system. The transformed islands became the centerpiece of Expo 67, Montréal’s legendary World’s Fair.

More than half a century later, remnants of Expo remain scattered throughout the park.

The most obvious is impossible to miss.

The Biosphere

The enormous geodesic dome on Saint Helen’s Island was originally the United States pavilion at Expo 67.

Designed by Buckminster Fuller, the structure looks futuristic even today.

It’s one of those buildings that seems completely disconnected from its surroundings—which is precisely what makes it interesting.

But Saint Helen’s Island is also worth visiting simply for the green space and views back toward Montréal.

Parc Jean-Drapeau contains more than 25 kilometers of walking and cycling trails, making bikes another excellent way to explore the islands.

And then keep riding.

Because the next island is even more unusual.

Île Notre-Dame

Cross onto Île Notre-Dame and suddenly you’re riding through another chapter of Montréal’s history.

The island was created for Expo 67 and later became home to facilities constructed for the 1976 Summer Olympics.

But sports fans will recognize it for another reason.

This is where you’ll find the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

When the circuit isn’t being used for racing and special events, portions of the area are accessible for recreational use.

There is something slightly surreal about riding a bicycle around a Formula 1 circuit.

You’re traveling at perhaps 15 miles per hour on pavement where F1 cars approach 200.

Take your victory lap anyway.

Between the race circuit, remnants of Expo 67, views of Montréal and the surrounding river, Île Notre-Dame feels unlike anywhere else in the city.

Montréal Is a City to Experience Outside

What I remember most about Montréal isn’t necessarily a particular museum or monument.

It’s being outside.

Riding bikes toward Mount Royal.

Cycling beside the Lachine Canal.

Eating near the water.

Walking the cobblestone streets of Old Montréal after dinner.

Crossing onto Saint Helen’s Island and Île Notre-Dame.

That may partly be because Montréal is particularly good at summer.

After a long Canadian winter, the city seems determined to take advantage of every warm day. Patios fill up, parks become gathering places and bikes seem to be everywhere. Montréal’s tourism office describes summer in much the same way: streets become pedestrian spaces, parks fill and much of city life moves outside.

If the weather cooperates, follow their lead.

My Perfect Weekend in Montréal

I’d organize a first weekend around two relatively simple days.

Saturday: Explore Old Montréal → Notre-Dame Basilica → Old Port → lunch outside → walk the historic streets → dinner and drinks in Old Montréal.

Sunday: Rent bikes → ride toward Mount Royal → take in the skyline from the overlook → ride south toward the Lachine Canal → lunch or drinks beside the water → continue toward Parc Jean-Drapeau → Saint Helen’s Island → Île Notre-Dame.

That’s an ambitious Sunday.

But that’s also the beauty of seeing Montréal by bike.

You can cover an enormous amount of the city without ever feeling like you’re racing between tourist attractions.

Final Thoughts

Montréal isn’t quite Europe.

And it doesn’t need to be.

What makes the city interesting is the combination.

French language and North American energy. Cobblestone streets and modern skyscrapers. Historic churches and Formula 1 tracks. French restaurants and waterside bike paths.

You can have dinner in an old stone building in Old Montréal one night and spend the next afternoon riding a bicycle beside the Lachine Canal.

That’s the Montréal I enjoyed most.

So if you’re visiting for a weekend—particularly during the warmer months—my biggest recommendation is simple:

Rent a bike.

Ride uphill to Mount Royal.

Ride beside the canal.

Cross the river.

Explore the islands.

And whenever you find a good restaurant or a table beside the water, stop.

You’re in Montréal. There’s no reason to hurry.