Explore Montreal Neighbourhoods: A Guide to the City’s Most Popular Areas

Deciding where to live in Montreal depends on your lifestyle, preferences, and specific needs—including whether you’re moving alone, with a partner, family, or pets. Families with children may want to prioritize access to schools, parks, and quiet residential streets, while pet owners should be aware that some buildings have specific rules about the types or sizes of pets allowed. Finding housing near dog parks or pet-friendly green spaces can also make a big difference. This guide outlines several Montreal neighbourhoods that may be a good fit for newcomers, helping you make an informed choice before settling in.

Let’s take a look at some of Montreal’s popular (and some hidden gems) neighbourhoods—from those near the busy downtown core to quieter suburban areas in the Greater Montreal Area. Since choosing the right place might take time, it’s a good idea not to sign a long-term lease until you’ve arrived and had a chance to explore the city in person. Luckily, rental housing in Montreal is generally available and turns over regularly.

Montreal Neighbourhoods Map

Generally, the western side of the Island of Montreal is more English-speaking, while the eastern side is mostly French-speaking. Each neighbourhood has its own character, services, and atmosphere.

Montreal has a strong public transit system, including North America’s third-busiest metro (subway) system and a wide network of bus routes. Most neighbourhoods are well-connected. However, if you’re planning to live in a suburb west of Trudeau International Airport or off the island to the north or south, commuting without a car can be harder. For this reason, more people in and around Montreal are using car-sharing services as a practical transportation option.

Montreal Neighbourhoods and Renting

A curious oddity in Quebec is that apartments and houses are described not by the number of bedrooms they have, but by adding up the total number of rooms, with the bathroom counting as half a room. Thus, a studio is a 1½, an apartment with one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom is a 3½, while one with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom is a 5½.

You may find that many apartment buildings in Montreal neighbourhoods do not use media to advertise. Instead, they will post notices outside the buildings to advertise vacancies. It’s worth walking around different neighbourhoods of Montreal you may want to live in to see if there are any “For rent/à louer” signs, or try calling the property management companies to check if there are any vacancies.

Rental Costs by Neighbourhood

According to Liv.rent in its monthly report, as of today, the neighbourhoods with the highest rent prices are Westmount, Verdun, Downtown and Saint Henri.

Ville Marie is effectively downtown Montreal, including the central business district and main commercial streets. The extensive Ville Marie neighbourhood also includes Mount Royal Park, as well as two islands located between the Island of Montreal and the South Shore, namely Saint Helen’s Island and Île Notre Dame.

As the centre of Canada’s second-largest city, Ville Marie is a bustling, cosmopolitan area with internationally-renowned universities and corporate headquarters. Consequently, the population swells by day. The western half of Ville Marie is lined with skyscrapers, while the eastern portion, which technically includes the Latin Quarter, the Village, and Old Montreal (neighbourhoods in their own right, in reality), has more of a community vibe.

Metro: Berri-UQAM, Saint-Laurent, Place-des-Arts, McGill, Peel, Guy-Concordia, Bonaventure, Square Victoria, Place d’Armes, Champ-de-Mars, Jean-Drapeau

The city centre is only a short walk away, and the orange Metro line runs through Old Montreal, making anywhere in Montreal easily accessible.

Metro: Square Victoria, Place d’Armes, Champ-de-Mars

Relatively cheap accommodation in older buildings can be found the closer you go to the Lachine Canal. Shiny new condos abound closer to the city centre — with prices to match.

Metro: Georges-Vanier, Lucien-L’Allier

4. Plateau-Mont-Royal

This large Montreal neighbourhood, located directly northeast of downtown, is home to the largest number of artists per capita in Canada, creating a unique living environment. Two of the city’s main arteries — Rue St-Denis and Boulevard St-Laurent — have their busiest sections as they cut through the Plateau. Plenty of boutique shops, BYOB (“apportez votre vin”) restaurants, bars, and cafes line many streets in the Plateau.

The heart of the Plateau is Parc Lafontaine — by summer a magnet for lakeside walks and afternoon picnics, with skating taking over in winter. One of the advantages of living in the Plateau is that downtown is easily accessible, either by foot, bike, bus, or Metro. Rent prices have been increasing more rapidly than the city average as the Plateau is seen as the place to live. However, the Plateau is still affordable, particularly for those sharing accommodation.

Metro: Sherbrooke, Mont Royal, Laurier

Each summer, the section of St-Catherine Street that goes through the Village closes to traffic and decorative bunting stretches across the street, which becomes an outdoor mall. This is when the Village truly takes on a life all of its own.

Metro: Berri-UQAM, Beaudry, Papineau

A wonderful location means that within 15 minutes’ walk residents could be hanging out on St-Laurent, at an outdoor show at Place des Spectacles, in a bar downtown, up the mountain or, of course, in class. There is fierce competition for housing in the McGill Ghetto, as students try to get a place before classes start in September. Those renters, however, often disappear for the summer and sublet their rooms at knock-down rates, so if you’re coming to Montreal just for a summer, you would be well advised to look for a place around here.

Metro: Place-des-Arts, McGill

Some of the best food on the continent is found in Mile End, with the best bagels and countless restaurants dotted around the neighbourhood. The area became wealthier and more popular in the 1990s, and gentrification has led to increased rents. That having been said, the area remains good value for money.

If you’re looking at Montreal neighbourhoods and want an eclectic, multicultural fix, Mile End is the way to go.

Metro: Laurier, Rosemont

8. Outremont

French expatriates and members of the Hasidic community join upper middle-class francophone Montrealers to make up a disparate collection of well-heeled communities in Outremont, located on the north side of Mount Royal and to the west of Mile End. With an abundance of quality shops, cafes, restaurants, and parks, Outremont is often followed by the phrase “quality of life”. While downtown is largely hidden from view behind the mountain, good public transport links makes the area feel more urban than suburban. Real estate prices are high, but a month-to-month rental in the area, particularly on the Mile End border, can be quite reasonable.

Metro: Outremont, Edouard-Montpetit

9. Little Italy

Montreal’s Little Italy is a small neighbourhood packed with all the best sounds, tastes, and culture from the old country. The centrepiece is the Jean-Talon Market, a bustling farmer’s market open year-round. Some of the best fresh food in Canada can be bought here.

Rent in Little Italy can often be more affordable than in other areas along the Montreal Metro system. Newcomers who want to live alone may consider this Montreal neighbourhood, as it is possible to rent an apartment for less than in neighbouring areas.

Metro: Rosemont, Beaubien, Jean-Talon, De Castelnau

The Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district towards the west end of the borough has witnessed a steady increase in population over recent years, as Québécois, students, and immigrants mix to create a vibrant community. The average age of residents here is among the lowest in Montreal. Rent is affordable, and the green Metro line is accessible on foot from anywhere in the area.

Metro: Préfontaine, Joliette, Pie-IX, Viau, Assomption, Cadillac, Langelier, Radisson, Honoré-Beaugrand

Stretching from the meeting point of Mile End and Parc-EX (“Mile-Ex”) to Maisonneuve Park and beyond, Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie is a sizeable and mostly francophone borough in the centre-east of Montreal Island. The area is more like a series of urban villages than a single community. People here live for the outdoors; there are 55 parks, 10 community gardens, and 11 outdoor skating rinks.

The orange and blue lines are accessible from the western and northern ends of Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie, providing access to downtown and other Montreal neighbourhoods.

Metro: Rosemont, Beaubien, Jean-Talon, Fabre, D’Iberville, St-Michel

Slightly further from downtown Montreal than Mile End, Outremont, and the Plateau, rent in Villeray, Saint-Michel, or Parc-Ex can be more affordable.

Metro: Parc, De Castelnau, Jean-Talon, Jarry, Crémazie, Fabre, D’Iberville, St-Michel

Metro: Snowdon, Côte-Saint-Catherine, Plamondon, Côte-des-Neiges, Universitê-de-Montrêal, Edouard-Montpetit

14. Westmount

Wealthy anglophones have dominated Westmount, located on the western slopes of Mount Royal, since the nineteenth century, and the borough retains a fiercely independent (some say snobby) streak. Away from Summit Circle, however, life becomes a bit more normal toward St-Catherine Street. Spacious parks, chic boutiques, and some of the city’s most prestigious private schools attract immigrants who have the means to sustain the traditional Westmount lifestyle, but accommodation is more affordable closer to the Ville-Marie Expressway at the southern edge, closer to Vendôme Metro station.

Métro: Vendôme, Atwater

15. Saint-Henri

Historically known as a French-Canadian, Irish and black working-class neighbourhood of Montreal, Saint-Henri was seen as the opposite of neighbouring Westmount before gentrification took hold. The Atwater Market, a large farmers’ market, is in the vicinity, and access to downtown is simple.

Metro: Saint-Henri, Lionel-Groulx

16. Lachine

At the inlet of the Lachine Canal, between LaSalle and Dorval, lies Lachine, a Montreal neighbourhood bisected by Autoroute 20. A commuter train also passes through, which somewhat makes up for Lachine’s lack of a Metro station.

Lachine is home to many young families, with plenty of public schools serving the French- and English-speaking communities. Property and rent in Lachine is more affordable than many other Montreal neighbourhoods, though the area is largely bereft of bars, cafes, and restaurants, so newcomers hoping for such amenities may be better off looking elsewhere.

17. Pointe-Saint-Charles

Nestled between the Saint-Lawrence River and the Lachine Canal, Pointe-Saint-Charles attracts new residents who want to live near scenic open spaces without sacrificing proximity to the downtown core.

Recent creation of many new housing units, the recycling of industrial buildings into business incubators, lofts, and condos, the 2002 re-opening of the Lachine Canal as a recreation and tourism area have all made Pointe-Saint-Charles one of the most attractive Montreal neighbourhoods.

Metro: Charlevoix, LaSalle

18. Verdun

Previously devoid of nightlife but now considered up-and-coming as more restaurants and bars appear, Verdun is a safe, affordable neighbourhood of Montreal located on the green Metro line. Verdun’s reach extends from a plot of land southwest of downtown to Nun’s Island (Isle des sœurs), just off the main island.

Verdun was once predominantly English-speaking, but now has about a two-thirds French-speaking majority, with allophones (those for whom English nor French is their mother tongue) making up a sizable minority. Verdun is rapidly shaking off a former reputation for crime, with gentrification allowing people to move here from other parts of the city in search of space, as well as relative peace and quiet. Rooms and apartments can go at a low rate, so if you’re moving on a tight budget or want to live among other young families but don’t want to live in the outer suburbs, Verdun is a good option to consider.

Metro: Lasalle, De L’église, Verdun, Jolicoeur

19. Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG)

Almost always referred to as “NDG”, this neighbourhood west of downtown Montreal offers good value within close proximity of the city centre. Old brick houses and tree-lined avenues give the area a unique character, and, like many Montreal neighbourhoods, NDG has become more gentrified in recent years. Bisected by the Decarie Expressway, NDG’s western half is more English-speaking, while the eastern side is more francophone. The social centre of NDG is Monkland Avenue, with an array of pubs, restaurants, cafes, and shopping to suite all tastes. The western side of NDG is quite far from the Metro, but the 105 bus route, beginning at Vendôme Metro station before moving down Sherbrooke Street, serves the entire neighbourhood, which sits between Montreal Ouest and Westmount.

Métro: Villa Maria, Vendôme

Saint-Leonard is characterized by its spacious, wide-set semi-detached brick apartments and houses, backyard vegetable gardens, and Italian bars, cafes, and pastry shops. Given the Italian influence, soccer is particularly popular in this Montreal neighbourhood. The many parks dotted around Saint-Leonard contain numerous public soccer fields, as well as bocce courts.

Metro: Radisson, Honoré-Beaugrand

Fabulous properties line the river bank, with some of the most peaceful locations in the entire Montreal area found in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. This area is particularly popular among families with children.

Metro: Crémazie, Sauvé, Henri-Bourassa

Traditionally anglophone until the 1960’s, more francophones have since moved into the area, with more than three-quarters of TMR residents now being bilingual. Median incomes among residents are high. The centrepiece of the neighbourhood is Connaught Park, with four planned boulevards leading to this green space from the outskirts of the town. As well as having a couple of Metro stations within walking distance, a commuter train on the RTM Deux-Montagnes line also makes a stop in TMR.

Metro: Acadie, De la Savane

5. Hampstead

Hampstead’s status as an independent municipality, governed separately from the city of Montreal, gives it a different feel from nearby neighbourhoods. This is an affluent area, with median incomes around 40 percent higher than the Montreal average. Hampstead is one of the most anglophone Montreal neighbourhoods, with English the preferred language of nearly 90 percent of residents.

Metro: Snowdon

6. Montreal-Ouest

Montreal Ouest (or Montreal West) is a predominantly English-speaking neighbourhood that has Westminster Avenue as a vibrant focal point. Here you will find an array of non-franchised local businesses, giving the area a certain charm and community spirit.

Though no Montreal Metro stations are located in Montreal Ouest, six bus routes running through the neighbourhood connect to Metro stations. A commuter train station also brings passengers to and from downtown Montreal, as well as locations further west on the island and beyond.

7. Côte Saint-Luc

Côte Saint-Luc is a predominantly English-speaking neighbourhood, where around 40 percent of residents are from the Jewish community. This is where actor William Shatner grew up. With generations of immigrants having settled here, there are plentiful restaurants to suit every taste. Rent in Côte-Saint-Luc can be more affordable than in nearby neighbourhoods.

8. LaSalle

LaSalle is a large neighbourhood, home to around 75,000 Montreal residents. Language demographics in LaSalle are fairly evenly divided between French, English, and other languages, though most LaSallians are bilingual.

Situated between LaSalle and neighbouring Verdun is Angrignon Park, a large urban park inspired by 19^th century English gardens, with winding paths and more than 20,000 trees. Other local attractions include the Lachine Canal and Angrignon Mall. The southern parts of LaSalle follow the shore of the Saint Lawrence River, with some stunning vistas across to the south shore.

Metro: Angrignon

Beginning in Dorval and stretching over the western part of the Island of Montreal are a cluster of neighbourhoods that together make up what is known as the West Island. These neighbourhoods include the rather pretty villages of Point-Claire and St-Anne-de-Bellevue, which lie either side of Beaconsfield. Other neighbourhoods include Kirkland, Pierrefonds, and Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

The West Island includes neighbourhoods with some of the highest concentrations of English-speaking residents not only in Montreal, but in the whole of Quebec. While in days gone by many West Islanders would have been unilingual, today far more are bilingual.

Two major highways, the 20 and the 40, pass through the West Island and its neighbourhoods. It should be noted, however, that the Montreal metro system does not go near the West Island, and therefore it may be difficult to settle into a work-life balance without access to a vehicle.

Montreal Out-of-Town Hidden Gems You’ll Love

1. South Shore

The South Shore is a general term for a collection of suburbs of Montreal situated close to the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite the Island of Montreal. More than 750,000 people live in this large area, with nearly 250,000 of them residing in Longueuil, just opposite downtown Montreal. A particularly popular South Shore neighbourhood among newcomers is Brossard, where more than 23 different ethnicities each represent at least one percent of the population.

The South Shore is well served by transport links to and from the Island of Montreal and the downtown area, with four bridges and a tunnel bringing car traffic across the Saint Lawrence. The Montreal Metro system also extends into Longueuil. Another commuter train takes passengers from downtown Montreal to Saint-Lambert in less than 15 minutes.

Metro: Longueuil—Université-de-Sherbrooke

2. Laval

Laval is well served by transport links, including highways and two stations on the Montreal Metro system. While long seen as a collection of commuter towns, Laval has diversified its economy over recent years, with a local economy centred around the technology, pharmaceutical, industrial, and retail sectors. Laval has many pharmaceutical laboratories, but also stone quarries and a strong agricultural sector. Laval also has four different industrial parks. Laval residents have slightly higher median incomes than residents of the official city of Montreal.

Metro: Cartier, de la Concorde, Montmorency

Which is the Best Neighbourhood in Montreal?

If we could provide a single, straightforward answer to this question, we would; but the fact of the matter is that the wide variety of Montreal neighbourhoods means there is something, and somewhere, for every individual and every family here.

Depending on your goals, the main factor in your decision of where to live in Montreal may be budget, proximity to downtown or your workplace, open spaces, or some other variable. Younger adults, couples, and students tend to gravitate towards Montreal neighbourhoods such as NDG or the Plateau, whereas families find the less densely populated West Island and South Shore more attractive. Of course, these are generalities, and exceptions occur all the time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Montreal Neighbourhoods

Are you Ready to Move to Montreal?

Getting to know the various Montreal neighbourhoods is just one aspect of preparing your move to Montreal. Explore more of our free resources like our Living in Montreal article, and the rest of our New to Montreal City Guide for more advice.