Old Montréal on Foot and by Car: Where a Car Can Stop and Where to Walk

Why Old Montréal rewards a plan

Old Montréal is the oldest part of the city and one of the most walkable. Narrow streets, stone buildings, a working waterfront and Notre-Dame Basilica sit within a few blocks of each other, which is why the area draws visitors all year. It is also the part of Montréal where cars are least welcome, and the rules have been tightening toward a car-free district by 2030.

The practical consequence is that your car matters at the edges of the day, not in the middle. A chauffeur is useful for the long drive in, for the airport or station transfer with luggage, and for the evening when you want to go back to your hotel without a metro ride. In between, you walk.

This guide is written from the curb. It covers the streets that are pedestrian-only this year, where a vehicle can drop you, how long the drive from Toronto takes and what the honest alternatives are. For the city overall see our Montréal limo and car service page, and for planning an itinerary see private city tours.

Which streets are car-free in Old Montréal?

Montréal's tourism board lists the 2026 pedestrian-only spots, and the dates matter for anyone visiting in autumn:

• Saint-Paul Street East, between Marché-Bonsecours Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard: April 15 to October 29, 2026. It passes restaurants, galleries, the domed Marché Bonsecours and the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel.
• Place Jacques-Cartier, between Notre-Dame Street and De La Commune Street: April 15 to October 29, 2026. It is a square with views of City Hall and the St. Lawrence.
• Place d'Youville and Place Royale: June 3 to September 1, 2026. Place Royale is home to Pointe-à-Callière and hosts an eighteenth-century public market every August.

The same source says the wider area will be entirely car-free by 2030 as part of a larger pedestrianization project. As of this writing in October 2026, Saint-Paul Street East and Place Jacques-Cartier are still car-free for a few more weeks, and the dates for next year will be published by the city. Exact dates change each year.

How long is the drive from Toronto?

Toronto to Montréal is about 540 km on Highway 401 and Québec's Highway 20. Montréal's tourism board estimates about 5.5 hours of highway driving between downtowns, not counting stops. Kingston is roughly the halfway point, and past the GTA the highway narrows from three lanes to two. The 401 becomes Highway 20 after the Québec border, and the road becomes a boulevard with traffic lights as it crosses Île Perrot and reaches the island. Follow the "Centre-ville" signs.

For a step-by-step route with stops, see our Toronto to Montréal route page. The booker shows the exact all-in fare for your pickup address and vehicle before you confirm, so you know the price of the whole run before you commit.

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Arriving: the airport, the station and the first drop-off

From Montréal-Trudeau Airport, downtown is about 20 km, usually 20 to 45 minutes depending on the hour. Our Montréal airport page explains the pickup and flight tracking. The 747 bus runs 24 hours a day between the airport and downtown, according to Montréal's tourism board, taking about 30 to 35 minutes to Lionel-Groulx metro and 45 to 70 minutes to Berri-UQÀM. The REM airport branch is not open yet; the tourism board says it is scheduled for 2027.

If you arrive by train, VIA Rail's Montréal Central Station is at 895 de la Gauchetière West, under the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, near the Bonaventure and McGill metro stations. Our Central Station page covers pickups.

From either place, the best first drop-off in Old Montréal depends on your hotel. If it is on the pedestrian streets, your chauffeur stops at the nearest open corner and you walk the last block with your bags. If it is on a street that stays open to traffic, the car can reach the door.

Notre-Dame Basilica: the one visit that needs timing

The Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal is at 110 Notre-Dame Street West. Its published visiting hours are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12:30 to 4 p.m. Masses are held in French only, and on-site ticketing is available only during regular visiting hours; purchases after 4 p.m. must be made online or by phone.

The basilica offers a daytime sightseeing visit and an evening experience called AURA, a visual and musical show by Moment Factory, both bookable online. Because the daytime visit closes at 4 p.m., the afternoon is the time to be there rather than the late afternoon. If you want AURA, plan dinner around it and tell your chauffeur the end time, since the pickup street changes with the evening events.

Place d'Armes, in front of the basilica, is part of the city's pedestrian-priority plan, so ask your chauffeur to confirm the drop point and expect to be dropped at an edge rather than at the door.

The Old Port: parking, metro and the waterfront

The Old Port of Montréal runs along De La Commune Street from the Clock Tower Pier to the Écluses sector. According to the Old Port's own access page, it has two on-site lots, one at Clock Tower Pier and one at King-Edward Pier, open 24 hours, where you take a ticket at the entrance terminal. The site is open from 6 a.m. to midnight and is accessible to people with reduced mobility, with 28 spaces for permit holders across the two lots.

By transit, the walking times to the Orange line metro are: Champs-de-Mars 8 minutes, Place d'Armes 14 minutes and Square-Victoria-OACI 16 minutes. Bus lines 50, 129 and 55 stop 2 to 8 minutes from the site. Commuter trains reach Lucien-Lallier station and Central Station. River shuttles run from the Old Port to Boucherville, Pointe-aux-Trembles, Varennes, Île Sainte-Hélène and Longueuil, and BIXI stations are on site.

For a group, the Old Port is the easiest place to be dropped, because De La Commune Street runs along it and the lots are a short walk from the waterfront.

Museums and markets worth the walk

• Pointe-à-Callière, the city's archaeology and history museum, is at 350 Place Royale. Its website lists an exhibition on Greece and the age of Troy running until March 7, 2027.
• Marché Bonsecours, which opened in 1847, houses about 15 boutiques selling Québec-made crafts, fashion and design, and restaurants with terraces. Its published boutique hours are Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, near the market, is noted by the tourism board for rooftop views.

All three are within a short walk of each other. A car cannot help you between them in the pedestrian season, and that is the point of the district.

A day in Old Montréal, hour by hour

1. 8:30 a.m. Arrive from Toronto or the airport. Drop at your hotel or the nearest open corner.
2. 9:30 a.m. Walk Place Jacques-Cartier and Saint-Paul Street East while the cafés open.
3. 10:30 a.m. Notre-Dame Basilica during daytime hours.
4. 12:30 p.m. Lunch near Marché Bonsecours.
5. 2:00 p.m. Pointe-à-Callière.
6. 4:00 p.m. Old Port walk toward the Clock Tower Pier.
7. 6:30 p.m. Dinner; a chauffeur meets you at a pickup point on an open street for the return to the hotel or the airport.

That plan is mostly walking, with the car used at the start and the end. It is designed to avoid the paid-parking hunt, the cobblestone ankle-twist and the sudden street closure.

Cobbles, weather and winter

Cobblestones are charming and unforgiving. Wear flat, closed shoes in every season. In winter the same stones can be icy. The 2026 car-free periods end on October 29 for Saint-Paul Street East and Place Jacques-Cartier and on September 1 for Place d'Youville and Place Royale, so in the colder months a car can get closer to your door, and that is when it earns its place for short moves.

Winter in Old Montréal is quieter, and the basilica's evening experience is a good reason to go.

Groups, weddings and families

Old Montréal is a popular wedding backdrop. If you are planning photographs on the cobblestones, your chauffeur drops the couple at an open street and the group walks to the shoot. For details see our wedding limo page.

An Executive Sedan carries up to three passengers with two large and two carry-on bags. The luxury SUV takes six travellers and five or six checked bags. For 12 to 14 people, the executive Sprinter takes a dozen or more bags as well. Stretch limousines, party buses and coaches are confirmed at booking. Child, toddler and booster seats are provided when requested at booking. See the fleet.

Honest alternatives to a private car

The metro wins for solo travellers. A private car wins for groups, for luggage, for an arrival after midnight, and for the long drive from Toronto. In between, walk.

Parking if you drive yourself

If you do bring a car, Montréal's tourism board points to the Agence de mobilité durable website for paid on-street parking and says the Mobicité app lets you pay or add time to meters remotely. The Old Port lots are the straightforward option for a day visit, since they are open round the clock and require no reservation.

Check Mobility Montréal for road closures before you leave, because construction and events close streets without much notice.

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Planning events and the nights around the day

Old Montréal fills in the evening around the Old Port. For New Year's Eve, see our Old Port New Year's Eve guide; for conferences nearby, the Palais des congrès guide covers delegates and airport runs; and for the other side of the city, the Mount Royal and Plateau guide covers a neighbourhood loop. Our Quebec hub lists other cities.

For a trip that continues east, see our Montréal to Québec City route.

Licensed, commercially insured vehicles and chauffeurs, 24/7 dispatch and a fixed fare quoted before you pay are standard. Our cancellation terms are: more than 72 hours' notice no charge; 72 hours or less 10%; 48 hours or less 50%; 24 hours or less or no-show 100%, measured from the scheduled pickup time. Service is in English and French in Québec. For more outings, see the attractions index and the blog.