Sophisticated, vibrant, trend-setting, multilingual, gastronomic paradise, cultural curiosity, the whole greater than the sum of its parts, a destination that changes your life… Montreal.
For information about events in Montreal, use this link
Montreal life is easy, lively, and cheap compared to other North American cities. Since the McGill campus is downtown, you will want, and be able to live, downtown and enjoy the fun. Montreal is a safe city and you can enjoy it 24/24 without fear.
Living costs
To estimate your cost of living in Montreal and attending the university, visit this link .
Places where we like to eat
Montreal is a food lover’s place. Below is a list of nice places close to McGill and landmarks in Montreal:
Caffè Art Java – At the corner of Kennedy and University. Fantastic lattes and paninis. http://caffeartjava.com/
Café Lola Rosa – 545 Milton (walking distance). Vegetarian wraps, sandwiches, hot plates, delicious brownies.
Tiki-Ming - 3480 Rue McTavish. On campus at the McGill student center (SSMU) food court. You can enjoy seeing your food being prepared in the woks right in front of you. It’s low priced and really good.
Basha – At the corner of Sherbrooke and University (under the Tim Hortons). Lebanese fast fresh food at decent prices. http://www.basharestaurant.com/
Schwartz’s World Famous Smoked Meat – 3895 St. Laurent. For an authentic Montreal Experience. Atmosphere is very basic, and there is always a line up (you most likely will not be able to sit beside your date)…but it is well worth the wait. http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/
Altos – 3462 Parc Ave. It’s close, it’s cheap, and it has great pizza and souvlaki. http://altorestaurant.ca
Juliette et Chocolat - 3600 St. Laurent, 1615 St-Denis & 377 Laurier Ouest. TO DIE FOR chocolate. Liquid chocolate drinks, brownies, ice cream, pastries, fondue… the list goes on and on and on... Bring elastic pants. http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/chocolat.php
Caffe in Gamba – 5263 Avenue du Parc. One of the top contenders for best coffee in town.
Premiere Moisson – Bakery and Café, Multiple locations – The closest one is at 1490 Sherbrooke Street West. Superb bread and pastries. http://www.premieremoisson.com
Toroli – 421 Marie-Anne Est A Japanese-French fusion restaurant. Try it if you are out for a fine dining experience. http://www.toroli.com
More info on the amazing food offering in Montreal:
- A restaurant guide by a McGill professor foodie: http://chompchomp.ca/
- The Montreal Gazette’s food guide.
- Yelp restaurant guide with customer ratings
- Montreal Restaurant portal
In addition there are Jean Talon or Atwater Market for fresh food.
Housing
More information can be found on the off campus housing webpage and accompanying navigation tabs. On the east of campus there is the "student ghetto" with comfortable and affordable living. Students rent apartments individually or sometimes share group ones, and some students even buy their own lodgments. McGill student residences are also available and located next to the main Campus.
Transportation
Montreal has an excellent public transportation system and so even if you live further away, you won’t need a car as you can go anywhere quickly with the Metro and Bus system. See http://stm.info/en for more details.
Another popular way to move around is by bicycle, either using your own, or using the Bixi, Montreal’s public bike system.
Winter? You will learn to love it!
… if you don’t already do. Montreal has great winter weather, cold at times, but with lots of sun, and so as long as you wear a warm coat, you will enjoy fairy whiteness and blue skies. There are many winter activities that can be practiced in town, including ice skating at the port, cross-country skiing (right next door Mount Royal if you like to), or out of town such as skiing and snowboarding as close as 30 min from McGill, and snow shoeing in the national parks close by.