Plan for a busy stay because Montreal offers a variety of cheap things to see and do during your visit.
Here are some of the best.
4 Hotels in the heart of Montreal
Hotel l’Abri du Voyageur, a TripAdvisor Award of Excellence Winner.
Auberge Le jardin d’Antoine, a TripAdvisor Award of Excellence Winner.
Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins B&B, a Trip Advisor Award of Excellence Winner.
Auberge Bishop Hostel, Trip Advisor Award of Excellence Winner.
More ideas: Cheap Hotels and Places to Stay in Montreal
Check Groupon for Deals on Montreal Things to Do
One great way to save on local fun things to do in Montreal is to peruse Groupon, the money-saving website that features local discounts in 150 cities.
Visit the Montreal Groupon page and you’ll find savings of anywhere from 40-90% on attractions, tours, activities, golf, dinner spots and accommodations.
The Groupon Montreal page is a smart place to check out when you’re first planning your trip and even when you’re in the middle of your Montreal visit because new deals get added weekly and even daily many times.
Get last minute tickets to a concert or game
You never know who might be in Montreal playing a concert or show, or what sporting event could be going on.
A great, reliable source for last minute tickets is Stubhub. You can often pay less than the face value of the ticket when you purchase it a few minutes before the show or event.
Unique Museums
If you are a train buff then one of the best cheap things to do in Montreal is to visit Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum.
Here you’ll find 150 locomotives, cars and railway vehicles, many pristinely restored, waiting for you to climb in and touch.
Don’t forget to take a miniature railway ride.
Admission is $16.50 for adults, kids from $9.75. A family pass is $43.
One of the founding industries of Montreal was the fur trade. You can learn more about it by visiting the Lachine Fur Trade Museum.
This unique cheap place to visit will teach you through exhibits that you can touch, video and, on summer weekends, you can even go for a paddle in a voyageur canoe.
Entry is a thrifty $4 or less.
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre is a moving place to visit.
Through videos, pictures and displays of artifacts the story of Jewish life and the impact of the Holocaust is told through the personal recounts of survivors who eventually settled in Montreal.
Affordably priced at only $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Hockey Heaven
For hockey fans one of the best cheap things you can see, do and visit is Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame.
This 10,000 sq. ft. museum, located in the basement of the Bell Centre where the Canadiens play their home games, is filled with artifacts and mementos from this storied, National Hockey League franchise’s past.
Items include Jean Beliveau’s Stanley Cup rings, goalie masks worn by Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden, Rocket Richard’s jersey and more.
Admission is a budget-pleasing $11 for adults, kids, $8. For $6 more, you can tack on a tour of the Bell Centre, which includes setting foot in the Montreal Canadiens dressing room.
Indulge Your Artistic Side
Venture through six centuries of Montreal history by spending a half day at the Museum of Archaeology and History.
This cheap thing to do is located on the very birth place of Montreal, and includes a multi-media show about the city that is definitely a must-see.
Check their website to find out what temporary exhibits are passing through during your visit to the city. Adults $20. Kids $9.50 or less.
Regarded by many as the best in Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art is a treasure trove of early to modern art pieces and one of the most visited attractions to see in the country.
Normal admission fees are $20 for adults 31 years and older and just $12 for visitors 30 years and under. On Wednesdays and Thursday admission is reduced to a budget-friendly $10.
If modern interpretations are more your thing, then you’ll enjoy visiting the Contemporary Art Museum.
Be prepared to have your perspective challenged; among the exhibits here are dead animals dipped in tar!
The price of admission is shockingly-low too–$12 for adults, $8 for students.
Nature Outings
Love to talk to the animals? Then plan to visit the over 115 critters who call the Economusem Zoo home, including all kinds of species that are indigenous to the St-Lawrence Valley of Quebec.
What will you see at this cheap thing to do?
Everything from black bears, coyotes and deer to owls, hawks, turtles, frogs and fish. $15 for adults, $9 for kids.
Got the bug to check out something different? Head over to the Montreal Insectarium, one of the largest insectariums on the planet.
This place is the best.
Where else can you get up close and personal with insects from around the world—over 160,000 of them! There’s even a working beehive.
Want to see more captivating creatures?
Biodome Montreal is a converted building that was originally used for cycling and judo events during the 1976 Olympic Games.
Today this cheap and cool thing to see is the home of four ecosystems found in the Americas.
Travel through the striking settings where animals and birds abound, including giant fish, penguins (you can see them being fed at 2:45 P.M. daily!) and more.
A Bounty of Botany
If you’re in need of a little flower power, you’re in luck. The Montreal Botanical Garden is near by.
Considered one of the world’s best botanical gardens, this cheap thing to see and do is a green thumb’s delight.
Walk past 30 thematic gardens covering 75 hectares.
As individual attractions, admission to the Montreal Insectarium, Biodome Montreal and the Montreal Botanical Garden are pushing the thrifty envelope, but if you combine them in a package, your value-conscious side will be appeased.
If you are a bird lover, the place to fly by and check out in Montreal is Ile-de-la-Visitation Nature Park.
A small island situated the Rivière des Prairies, this 84-acre nature park is a wonderful place to visit.
Spend the day walking, biking, birding (it’s known as one of the best spots), fishing and relaxing in nature. Bring a picnic or enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants on the island.
Entry to this cheap thing to do is free, but parking will cost you–only $7 for the day though! As the birds in the Ile-de-la-Visitation Nature Park say, that’s cheap-cheap.
Be thrifty and practical! This information was accurate when published, but can change without notice. We recommend you confirm all details with the provider in question before planning your excursion.
Photo Credits: dbrooksNY, Humanoide, haven’t the slightest, Robbie1, abdallahh, quinn.anya and ScypaxPictures.
