Things to do in Montreal in November

The crisp air of fall is getting colder and colder, the sky is grey, the fall colours have slowly fallen and maybe we even had our first or second snowfall. Montreal’s November weather might not be the main reason why you are visiting our great city. However, there are plenty of activities and things to do in Montreal in November. Maybe you are stopping by for a big meeting or a conference or simply for a weekend getaway, this guide will tell you all the things to do in Montreal in November, from how to get around to what to wear.

MTL à Table

This is by far my favourite event in Montreal in November. MTL à Table (MTL is short for Montreal, in case you didn’t know) is the foodie week by excellence. For 11 consecutive days, 150 restaurants across the city offer table d’hôte (multi-course) dinner menus at great prices! This unique event gives you the opportunity to go to fancy and award-winning restaurants for a fraction of the price. While there are very different types of restaurants that participate in the event, I would suggest opting for high-end restaurants since you might not splurge on your meals as often. The restaurant week offers menus at $38, $53, $68 and $83 for a three- or four-course meal. Did I say that many restaurants have a delicious brunch menu for $17? And who doesn’t love brunch?

For Montrealers, this is the time of year where everyone flocks the restaurants and indulges on all its great gastronomy. Since it is a prime event for tourists and locals alike, I would suggest calling restaurants to reserve a table in advance! Here is the list of all the restaurants that offer MTL à Table.

This year’s theme is once again to highlight local products and local cuisine. There are 2 sub-events in this year’s edition, MMFA and Cacao Barry challenge. The MMFA à Table invites selected chefs to create a dish inspired by artwork from the Québec and Canadian collections. These dishes are a work of art for your eyes and your belly alike. The Cacao Barry challenge is an event for all the chocoholics of the world. There are 15 restaurants that display their love for chocolate in the yummiest and most creative ways.

This year we decided to go to the restaurant M. Mme. It is one of the best wine bars in the city. For MTL à Table, the restaurant offers a table d’hôte of 3 services for $33. For the three services you had three choices; I ordered the leek salad as an appetizer and the arctic char with stewed Jerusalem artichoke for the main course followed by a chocolate mousse with a light touch of raspberry as dessert. Worth noting that the wine bar offers a wine pairing for each item on the menu.

Psst: The restaurant M. Mme. closed in 2019, however, the formula and the festival still exist.

Montreal is a foodie destination, so don’t worry if you cannot make it to the festival. You can either join one of the many Montreal food tours or you can try one of these 10 must-try dishes which include Poutine, Bagels or Smoked meat to name a few. Of course, Quebec is known for its delicious maple syrup so you can add it to your breakfast order. If you are a beer lover, don’t forget to check out my craft beer guide. Your taste buds can thank me later! November is also harvest season and it is the perfect timing to go visit farmers markets like Atwater Market & Jean-Talon Market.

Festivals

As you know, Montreal is a prime festival destination as we have more than 140 festivals year long. While summer festivals are the biggest, fall festivals make us enjoy indoor ones. Below you will find a list of all the festivals in Montreal in November. However, yearly the dates fluctuate a little, so I will suggest checking the website beforehand. Also, the festivals usually have free options so I would encourage you to check them out!

The main events for the month are 2 film festivals, Montréal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) and CINEMANIA. The first one, the Montreal International Documentary Festival, as its name indicates, showcases documentaries from all over the world, it is the smaller version of the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. On the other side, CINEMANIA highlights cinema from French-speaking countries (don’t worry they have English subtitles). If you are a cinema lover, then this is the time for you to visit Montreal. Both festivals over more than 100 from around the world to see. image+nation is Canada’s first and oldest LGBTQ+ film festival and is held in Montreal every November.

For music aficionados, we have the Arab World Festival of Montréal where the Arabic cinema and performing arts will dazzle you. Mundial Montreal, the World Music Summit also has music from all over the world and has some events open to the public. M for Montreal (or M pour Montréal is where you will find emerging artists and the next big star.

If you are a fan of baroque music then, the Festival Bach Montreal is for you. The festival gathers hundreds of talented singers, conductors, and other performers from Quebec and Europe to pay tribute to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers. Montreal Bach Festival has a total of 20 concerts in over 10 concert halls, including churches where you can enjoy live music. The festival includes concerts, lectures, and workshops, if you like classical music, this is for you.

Another Montreal November event is La Grande Dégustation de Montréal (The Grand Tasting of Montreal) runs from the end of October until early November. Here, there are over 200 wine producers, distillers, and brewers who showcase their products to the public. Each year the event features a different wine region in the world.

For book lovers, we also have some festivals for you! The biggest book fair, Salon du Livre is the perfect place to find local authors. I know I love reading books about the destinations that I visit. The book fair has author readings, roundtable discussions and of course, books for sale. Read Quebec Book Fair celebrates Québec’s English-language publishers and writers.

November is also the start of the holiday markets at the end of the month so you can get into the Christmas spirit. If you are visiting with the little ones or you just like the upcoming holiday season then the annual Santa Claus Parade should be on your list of things to do. The parade is in downtown Montréal on Sainte-Catherine Street. It is usually on the last Saturday of November (you check the dates since they fluctuate.) The Souk Christmas market showcases local artists, this is the perfect place to buy a souvenir. The Great Christmas Market has over 60 exhibitors from the province.

Museums & street art

While it’s raining or it might be a little cold, visiting the city museums is always a great option to get warm. The two main museums are the Fine Arts Museum (MMFA) and the Contemporary Art Museum (MAC). But in fact, there are more than 40 museums in the city that cover a wide range of topics from a firefighter museum to a hospital museum all with very different exhibitions. Usually, the MAC has a “Nocturnes” (nocturnal) in November. This is a unique concept in which the museum opens its doors past midnight and invites performers, artists and more to enjoy art with a bite to eat or a drink. The other notable museums in the city are the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, and the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex located in Old Montréal where you can learn about the city’s history. The McCord Stewart Museum always has an indigenous exhibition for you to learn more about First Nations in the province but also across Canada.

It will not take you long to see that Montreal is full of street art, it is one of the city's main attractions. For the complete itinerary of where to find the best graffiti and murals, go to my other article.

Old Port & Old Montreal

Of course, a visit to Montreal will be incomplete without visiting the Old Port & Old Montréal, especially for first-timers. Walk along Saint-Paul Street for that old European charm with cobblestones and colonial architecture. This is the part of the city that makes you feel in Europe while staying in North America.

From dusk until 11 pm enjoy the projections of Cité Mémoire. Download the app, choose a circuit, and walk through the old port hunting for the multimedia projections loosely telling the history of Montreal in a playful way.

The Notre-Dame Basilica is a beautiful church that has a light and sound show, Aurora. There is an entrance fee for the basilica but if you pay for the show, the price of the entrance is waived. The show, done by Moment Factory (they are the ones that do the visuals for the concerts for Muse, Madonna, among others), is modern and non-religious, a must-go.

Other activities in this area are going up the Ferris wheel, La Grande Roue, for amazing views of the city which is 200 ft high. If the temperatures are suitable, you might be able to do ice skating at the Old Port skating ring. In this area, you can go to the Bota Bota spa for water circuits. Also, a lot of the walking tours of the city start here.

Hockey

Ice hockey is one of Montreal’s passions. The city vigorously roots for the Montréal Canadiens as the NHL season unfolds. Go cheer for the Habs (from the French Les Habitants) at the Bell Center and enjoy the joyful crowd. Through this experience, you will understand why Canadians love ice hockey so much. The history of hockey is intertwined with the Montreal team. Originally part of the original 6, the team was founded in 1909. has won the Stanley Cup a cool 24 times (five of which were consecutive from 1956 to 1960), making it the most decorated team in the NHL.

The tickets range from different prices but you can find great last-minute deals with StubHub or other similar platforms. If you are a real fan, you can take a guided tour of the Bell Centre.

Looking for other things to do?

Montreal is also a hub for the circus (after all Cirque du Soleil is originally from Montreal), theatre, dance, RV and other interactive art, look up these things to do in the city. If you have specific dates in mind, use this tool to see what is going on in the city within that time frame.

Here is my 3-day itinerary in the city for activities year-round.

Day 1: Old Montreal + Saint Henri. The Lachine Canal is my favourite sport in the city and it links both neighbourhoods. The canal is a park and a national historic site located in the southwest of Montreal. It is a 14km waterway and a park. It is close to the Atwater farmers market; so, grab something to eat and do a picnic by the water if the weather allows it. Then you can have a nice walk by the canal, or you can bike and even kayak. From here, wander around Saint-Henri, an up-and-coming neighbourhood with tons of things to eat.

Day 2: The Mont-Royal, the little mountain overlooking the city. It has various lookout points to admire the city’s skyline. It has also plenty of hiking trails. You can admit the fall foliage early in November. The Mile End is the hipster and cool quarter of the city. If you are looking to show a unique piece made in Montreal, this is the place to go.

Day 3: Olympic stadium + downtown + Quartier des spectacles. At the Olympic Stadium, you can also go to the other Espace pour la Vie installations which encompass the Montréal botanical garden, the Planetarium and the Biodome.

As always, you can mix and match. Everything is relatively close so you don’t have to worry about going from one end of the city to the other.

Going to a hockey game is one of the things to do in Motntreal in November

Practical tips

If you are staying a little longer into the winter, I would suggest that you read my complete winter guide of the city.

Getting around

Transportation in and outside the city can be very difficult since the city is undergoing a major makeover so I would suggest leaving your car and embracing discovering the city by foot, bike or public transport. Also, signs for parking can be extremely confusing, so you can skip a headache just to know where to park. The last tip will be to be aware that the subway system is not 24-hour and it closes its doors from 11 pm or 1 am depending on the day and the line colour.

Temperature

While November is still considered fall, sometimes it can feel like winter. The average temperatures in November in Montreal typically range from around 1°C (34°F) to 7°C (45°F), however, they can range from -2°C to 10°C. During your visit, there is a possibility of frost and occasional snowfall. There will not be enough snow on the ground to go skiing or snowshoeing.

What to wear?

November in Montreal is not the warmest month; it is all downhill from here! If you are not used to cold weather, I would suggest dressing warmly as temperatures can sometimes go below 0°C. I will suggest dressing in layers, having a good jacket, gloves, scarves, tuques and mittens! It might be a good idea to bring an umbrella and waterproof shoes and coat.

GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE CITY

Airport: Montreal has an international airport called Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL). From the airport, you can take the bus 747 which will leave you at the main subway stations like Lionel Groulx and Berri-Uqam.

Travel tips: I would suggest taking an Uber or a taxi since the bus doesn’t come very often and often gets delayed due to the roadwork. How much do these cost? The bus costs $10 to get in and out of the city. Taxis have a flat fee of $41 to get downtown. The airport is located around 25km away from the city center.

Train: Unfortunately, the rail system in North America is not developed at all when compared to Eastern Europe and Japan. In Canada, Via Rail operates trains from coast to coast. The train can be taken to the Gare Centrale (Central station), located at the Bonaventure metro station.

Bus: The are several buses that connect the city. You can take the buses at the Gare d'autocars de Montréal, it is near the Berri-Uqam metro station.

Whether you are looking for day trips or a multi-day trip, here is the ultimate list of great getaway trips from Montreal that you have been looking for! The list includes destinations like Quebec City which is only 3 hours away by car.

WHERE TO STAY IN MONTREAL?

Montreal is a city of neighbourhoods, much like New York, every neighbourhood feels like its own little city. Most hotels are located in Old Montreal and Downtown. Other great places to stay are The Plateau, Little Italy and the South West. All of these parts of the city are filled with great restaurants, bars and shops. Here is a curated list of the best hotels to stay in the city, by other travel bloggers.

CURRENCY

The currency is the Canadian Dollar, the sign is $. The dollar can be easily found abroad at any currency exchange office. Credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere.

TIPPING

It is customary to tip around 15% of the final price. If you are horrible at math like me, you can sum the 2 taxes and it will give you a ballpark amount of what you have to tip

POWER

The voltage in Canada is 110 Volt

SAFETY

Montreal is among the safest cities in the world (according to SafeAround's global ranking).

BRB acknowledges that Montreal is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodian of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples.

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Disclaimer: We dined at MTL à Table as guests of Montreal Tourism. A big thank you! All opinions are my own.

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