Spread out over 190 acres of culturally thematic gardens, greenhouses and Art Deco pavilions, the Montreal Botanical Garden is one of the world’s most prestigious collections of plant life, notable for its sheer variety of species which hits tens of thousands in number. During your visit, check out the Insectarium museum’s collection of 95 different species, the Japanese zen garden, or the Chinese Garden when the Lantern Festival is happening.

Designed by architect Moshe Safdie and originally built as a pavilion for the World’s Fair in 1967, Habitat 67’s iconic stacked cubes are one of the most recognizable attractions in Montreal. Comprised of 354 concrete forms 12 storeys high and housing over 100 apartments, it is a prime example of Brutalist architecture in the city. After taking a 90-minute tour of it in French or English, watch surfers, bodyboarders and kayakers take to the two-metre-high standing wave nearby in the summer.

A farmers market dating back to 1933, Jean-Talon is a textbook study in how markets are hubs of the city’s gastronomic building blocks. Full of local produce and products from a variety of local growers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers, restaurants and grocers, it’s an open-air space to explore and sample terroir with seasonal pop-up restaurants in the summer and heating in the winter. Try oysters on the half-shell at La Boite Aux Huîtres before tacos at El Rey del Taco or mezze at Le Petit Alep.

This is Montreal’s premier destination for curated collections of contemporary art. Now with over 8,000 pieces from 1,500 artists both national and international, the museum was a first for Canada when it opened in 1964. Now a gathering place for Montrealers and tourists alike to check out works both provocative and contemplative, there are also lectures, workshops and fresh new exhibits every single year. The best time to visit is during the city's Nuit Blanche festival for its amazing parties.

Located inside a heritage building in Old Montreal, the PHI Centre features varied programming in all possible art forms, both analog and technological. Whether it’s aural, visual, tactile, olfactory or gustatory, there’s always something astounding going on from local and international artists alike – past exhibits have featured Jim Carrey, John Currin and Jenny Holzer. Built with sustainability in mind, the centre also sports a green roof, urban garden, and urban beehives.

A 60-metre-tall observation wheel that’s kaleidoscopically lit and equipped with climate-controlled booths running throughout the year, La Grand Roue offers a full view of Old Montreal and downtown. Built to commemorate the city’s 375th anniversary, this illuminated wheel fashioned after similar structures found in Chicago and Hong Kong offers panoramic views unlike any other. Take a ride and get some dazzling perspective on the cityscape, or make it the main event of a romantic night out.

As the city’s premier drink-dine-and-watch destination, this hybrid of an indie cinema and café in the Mile End was the first to offer food and drink alongside curated film selections. No daily screening is the same as the next—and it’s good for the kids, too: As they watch cartoons on weekends, you can kick back with the brunch services that run from 10am to 4pm. Keep an eye on the special events, as Cinéma Moderne has been known to host exhibits like an indooor garden.

Billed as a ‘spa on the water’, this repurposed ferryboat may not physically unmoor and drift down the river, but a day spent there sure feels like it. One of the finest spas in town, Bota Bota offers great views of Old Port and Habitat 67 from relaxing quarters equipped with Nordic water circuits, saunas and baths to enjoy throughout the year, plus gardens to lounge around in during summers. Worth the trip for a massage and/or beauty treatment, followed by wining and dining in the evenings.

A major destination in the downtown core, the SAT is an arts and research centre focused on immersive technologies. If there’s one thing you need to experience here, it’s the Satosphère: A cavernous room with a 360-degree spherical projection screen and 157 speakers that provides wild audio-visual presentations and films. The space also hosts dance parties, video game presentations and virtual reality experiences, as well as local and visiting VJs and DJs strutting their stuff.

The largest church in Canada, with one of the largest domes of its kind in the world, the Oratory was originally constructed in 1904 as a small chapel, but growing congregations necessitated its current size that was completed in 1967. Visit its reliquary preserving the heart of Saint André of Montreal, a local known for miraculously healing people (plus a room full of their discarded canes to prove it), as well as the Grand Beckerath Organ with pipes reaching as long as 32 feet.

A Mile End bookstore belonging to a Canadian publishing company specializing in comics and graphic novels by authors both international and national, Drawn and Quarterly has been a publisher of comics since 1990. Its popularity was followed up by the creation of this bookstore in 2007 that has since grown into a gathering place of the city’s literati and organizes big-name book launches. It’s not just about comics either, as the store curates solid selections both in fiction and non-fiction.

A casse-croûte (’snack bar’ in English) dating back to the early 1930s, Gibeau Orange Julep is a popular pitstop for motorists pining for its signature creamy orange juice drink and a bite of its hot dogs and poutine. Once a chain in the city, this roadside attraction is now the only one that remains, with hours that run late into the night during warmer months. Visit during Wednesday evenings from May to August, when antique car aficionados roll up to show off their hotrods.

One of the few businesses to remain intact since the Red-Light District’s major facelift, Café Cléopâtre is a prime example of Montreal’s neon-soaked history when the city was formerly known as the Paris of North America. Find exotic dancers on its ground floor strip club, or visit the upstairs cabaret with burlesque, vaudeville and drag show performances alongside Just for Laughs events, the Montreal Fetish Weekend and Bareoke (a wholehearted and fun combo of karaoke and stripping).

Ever since Time Out Market Montréal arrived in November 2019, the city’s downtown core has become an essential dining destination. Across 40,000 square feet (the largest in the 514), there are 16 eateries hosted by the best chefs in Montreal, three bars for beer, wine and cocktails, a cooking school, a demo kitchen for visiting culinary talent, live music and more. Built to democratize fine dining, you won’t find anything like it elsewhere.