A visit to Montréal in early March demands preparation for the cold. You’ll need essentials like a sheepskin Trapper hat, thermals for top and bottom and waterproof snow boots. Montréal, Canada’s second-largest city and the largest in Québec is known for its prolonged sub-zero temperatures, which can last for three months. Despite the chill, Montréal remains a delightful destination. Here are a few reasons why:
Winter Festivals
Noctourism (nocturnal tourism), a key travel trend for 2025, celebrates the allure of night-time exploration, and Montréal exemplifies this with its annual arts festival Nuit Blanche. Originally launched in Paris in 2002 and introduced to Montréal in 2003, Nuit Blanche transforms the city into a vibrant nocturnal playground.
In 2025 the event conincided with Montréal en Lumière, the city’s gastronomic festival, offering visitors an adrenaline-filled winter experience with hundreds of free art and performance events across several neighbourhoods. Highlights this year included unique and immersive experiences. Guests explored the Redpath Museum by torchlight, navigating ancient artefacts in an atmosphere reminiscent of an eerie Indiana Jones adventure. At the illuminated skating loop elevated above neon-lit streets, revellers glided through the night before dancing to hyperpop beats at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), surrounded by mesmerizing 360-degree projections.
Food enthusiasts enjoyed cocktails and snacks at food emporium Le Central before visiting the McCord Stewart Museum for an historical ball exhibition complemented by lived classical mixed with modern pop music, performed by the Schulich School of Music trio. These events showcased Montréal’s ability to blend art, history, food and music into a magical after-dark celebration.
Montréal’s vibrant noctourism scene was on full display with temperatures plunging to -15°C and seamless 24-hour transit options catering to night owls. The dates for 2026 Nuit Blanche are yet to be announced.
Food and Drink
As the first MICHELIN Guide Québec prepares to unveil its selections in May 2025, the province is abuzz with gastronomic excitement. Québec’s culinary landscape is a vibrant tapestry, woven from international influences and the rich flavours of locally grown ingredients. During Montréal en Lumière, I was lucky enough to savour the many flavours of Québec.
Nestled in the heart of Vieux-Montreal, this beloved restaurant is celebrating 20 years of culinary excellence. During the festival, it welcomed esteemed sommelier Etheliya Hananova and chef Noam Gedalof from Comice, a Micheln-starred gem in Paris. Together, they crafted unforgettable dishes like Risotto Carnaroli and a heavenly soufflé au chocolat, leaving myself and other diners enchanted.
Co-owned by the visionary chef Noé Lainesse, O’Thym is a haven for those who adore local ingredients. For this year’s Lumière festival, it collaborated with Chef Moonhyung Lee from Silo, London’s trailblazing zero-waste restaurant. Together, they conjured a magical multi-course tasting menu featuring the enchanting fairy tale winter carrots from Montreal, a testament to culinary innovation.
Nestled in Quartier des Spectacles, Kamúy – Chef Paul Harry Toussaint’s vibrant ode to the Caribbean – transforms brunch into a sensory celebration. The restaurant’s name, borrowed from the Taino word for ‘sun’ sets the tone: warmth radiates from every detail, from the riotous colours of Haitian art to the rhythms of reggae and salsa threading through the air. The slow-cooked brisket, fragrant riz au pois et plantain, charred to perfection poulet jerk and decadently baked mac and cheese, were just some of the dishes we feasted on.
It’s a must to take an afternoon wander around Jean-Talon Market, a specialized grocery store (think maple syrup and artisanal cheeses) with products from over 400 Quebec producers and if you’re lucky enough, book yourself a table at neighbourhood restaurant Mastard, chef Simon Mathys’ temple to hyper-local ingredients. His 5-course tasting menu with wine pairing is a masterclass in local, minimalist, creative and heartfelt cuisine.
Other local culinary hotspots include Chez Greenberg – delivering Jewish comfort food including homemade smoked salmon, squished knish, and potato latkes; and Pizzeria Napoletana, serving nostalgia in wood-fired slices since 1948.
Pastry
This year’s Montréal en Lumière focused on and celebrated two main themes; Female chefs, sommeliers, winemakers; and Pastry itself, nowhere more celebrated than Pâtisserie Mélilot, a jewel in Montreal’s pastry crown.
Nestled in the city’s elegant Laurier Avenue West, Pâtisserie Mélilot exudes the charm of a neighbourhood fixture and is the product of three culinary virtuosos: Clemence Corbiere, Aurelien Kerzerho and Vincent Gagnon-Boisvert. The pastries that tantalize from behind the glass display marry technical mastery and poetic flair, some spotlighting Quebec’s botanical bounties, including the sweet clover (mélilot) – a wild herb with vanilla-almond notes that inspired the shop’s name.
Mélilot offers timeless elegance with inventive desserts, beautifully plated and served in a warm atmosphere. Exquisite!
Fashion
Michel Brisson stands as a pioneering force in Montréal’s fashion landscape, credited with introducing contemporary menswear to the city. Since opening his first boutique in 2002, Brisson has cultivated a reputation for curating exceptional international collections that blend European sophistication with New York edge and Asian minimalism, including Dries Van Noten, Homme Plisse Issey Miyake, Lemaire and Acne Studios. His approach reflects both meticulous curation and a passion for discovering merging design talent.
The flagship 3,700-square-foot boutique on Avenue Laurier West occupies a transformed Brutalist-era bank building, designed by renowned architects Saucier + Perrotte.
Auralee, a Japanese brand founded by Ryota Iwai in 2015, was a standout discovery for me. Known for its rich textures and sophisticated designs, it would be too easy to file Auralee away under the catch-all term ‘quiet luxury’ but with its exquisite textiles from Peruvian Alpaca to Mongolian cashmere, New Zealand wool and Indian cotton, but it does feel like an apt description.
Wellness
It’s hard to explain the floating oasis of serenity that is Montréal’s Bota Bota Spa Sur l’Eau. This is a triple-reincarnated vessel that has perfected the art of relaxation. What began as the 1950s ferry Arthur-Cardin, later transformed into Expo 67’s floating theatre L’Escale, now serves as North America’s most imaginative aquatic sanctuary.
Now celebrating 15 years, this floating spa continues to draw visitors into its ‘torture chamber of tranquility’ – Bota Bota’s signature water circuit follows the Scandanavian tradition of alternating heat, cold, and rest for optimal well-being.
There are five decks with saunas, eucalyptus steam baths, whirlpools and cold baths; silent relax zones, including a hammock room in the garden; La Traversee, an onboard bistro serving wine and small plates; and massages (60-90 minutes) in dark, intimate treatment rooms with porthole views.
This isn’t just a spa – it’s a multi-sensory wellness journey, glass of wine thankfully included.
Winter
Montréal in Winter is a paradox – biting cold yet irresistibly cosy; harsh yet breathtakingly beautiful. The city doesn’t just endure winter; it celebrates it, transforming into a wonderland of outdoor adventures, warm havens and postcard-perfect moments.
Montréalers and visitors alike don’t hide from Winter – they embrace it. Yes, my fingers did go numb at times but Montréal in Winter is raw, real and so much fun. It seems the city really does shine brightest when the mercury drops, but I will come in Summer next time, just to challenge that theory.
Words by Patrick McAleenan
Patrick visited Montréal as a guest of mtl.org/en
