Montreal: Tips for Basing Here

August 19, 2026

Using Montreal as a base changes the practical questions from “what’s the city like” to “how do I actually get out and back.” Here’s what matters.

Getting from the airport

Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) sits about 20 kilometres west of downtown. The REM light-rail line does not reach the airport yet, that branch isn’t expected until around the end of 2027, so don’t plan on it. Use the STM Bus 747 ($11.25, runs 24/7) or a flat-rate taxi, about $49.45 by day or $56.70 at night.

Entry rules

US citizens need a passport but no visa and no eTA. Other visa-exempt visitors, from the UK, EU, or Australia, need an eTA (an electronic travel authorization, CAD $7, air travel only). ArriveCAN, the Advance Declaration app, is optional, not required, despite what some older advice says.

Booking VIA Rail for day trips

VIA Rail runs from Gare Centrale downtown to Quebec City, Ottawa, and Trois-Rivières, all on the same corridor, and it’s the only car-free option among the day trips on this list. Quebec City runs 5 departures a day, about 3 hours each way; book the earliest one if you’re doing it same-day. Everything else, the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians, Montebello, Montérégie, and the sugar shacks, needs a rental car or an organized tour.

Getting around the city itself

The STM metro runs $3.75 a ride and covers the core easily; no car is needed inside Montreal, only for day trips. The RÉSO underground city, about 33 kilometres of connected tunnels linking metro stations, malls, and hotels, is a genuine winter lifeline rather than a novelty. Bixi bike-share runs in the warmer months.

Money and tax

Currency is CAD. Quebec’s sales tax is 14.975% (5% GST plus 9.975% QST), added at the register on hotel rooms, meals, and day-trip tickets alike, so the sticker price is never the final number. Tipping has crept to 18-20% pre-tax at restaurants.

Language

Quebec is French-first by law (Bill 96), but tourist-core Montreal, Old Montreal, downtown, and the Plateau, is fluently bilingual. “Bonjour-Hi” is the actual local greeting. A little French is appreciated on a day trip into smaller towns, but treat it as courtesy rather than a barrier.

Timing around big events

The F1 Canadian Grand Prix, late May, spikes hotel rates across the city and is worth avoiding if a day-trip base trip is on a budget. Winter (Igloofest included) means very cold temperatures, -10 to -20°C with snow, though the RÉSO and the metro keep the city itself workable even then; it’s the Laurentians day trip that turns into skiing rather than hiking in that season.

For the day trips these tips apply to, see our 8 day trips guide , or start planning with our 2-day itinerary .