Five hours in the car and you’re not just in another city, you’re in what feels like a different country. Old Montreal’s cobblestone streets, café culture, and French signage make it one of the easiest “big trip energy” weekends you can pull off from Toronto without a flight.
Most of what I cover here is solo travel in Colombia, six trips and counting, but this one’s a departure. I just got back from a 3-day, 2-night trip, and here’s the full Toronto to Montreal road trip itinerary: the drive, where I stayed, what I ate, and what’s worth your time in Old Montreal and beyond.
Quick Trip Snapshot
- Length: 3 days, 2 nights
- Distance: ~540 km one-way from Toronto
- Rental car: Avis
- Where I stayed: Comfort Inn Airport, Dorval, near Montréal-Trudeau International Airport — free parking, free breakfast, free shuttle
- Getting around: 3-day STM transit pass (metro + buses), ~$21.50 CAD + tax
- Notre-Dame Basilica: ~$16 CAD per person, self-guided
The Drive: Toronto to Montreal, Done Right
The drive is just over 5 hours straight through, but I always break it up.
First stop: Kingston, a solid halfway point to stretch your legs. If you’re there for breakfast or lunch, go to Pan Chancho Bakery and Cafe. I’ve eaten there more times than I can count, it’s always busy, the food is consistently good, and it’s a bakery and restaurant in one, which makes it an easy stop no matter what you’re in the mood for.
Second stop, right before Montreal: Dorval, for Premier Moisson bakery. This has become a trip tradition for me. Coffee and a croissant before checking into the hotel, every time.
I rented through Avis for this trip. No affiliate relationship there, just what I used and would use again.
Where to Stay: Comfort Inn Airport
I stayed at the Comfort Inn Airport in Dorval, close to Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. Three things made it worth it:
- Free parking, which matters when you’re driving in
- Free hot buffet breakfast
- Free airport shuttle (comes in handy when commuting to teh cirty-centre)
Getting Around: The 3-Day Transit Pass
Skip driving downtown. I grabbed a 3-day STM pass that covers the metro and buses, around $21.50 CAD plus tax. Commute from the hotel to downtown ran about 45 minutes door to door, completely fine for how much money and stress it saves versus parking downtown.
Day 1: Arrival and Bustan Shawarma
We got in early afternoon and went straight to Bustan on Crescent Street, just north of St. Catherine. This is my favorite shawarma spot in the city, an old hole-in-the-wall that’s been around for years with consistently good quality and service.
We ordered a full chicken shawarma and a full beef shawarma. After that we walked around the neighborhood for a bit and called it a night.
Day 2: Old Montreal, the Basilica, and the Old Port
Day 2 was the full Old Montreal day, and it delivered.
Notre-Dame Basilica
First stop was the Notre-Dame Basilica interior, about $16 CAD per person. I went self-guided, no tour, and photos are allowed inside. The line was long but moved fairly quickly, and good weather made the wait easy.
The Old Port and Old Montreal Streets
From there we walked to the Old Port, then grabbed crepes at Crêpes Suzette Café and pastries at La Cave.
The main square has caricature artists set up, and just past it there’s a side street lined with local artists, entered through a flower archway. Narrow cobblestone streets, very European feel, one of my favorite pockets of the city.
There was also a waterfront festival going on with art and entertainment. We lucked out with both the timing and the weather.
Prefer a Guided Option?
I did Old Montreal self-guided, but if you’d rather have someone walk you through the history, GetYourGuide has a few Old Montreal walking tour options, including Montreal: The Original Old Montreal Walking Tour (~$35 CAD per person).
Day 2 Continued: La Fontaine Park to Mount Royal
From Old Montreal we walked up toward St-Denis and into La Fontaine Park. It’s got a man-made pond that curves around a hill, families and couples along the banks, people picnicking on the hill. It’s away from downtown but felt safe and clearly well used by locals, not a tourist spot.
We kept going up toward Mount Royal and stopped at St-Viateur Bagel.
St-Viateur Bagel sits right in Mile End, one of Montreal’s best neighborhoods for food. If you want to go deeper than a bagel stop, GetYourGuide runs the Montreal: Mile End Foodie Walking Tour with 7 Tastings (~$123 CAD per person), seven food and drink tastings plus the history of the neighborhood and its culturally significant foods.
From there we made it to the base of Mount Royal for Tam-Tams, the Sunday drum circle and gathering that happens at the mountain.
Dinner was Schwartz’s Deli. My sandwich came with a pickle on the side. My tip: pair it with the dark cherry soda, it goes surprisingly well with red meat.
It was getting late at that point, so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 3: Breakfast and the Drive Home
Last morning was the buffet breakfast at the hotel, then we loaded up and drove home. Traffic was smooth the whole way until the DVP/401 merge into Toronto, the usual East End commuter bottleneck. Outside of that, an easy drive back.
Practical Tips Recap
- Book Basilica tickets ahead of time if you can, especially on a nice-weather weekend.
- Do the math on the transit pass before you buy it. If you’re taking more than 2-3 trips a day, it pays for itself fast.
- Pick a hotel with free parking and a shuttle if you’re driving in. It saves you the cost and headache of downtown parking entirely.
Five hours from Toronto and Old Montreal genuinely feels like a different country for a weekend. If you’re looking for a road trip that doesn’t need a passport, this is it.