Best Time to Visit Montreal

Short answer: June to mid-October. Summer if you want festivals, late September and early October if you want the colours and fewer crowds.

Summer (June to August)

This is when Montreal is at its most outgoing. Terraces fill up, the streets of the Plateau close to cars for pedestrian summers, and the Quartier des spectacles hosts free outdoor shows most evenings. The Jazz Festival takes over downtown for around ten days from late June into early July, with many outdoor concerts free. Just for Laughs, the comedy festival, runs in the second half of July. It was cancelled in 2024 after its organiser went bankrupt, then returned in 2025 under new owners. Osheaga, a large music festival on Parc Jean-Drapeau, comes at the start of August. Days are warm to hot and often humid, with thunderstorms. Hotels are at their priciest, especially on the Formula 1 weekend in June, so book early.

Autumn (September to November)

Our favourite. The humidity drops, the maples on Mount Royal turn red and orange from late September, and Jean-Talon Market is piled with apples and squash. In September and October the Botanical Garden hosts the Gardens of Light, when its Chinese and Japanese gardens glow with lanterns after dark. By November it's grey and cold, and quiet.

Winter (December to March)

Cold, long and very Montreal. Temperatures sit well below freezing, and a few nights drop towards minus 25°C with wind chill. Snow is cleared quickly, and people still go out. Igloofest, an outdoor electronic music festival in the Old Port, runs on winter weekends in January and February, and Montréal en Lumière brings food and light shows to the centre in late winter. Skate on Beaver Lake or at the Old Port rink, and use the underground city for everything else. Hotel prices are at their lowest outside the holiday weeks.

Spring (April and May)

The awkward season. April is slush, grit and mud as the snow melts, and the trees stay bare until well into May. It's also sugar-shack time, when locals head to the countryside for maple-syrup feasts, which is fun if you have a car. By late May, the terraces come out again.

Festival dates move a little each year, so check the official sites before booking. For any month, our what to wear guide tells you what to pack, and our three-day itinerary works in any season with small swaps.