Home CITIES 49 Free Activities in Montreal

49 Free Activities in Montreal

June 9, 2016

157

Explore Montreal without spending a dime. Almost every day, the city provides a myriad of wallet-friendly activities. Check them out below!

1. Enjoy the many murals of Mural Festival

Montreal’s annual Mural Festival, leaves an artistic mark all over the city’s walls throughout the year. Go graffiti hunting and find all the murals, old and new.

2. Take in some urban art at Station 16 gallery

This modern art gallery truly invites everyone to take a look at its exhibitions, which regularly features new artists from around the world, and wants you to see their stuff even if you don’t plan on buying anything.

3. Visit Saint Joseph’s Oratory

Saint Joseph’s Oratory is an architectural wonder you’ll want to see. Visitors are welcome anytime of the week, and the view from the top is hard to beat.

4. Let your flag fly on Sundays at the Tam-Tams

If it’s sunny or warm out, rest assured Mount Royal park will become a literal playground for everyone in Montreal. See slackliners, LARPers, a drum circle, and (best of all) plenty of beautiful people at this unofficial weekly park party.

5. Go hiking at Mount Royal

From autumn to summer, a hike up Mount Royal is always a great dose of natural beauty and physical activity.

6. Watch a movie under the stars at an SAT outdoor film screening

A movie ticket has a hefty price tag these days, so have fun on the many “Cinema Under the Stars” screenings instead that occur throughout the spring and summer.

7. Free weekly yoga class by Lululemon

No purchase needed at Lululemon if you want to attend its weekly yoga classes in Square Victoria.

8. Catch many awesome activities regularly held at the Old Port

Walk along the boardwalk and enjoy the summer breeze, or check out the ice fishing village and see some ice canoe races when the weather is cold. No matter the season, the Old Port has stuff going on.

9. Explore in Place des Festival anytime of the year

Free concerts, art exhibitions, fashion shows, and food trucks are but a sample of the goings-on at Place des Festivals.

10. Visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Be sure to also check out the Repath Museum and Cinematheque Quebecoise, both of which are always free to the public too.

11. See the works found in the McCord and Contemporary Art Museums

Head in between 5pm and 9pm, and you won’t pay a dime. The Canadian Centre for Architecture has a similar setup on Thursdays, with free admission from 5:30-9pm.

12. Hang out at the new outdoor beer garden Jardins Gemelin

A new installment to the city right by the Berri-UQAM station, you can chill in the outdoor, patio-like expanse whenever you please.

13. Get free condoms at Head & Hands

It always pays to be prepared. Don’t forget you can also get free condoms at the the AIDS Community Care Montreal, Dans la Rue’s Chez Pops, and Rezo.

14. Take a self-guided walking tour of Old Montreal

If you don’t want to get slowed down by a group, keep at your own pace with this outlined 20-section tour with 150 pictures to guide you through the cultural and historical sites of Old Montreal.

15. Attend the many free events held at the Lachine Canal National Historic Site

If there aren’t any special events being held when you’re visiting, you can always play a game of outdoor chess, use the free Wi-Fi, or go into the Lachine Museum. Oh and there’s the whole “enjoying the beauty of nature” thing too.

16. Bike along the Lachine Canal

Cyclists can’t miss this lovely, 14.5km pike path right along the canal. During the winter you can still head onto the Lachine bike path, if you have cross-country skis, that is.

17. Check out some classic muscle cars at Gibeau Orange Julep

Wednesday nights with warm weather mean Montrealers will be showing off their sweet rides at Orange Julep, for all to see for free.

18. Traverse the many subterranean corridors that make up the Underground City

Cited as the largest underground complex in the world, the Underground City connects a large portion of Downtown Montreal with tunnels and pathways. See how far you can get from one end of the city to another without ever going above ground.

19. Indulge a book in one of Montreal’s many beautiful parks

Chilling at parks is a Montreal way of life, and you can find scores of folks in any park during the warm months of the year. Montrealers only get so much nice weather, so we use it to the fullest, and read, play sports, or simply lie about in the park.

20. Attend a free concert by McGill’s Schulich School of Music

Just about every week, the students of Schulich will give concerts that are free to see. Check ahead to find out what type of concert will be put on.

21. Discover the green building and Cité des arts du cirque at TOHU

TOHU has a lot to offer penny-pinching folks, as you can explore three different indoor and outdoor areas at your leisure. Grab the audio guide and learn all about the TOHU complex on a 30-45-minute walk.

22. Explore the CESM – The Saint-Michel Environmental Complex

A definite must-see at TOHU, the CESM-SMEC is actually a converted landfill remade into a environmental complex outfitted with varying natural landscapes, which you can learn about on foot or by bike at no charge.

23. Visit the Mount Royal Cemetery

Perhaps a bit creepy, but the Mount Royal Cemetery is actually quite beautiful. Bird-watchers and arborists will want to get the MRC’s bird and tree brochure, as there are 100 tree species and 145 bird species to discover on the 165-acre grounds.

24. Go skating at an outdoor rink

Having access to a pair of skates will make this an entirely free winter activity, though some spots also offer rentals for about $10.

25. Stroll through the public art event Aires Libres

From May to September, Saint Catherine St is transformed into the pedestrian-only public art event known as Aires Libres. A simple walk will be a sensory experience in itself.

26. Marvel at some serious curb appeal while walking through the Plateau

No Montreal neighborhood has houses as aesthetically pleasing as the Plateau’s. Go ahead and compare the curb appeal between boroughs for an even longer free activity.

27. Attend a free tango class at Tango Libre

It takes two to tango, but even if you don’t have a partner, head to Tango Libre’s free test class, held weekly on Wednesday’s at 6:30pm.

28. Or take a free Salsa class at Club 649

For a whole 28 years, Club 649 has been teaching folks how to salsa for free. No doubt they’ve seen dancers worse than you, so head to the weekly free intro lesson on Mondays at 9:30pm

29. Take a free tour of city hall

Anytime between September and June, you can organize a free tour of city hall for groups of eight or more. Just call ahead and you’ll be good to go.

30. Head to the Christ Church Cathedral for the “L’Oasis Musicale” concert

A newly launched musical concert series, L’Oasis Musicale invites you every Saturday at 4:30pm for a show put on by local musicians.

31. Catch the many beautiful flowers at Floralies Gardens

Thousands of flowers, art, and a variety of other flora combine in the Floralies Gardens space at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Why pay for the Botanical Gardens when you can come here for free?

32. Attend a lecture at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts

Theatre folk will love the chance to see what goes on behind the curtain at one of the weekly talks at the Segal Centre. Lectures are held the first Sunday of each new run at 11am, with coffee and refreshments served before.

33. Check out the many free art exhibitions by the DHC/ART organization

All about exposing modern art to the public, the DHC/ART organization is letting you see the work of contemporary artists for free in Old Montreal.

34. Check out the many farmers markets of Montreal

A feast for the eyes doesn’t cost a dime, and that’s what you’ll get anytime you visit one of Montreal’s farmers market. If you’re lucky, the vendors to be found at Jean-Talon, Atwater, Lachine, or Maisonneuve markets will be giving out some free samples when you’re there.

35. Practice your French, or take a class funded by the government

Honing your French skills in a bilingual city is kind of a no-brainer, but the Quebec government also has free online courses, and in-class lessons that are subsidized to the point of being nearly free.

36. Make your own music while swinging away on the 21 Balançoires

April and May are generally the months when you can swing to the rhythm of your own music at the now-infamous 21 Balançoires. Hopefully the musical-swing season will be extended in the future.

37. Learn all the hotspots of Quartier des Spectacles on a walking tour

There’s a lot to see in the Downtown area known as Quartier des Spectacles, and you can take it all in for free with a guided tour.

38. Attend the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s annual free concert

Otherwise known as the “Big free concert presented by SiriusXM,” this year’s edition will be held on Wednesday, August 5th at 7pm.

39. See the fireworks during Festival de l’International des Feux Loto-Québec

Better known as the summer fireworks festival, Festival de l’International des Feux Loto-Québec illuminates the sky on a weekly basis, giving you a whole pyrotechnics show for free. Don’t think fireworks are limited to the warmer months though, as Telus Fire on Ice makes a mural of the sky during the winter.

40. Watch an entire production of Shakespeare in the Park

Held throughout the city, and with the show changing each year, Repercussion Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park series is a fun night of theatre for free. Don’t forget about Theatre Verdure either, a theatre company that also puts on free outdoor shows.

41. Hear some brand-new tunes from indie artists at the many free POP Montreal shows

Don’t assume POP Montreal is only in the fall, as the music festival organization regularly throws events throughout the year, with plenty of them being free.

42. Check out Theatre Sainte-Catherine’s weekly improv workshop

Test your comedy mettle at the the longest-running free improv workshop in all of Montreal, from 5-7pm every Sunday. There’s a show that follows too.

43. Laugh till your stomach hurts at a comedy open mic night at Mac’s Lounge upstairs at McLean’s Pub

See fledgling comedians try and make you chuckle at McLean’s every Sunday, or on hump day (Wednesday) head to Burritoville for the Shut Up and Laugh! Free comedy show.