Montreal in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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7 days: the core in 4, neighborhoods for 3 more, then day trips make more sense
Montreal’s essential list, Old Montreal, Mont-Royal, downtown, the Olympic Park, fits into 4 days. This route spends the remaining 3 going deeper into neighborhoods rather than manufacturing new must-see stops that don’t exist. Budget $80-115 a person per day shoestring or $155-260 mid-range, tax included (Quebec’s 14.975% sales tax at the register). The full free-and-cheap list is in the main Montreal guide . Only have 6 days? See the 6-day itinerary . Ready to trade more city for real day trips instead? See the Montreal, Canada guide .
Book these before you go
- A timed slot for Notre-Dame’s evening AURA show if you want it, about $33.50
- A Space for Life combo pass (roughly $55-65) for Day 4
- A room ahead if your dates hit the F1 Grand Prix (May 22-24, 2026) or Jazz Fest (Jun 25-Jul 4)
Day 1: Old Montreal and Notre-Dame
Old Montreal’s cobblestones and Place Jacques-Cartier are free to walk. Notre-Dame Basilica’s blue-and-gold interior runs about $16 by day; AURA runs about $33.50 separately in the evening. Watch your bag in Place Jacques-Cartier’s crowds, the city’s most pickpocket-reported spot, not a violent one.
Day 1 real costs: Notre-Dame ~$16, transit ~$7.50.
Day 2: Mont-Royal and Mile End
The Kondiaronk Belvedere is a free skyline panorama. St. Joseph’s Oratory’s shrine is free by donation. Wander the Plateau and Mile End free, then pick a bagel side: Fairmount Bagel (1919) or St-Viateur Bagel (1957). Dinner at Schwartz’s Deli, smoked meat since 1928, about $9.75.
Day 2 real costs: Schwartz’s ~$9.75.
Day 3: Downtown and Jean-Talon Market
The MMFA runs about $31, free under 25. The RÉSO underground city is free. Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy is free to browse.
Day 3 real costs: MMFA ~$31 (or $0 if 25 and under).
Day 4: Olympic Park and Space for Life
The Montreal Tower’s observation deck stays closed until around spring 2027. Space for Life covers the Biodôme, Botanical Garden (Chinese and Japanese gardens, an autumn Gardens of Light festival), Insectarium, and Planétarium, a combo runs roughly $55-65.
Day 4 real costs: Space for Life combo ~$55-65.
Day 5: Griffintown, Atwater Market, and the canal
Griffintown, the gentrified canal-side district, has its own dining and nightlife scene. Atwater Market, Art Deco and canal-side, is free to browse. Walk or Bixi the Lachine Canal path between the two.
Day 5 real costs: Atwater Market snacks a few dollars, Bixi as needed.
Day 6: Quartier des Spectacles, Place des Arts, and McGill
Quartier des Spectacles and Place des Arts are free to walk past without a show ticket. McGill University’s campus is open to stroll. In summer, walk the Village, the LGBTQ+ neighborhood that pedestrianizes its main strip for the season.
Day 6 real costs: transit ~$3.75-7.50, whatever a show ticket costs if you buy one.
Day 7: A slow morning, and the case for day trips next time
By Day 7 the city itself is thoroughly covered. Spend the morning back at whichever free spot you liked best, the Old Port waterfront or the Kondiaronk Belvedere are both worth a repeat, then do any last shopping on Sainte-Catherine Street or a final pass through Jean-Talon or Atwater Market. Honestly, a genuine 7th day of new Montreal sights doesn’t exist without repeating what Days 1-6 already covered; if a future trip has one more day to spend, put it toward a day trip instead, Quebec City, Ottawa, or the Eastern Townships, all covered in the Montreal, Canada guide .
Day 7 real costs: transit ~$3.75-7.50, market snacks a few dollars.
Book the AURA slot and the Space for Life combo before you land, both are the only things on this 7-day route that reward planning ahead; everything else runs on walk-up transit fares.