{"id":553438,"date":"2026-03-22T15:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/553438\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T15:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:08:12","slug":"things-to-do-in-montreal-that-you-cant-do-in-vancouver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/553438\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to do in Montr\u00e9al that you can’t do in Vancouver"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re mulling over a trip to somewhere a little more exotic than Vancouver this year, have you considered Montr\u00e9al?<\/p>\n

Sure, Montr\u00e9al is in Canada, which might not strike some as particularly exotic. However, thanks to the historic architecture, the bilingual nature of the city and a wide assortment of things to do that you can\u2019t find in Vancouver, it might surprise you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an especially great place to visit if you do want a real winter experience, which Vancouver this year has only seen a tiny glimpse of.<\/p>\n

Two cities with very different vibes<\/p>\n

Thanks to various factors, Vancouver and Montr\u00e9al couldn\u2019t be more different.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in Montr\u00e9al, it feels less like Canada and more like you\u2019re in Europe.<\/p>\n

While Vancouver\u2019s bar and cocktail scene is growing and becoming more established, aside from Toronto, Montr\u00e9al is typically considered to have one of the best bar scenes in the country.<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al is also the world\u2019s second-largest francophone city after Paris, so it would make a great place to hone your French skills. But don\u2019t feel intimidated by the French; it\u2019s not a barrier, and no one will bat an eye at you for speaking English.<\/p>\n

Promesse!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/Daily Hive<\/p>\n

The difference in age says a lot<\/p>\n

Another reality that immediately separates the two cities is their respective ages. Vancouver is a relatively young city, being incorporated about 140 years ago. Meanwhile, Montr\u00e9al has over 200 years on Vancouver, being founded around 383 years ago and incorporated nearly 200 years ago.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re into Canadian history, outside of the historic Gastown neighbourhood, you won\u2019t find the level of history you can in Montr\u00e9al in Vancouver. That extends to things like long-running establishments, architecture, the city\u2019s infrastructure and more.<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al is much more densely packed and has a much bigger population than Vancouver. It\u2019s also a significantly larger city geographically.<\/p>\n

Crew Collective & Caf\u00e9 embodies that history and what Vancouver doesn\u2019t have
\n\"vancouver<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/Daily Hive<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nowhere in Vancouver you can have a top-quality latte or flat white served to you in a cathedral-style building.<\/p>\n

Crew Collective & Caf\u00e9 is just that, and a celebration of Montr\u00e9al\u2019s rich cultural history. Crew is often called one of the most beautiful caf\u00e9s in the entire country, and it embodies the type of historic experiences, blended with a modern twist, you can have in the city.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Montr\u00e9al that you can\u2019t in Vancouver<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al has a rich events scene, perhaps punctuated by Montr\u00e9al En Lumi\u00e8re<\/a> and Nuit Blanche \u00e0 <\/a>Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n

While those events have now passed by for the season, you can definitely plan ahead to visit for future iterations.<\/p>\n

Like Vancouver, Montr\u00e9al is an incredibly walkable city, and that is the best and cheapest way to explore the city.<\/p>\n

La Vie, La Mort, Le Dessert<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the weirdest experiences you can have in Montr\u00e9al is La Vie, La Mort, Le Dessert.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little peek at what the February 2026 event looked like.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The event returns later this year and is perfect for folks who enjoy immersive experiences, with a macabre twist, and food. The experience takes place inside the incredible Satosphere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/DailyHive<\/p>\n

Daily Hive got a taste of the experience, and the pictures speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s a person people are eating off of. (Amir Ali\/DailyHive)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/DailyHive<\/p>\n

Circus hub<\/p>\n

While Vancouver usually gets an annual Cirque Du Soleil event, in Montr\u00e9al, it\u2019s a year-round circus hub. You can also get in on the action yourself at the Montr\u00e9al Circus Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mount Royal Park<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al has a park that\u2019s older than Vancouver\u2019s age as a city. Mount Royal Park turned 150 today.<\/p>\n

At Mount Royal Park, visitors can take a stroll and view a wide variety of plants and birds, or just visit to enjoy outdoor activities like skiing.<\/p>\n

Historic architecture
\n\"montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/Daily Hive<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al has no shortage of interesting buildings to admire, particularly the many awe-inspiring churches. Many, if not most, of the churches in Montr\u00e9al\u2013of which there are hundreds across the city\u2013allow visitors for specific hours, where you can walk in and admire the architecture.<\/p>\n

Plaza St-Hubert<\/a><\/p>\n

While Vancouver has beloved streets like Commercial Drive, Montr\u00e9al also has areas like it, but there\u2019s nothing in Vancouver that can quite compare to Plaza St-Hubert. Thanks to the canopy that protects visitors from inclement weather, it\u2019s one of the only of its kind in the country, and one of Montr\u00e9al\u2019s leading commercial thoroughfares, which thousands of visitors experience every year.<\/p>\n

TimeOut Market (for now)
\n\"montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Amir Ali\/Daily Hive<\/p>\n

Vancouver is, of course, getting its own TimeOut Market once the new Oakridge Mall opens, but before that happens, Montr\u00e9al is the only place to go for it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unfamiliar with TimeOut Market, it\u2019s essentially a high-end and highly curated food hall. You can find much higher-quality offerings than in your traditional mall food court.<\/p>\n

Cost of living<\/p>\n

While this is less a thing you can do and more just a reality of the city, Montr\u00e9al is a much more affordable place to live than Vancouver. The most recent Rentals.ca report<\/a> showed that the average asking rent for a one-bedroom unit in Montr\u00e9al is $1,722 per month, compared to Vancouver\u2019s $2,376. Even the average cost of a two-bedroom unit in Montr\u00e9al ($2,257) is cheaper than a one-bedroom unit in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al is a huge city with no shortage of things to do. This post merely scrapes the surface of things you can experience in the city, failing to mention city traditions like Montr\u00e9al bagels, smoked meat, and Portuguese chicken, among many others.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also easier than ever to get to Montr\u00e9al, thanks to Porter Airlines offering direct flights from Vancouver. We punched in some dates between April 06 and April 10 and found a round-trip route for under $700 with basic fares.<\/p>\n

\"montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Porter Airlines<\/p>\n

You can find more information about some of the experiences you can have in Montr\u00e9al on the Tourism Montr\u00e9al website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve spent time in both cities, what do you like about one over the other?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re mulling over a trip to somewhere a little more exotic than Vancouver this year, have you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-553438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}