Montreal Travel Guide
Buy Canadian DollarsMontreal at a glance
Montreal, Quebec's largest city, is French-speaking, with the stone streets of Old Montreal, Mount Royal's park in the middle of the city, and two big winter festivals. Three days covers it, and Quebec City, about three and a half hours away by VIA Rail, deserves its own night. Air Canada flies from Delhi four times a week from 1 November 2026 to 26 March 2027; other flights from India connect through Toronto.
The STM 747 bus runs around the clock from door 28 at the airport to René-Lévesque and Berri downtown, every 10 to 20 minutes. Its CAD 11.25 fare doubles as a 24-hour pass for the bus, metro and REM, but on board it takes coins only, so buy it at the door 28 machines, which take cash, debit, Visa and Mastercard. A taxi costs a flat CAD 49.45 by day (CAD 56.70 at night). The REM airport train is not due until 2027.
Metro turnstiles do not take a tapped bank card: buy an OPUS card or a fare at a station booth, which takes debit and credit cards. A single trip costs CAD 3.75 and three days CAD 21.75. Quebec law bars merchants from adding a fee when you pay by card, and the till adds 14.975% in GST and QST.
Notre-Dame Basilica costs from CAD 16 plus tax by day, and its AURA light show from CAD 37. Parc-Extension, along Jean-Talon Street West, is Montreal's South Asian neighbourhood. Igloofest runs from 14 January to 6 February 2027 and Montréal en Lumière from 18 to 28 February 2027. Indian passport holders need a visitor visa, applied for online: CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics at one of ten VFS centres in India, with a posted processing time of about 30 days. The eTA is not open to Indians, even with a US visa.
What to see and do
Old Montreal and the Old Port are a short metro ride from downtown; the Plateau, Mount Royal and Jean-Talon Market are a metro or bus ride north.
Notre-Dame Basilica
Old Montreal's Gothic Revival basilica, with its deep-blue, gold-starred interior: from CAD 16 plus tax by day (Monday to Saturday 9 am to 4 pm, Sunday from 12:30 pm), and the evening AURA show from CAD 37.
The Old Port
The riverfront below Old Montreal, free to walk, and the home of Igloofest in January and February.
Jean-Talon Market
Little Italy's big open-air market, open daily (to 6 pm Monday to Saturday, 5 pm on Sunday), a short ride from the Indian restaurants and sweet shops of Parc-Extension.
The Plateau
Residential streets of outdoor spiral staircases, murals and cafés, on the walk up to Mount Royal's free park.
Paying in Montreal
For the dollar itself, entry rules for Indians, sales tax and tipping, see the Canada travel guide, and the CAD to INR page for today's rate. Canadian dollars load on the Matrix Forex Card, so most travellers carry the card plus a small cash float.
Cards work almost everywhere, and by law shops cannot add a card fee. The only place cards will not work is on board the 747, which takes coins. Hotels add Quebec's 3.5% lodging tax, with GST and QST charged on top. Carry CAD 20 to 40 a day, including CAD 11.25 in coins if you might board the 747 without a ticket.
What Montreal actually costs
Set the length and style of your trip to see what to budget, in Canadian dollars and Indian rupees.
Indicative, excluding international flights and accommodation, per person per day. Converted at the verified mid-market rate on 12 October 2026, C$1 ≈ ₹67.18, not a Matrix board rate.
Budget roughly ₹4,030 to ₹14,780 per person per day on the ground, excluding flights and accommodation.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 747 airport bus, with a 24-hour pass | CAD 11.25 |
| Taxi, airport to downtown: day / night | CAD 49.45 / 56.70 |
| STM single trip / 3 days | CAD 3.75 / 21.75 |
| Notre-Dame Basilica, daytime visit | from CAD 16 + tax |
| AURA light show | from CAD 37 + tax |
Getting around
STM fares cover the buses, metro, exo trains and REM in zone A: CAD 3.75 a trip, CAD 11.25 for 24 hours, CAD 21.75 for three days and CAD 17 for an unlimited weekend. In winter, the Underground City, more than 32 km of tunnels, links the downtown metro stations and malls.
Common mistakes in Montreal
Expecting an eTA
Indians cannot use Canada's eTA, even with a US visa. Apply for a visitor visa online and give biometrics within 30 days of your instruction letter.
Boarding the 747 with notes or a card
Drivers take coins only. Buy the fare at the door 28 machines.
Tapping a bank card at the metro gates
The turnstiles take OPUS cards and paper fares, not tapped bank cards. Buy at a booth first.
Planning around the REM airport train
The airport station is not due until 2027. Take the 747.
Montreal FAQs
Take the STM 747 bus from door 28. It runs around the clock, every 10 to 20 minutes, and costs CAD 11.25 including a 24-hour transit pass. A taxi costs a flat CAD 49.45 by day or CAD 56.70 at night.
Yes. Indian passport holders need a visitor visa, applied for online: CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics, given at one of ten VFS Global centres in India. IRCC's posted processing time for applications from India was 30 days in October 2026. The eTA is not open to Indians, even with a US visa.
Not by tapping it at the gate. Buy a fare or an OPUS card at a metro booth, which takes debit and credit cards, then use it at the turnstile.
No. The airport branch is scheduled to open in 2027. Until then, take the 747 bus or a taxi.
Igloofest runs from 14 January to 6 February 2027 at the Old Port, and Montréal en Lumière from 18 to 28 February 2027.
In Parc-Extension, Montreal's South Asian neighbourhood, along Jean-Talon Street West, a short ride from Jean-Talon Market, with plenty of vegetarian dishes.
On 12 October 2026 one Canadian dollar was ₹67.18 at the mid-market rate, so CAD 100 is about ₹6,720.
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