MCGILL
RECOMMENDATIONS BY
Molly Dubson (Staples 2025, enrolling freshman at McGill)
Less than an hour from the U.S. border, Montreal is a vibrant city home to McGill University. I visited Montreal for the first time in September of my junior year and I absolutely fell in love with both the city and McGill University. Montreal itself is huge, and filled with endless (incredible!!) food, shops and entertainment, while still giving the familiar feel of a town. The people of Montreal are no doubt some of the friendliest you will meet and nearly everyone speaks both French and English (the two official languages of Quebec.) The old cobblestone roads, plazas, the Saint Lawrence river and french language, contribute to the very “Parisian” vibe of Montreal, even though you're actually in Canada! In addition, Montreal is completely "walkable" city, but if walking isn’t your thing, there are busses and metro stations all across the city as well.
McGill is incredibly unique in the sense that despite it being in the heart of a big city, it has a defined campus, home to around 40,000 students (27,196 undergraduate.) The campus is stunning, with beautiful old buildings and lots of green space for students to relax and enjoy the outdoors. The older libraries at McGill are particularly impressive, and radiate total Hogwarts vibes! While you’re visiting I highly recommend checking out the Redpath Library, Osler Library, and Blackader-Lauterman Library— they’re stunning. And while McGill is in a french speaking city, all classes are conducted in English— so don’t panic if you can’t speak French. Overall, McGill is truly a one of a kind school in one of the coolest cities, so don’t miss out on these spots to check out when you visit!
WHERE TO STAY
PHOTO CREDIT: Hotel 10
HOTEL 10
0.6 miles to campus
10 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec
Walking distance from nearly any point in Montreal and is full of friendly, welcoming staff who all speak both French and English. Its central location makes it perfect for a family coming to tour McGill and get to know Montreal, as its only 15 minutes (walking) from campus, right next to Vieux Montreal, and a 20 minute walk from the old port.
LE MOUNT STEPHEN
0.5 miles to campus
1440 Drummond St, Montreal, Quebec
Super close to campus, lovely rooms and centrally located in Montreal!
HOTEL BONAVENTURE MONTREAL
0.7 miles to campus
900 Rue De la Gauchetière West, Montréal, QC
Lovely hotel, they had a pool, parking, and a nice restaurant as well. This hotel is located in the heart of Montreal and is a great jumping off point for exploring the city!
WHAT TO DO
PHOTO CREDIT: La Grande Roue de Montreal
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Hike up Mount Royal. One of the coolest things about Montreal is that it is both a bustling city and an area with amazing nature. If you walk to McGill's Upper Residences (just a ten minute walk from main campus), behind the dorm buildings, you will find Mount Royal. If you walk up to the top of Mount Royal and look out, you will be able to see the most incredible view of the entire city.
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Explore downtown Montreal. When you set foot off of McGill's campus, you are in the middle of downtown Montreal, surrounded by popular stores, great restaurants and tons of sights.
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Place Jacques Cartier. Only a 15 minute drive from McGill, this old cobblestone plaza is right near the Saint Lawrence River and is the center of tons of restaurants. The plaza offers a view of the river and a quiet place to sit and watch the beautiful city, Here, you can find live music, pop up ice cream shops during summer, and a maple syrup shack in the winter!
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La Grande Roue de Montréal. The ferris wheel in Montreal is a huge tourist attraction and is right on the Saint Lawrence River, just a 15 minute drive from campus. At night, the ferris wheel glows different colors and offers an incredible view of the Montreal from the top.
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Old Montreal. Right outside of campus is Old Montreal: a scenic area of cobblestone streets, stunning buildings, plazas, exquisite cathedrals and more. In Old Montreal you can always find a plaza with live music or performances as well as massive cathedrals to walk into and tour.
WHERE TO SHOP
PHOTO CREDIT: Rue St. Catherine
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Rue St. Catherine and Boulevard St. Laurent. These are the best streets for shopping in downtown Montreal, and have tons of stores for miles!
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Eaton Centre. Eaton Centre is a popular mall about a 4 minute walk away from campus, and is a great place to shop when it gets too cold to shop outside!
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Seconde. Montreal is known for amazing vintage shopping and Seconde doesn't dissapoint! The shop--only ten minutes from campus-- carefully curates the clothes they take in, and you can always find top designer brands and other amazing finds.
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Canada Goose. If you're seriously thinking about attending McGill, stopping by the Canada Goose store is a must. It is just ten minutes (walking) from main campus, and definitely worth taking a peek into before braving a Montreal winter!
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Le Petit Duck Shop. Only a 13 minute drive from McGill is one of the funniest shops in Montreal, which sells only rubber ducks!! Le Petit Duck shop has all different kinds of rubber ducks and is a fun place to stop and have a laugh.
WHERE TO EAT
PHOTO CREDIT: CAFE ST. BARTH
CAFE ST. BARTH
3500 Park Ave, Montreal, Quebec
This cafe is the perfect place for a brunch, and has great food, drinks and such a cute atmosphere. Not only does everything taste incredible, but they put so much effort into the presentation of the food that it almost looks too pretty to eat!
SCHWARTZ’S DELI
Deli
3895 St Laurent Blvd Montreal, Quebec
Schwartz's is a famous deli in Montreal, known for their classic Montreal Bagels, and smoked meat. The food is traditional of Montreal and is perfect for something to grab on the go. Its definitely a must see, you can't visit Montreal without picking up some of their food!
NOUILLES ZHONGHUA
Noodles
908 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal
This noodle shop is a tiny dive right on campus! They make the noodles right in front of you and the food is truly incredible and so fresh. Watching them make the noodles definitely adds to the experience, and it couldn't be closer to McGill.
JACOPO
Italian
436 Pl. Jacques-Cartier, Montréal, QC
This restaurant is a great rustic Italian place with incredible food and an even better view of the Saint Lawrence River. The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and is one of my family's personal favorites!
SABROSA
Latin American
404 Pl. Jacques-Cartier, Montréal, QC
Amazing food and great drinks as well!!
LA DOLCE VITA
Ice cream
2150 Blvd. De Maisonneuve Ouest suite 100, Montreal
Gelato, ice cream and coffee; amazing selection.
