Things to do in Montréal that you can't do in Vancouver

If you’re mulling over a trip to somewhere a little more exotic than Vancouver this year, have you considered Montréal?

Sure, Montréal 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’t find in Vancouver, it might surprise you.

It’s 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.

Two cities with very different vibes

Thanks to various factors, Vancouver and Montréal couldn’t be more different.

When you’re in Montréal, it feels less like Canada and more like you’re in Europe.

While Vancouver’s bar and cocktail scene is growing and becoming more established, aside from Toronto, Montréal is typically considered to have one of the best bar scenes in the country.

Montréal is also the world’s second-largest francophone city after Paris, so it would make a great place to hone your French skills. But don’t feel intimidated by the French; it’s not a barrier, and no one will bat an eye at you for speaking English.

Promesse!

Amir Ali/Daily Hive

The difference in age says a lot

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, Montréal has over 200 years on Vancouver, being founded around 383 years ago and incorporated nearly 200 years ago.

If you’re into Canadian history, outside of the historic Gastown neighbourhood, you won’t find the level of history you can in Montréal in Vancouver. That extends to things like long-running establishments, architecture, the city’s infrastructure and more.

Montréal is much more densely packed and has a much bigger population than Vancouver. It’s also a significantly larger city geographically.

Crew Collective & Café embodies that history and what Vancouver doesn’t have

Amir Ali/Daily Hive

There’s nowhere in Vancouver you can have a top-quality latte or flat white served to you in a cathedral-style building.

Things to do in Montréal that you can’t in Vancouver

Montréal has a rich events scene, perhaps punctuated by Montréal En Lumière and Nuit Blanche à Montréal.

While those events have now passed by for the season, you can definitely plan ahead to visit for future iterations.

Like Vancouver, Montréal is an incredibly walkable city, and that is the best and cheapest way to explore the city.

La Vie, La Mort, Le Dessert

One of the weirdest experiences you can have in Montréal is La Vie, La Mort, Le Dessert.

Here’s a little peek at what the February 2026 event looked like.

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.

Amir Ali/DailyHive

Daily Hive got a taste of the experience, and the pictures speak for themselves.

Yes, that’s a person people are eating off of. (Amir Ali/DailyHive)

Amir Ali/DailyHive

Circus hub

While Vancouver usually gets an annual Cirque Du Soleil event, in Montréal, it’s a year-round circus hub. You can also get in on the action yourself at the Montréal Circus Academy.

Mount Royal Park

Montréal has a park that’s older than Vancouver’s age as a city. Mount Royal Park turned 150 today.

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.

Historic architecture

Amir Ali/Daily Hive

Montréal has no shortage of interesting buildings to admire, particularly the many awe-inspiring churches. Many, if not most, of the churches in Montréal–of which there are hundreds across the city–allow visitors for specific hours, where you can walk in and admire the architecture.

Plaza St-Hubert

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

TimeOut Market (for now)

Amir Ali/Daily Hive

Vancouver is, of course, getting its own TimeOut Market once the new Oakridge Mall opens, but before that happens, Montréal is the only place to go for it.

If you’re unfamiliar with TimeOut Market, it’s essentially a high-end and highly curated food hall. You can find much higher-quality offerings than in your traditional mall food court.

Cost of living

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

Montréal 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 Montréal bagels, smoked meat, and Portuguese chicken, among many others.

It’s also easier than ever to get to Montréal, 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.

Porter Airlines

You can find more information about some of the experiences you can have in Montréal on the Tourism Montréal website.

If you’ve spent time in both cities, what do you like about one over the other?