Bicycle
Montréal’s bicycle paths are extensive, running more than 500km around the city. Useful bike maps are available from the tourist offices and bicycle rental shops.
Top bike paths follow the Canal de Lachine and then up along Lac St-Louis; another popular route goes southwest along the edge of the St Lawrence River, passing the Lachine Rapids, then meeting up with the Canal de Lachine path.
Bixi
One of the best ways to see the city is by the public bike-rental service Bixi. Short-term subscription fees allowing you to use the system for 24 or 72 hours are very reasonably priced, and the 400-plus rental stations are almost ubiquitous, spaced only a few blocks apart throughout the downtown area (note that you will be charged a $100 deposit that is refunded after you return the bike). As of this writing, STM (Société de Transport de Montréal; www.stm.info) is experimenting with a plan to allow riders to use Opus cards at Bixi sites.
In Montréal, bicycles can be taken on the metro from 10am to 3pm and after 7pm Monday to Friday, as well as throughout the weekend. Officially cyclists are supposed to board only the first carriage of the train. In addition, eight of Montréal’s city bus lines are equipped with bike racks, which may be used any time of day. See the STM website (www.stm.info) for details.
There are also bike paths around the islands of Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Île de Soeurs and Parc du Mont-Royal.
Boat
Cruise vessels ply the St Lawrence River for day trips and longer cruises.
Calèche
The horse-drawn calèches (carriages) seen meandering around Old Montréal and Mont-Royal charge about $53/85 for a 30-/60-minute tour. They line up at the Old Port and at Pl d’Armes. Drivers usually provide running commentary, which can serve as a pretty good historical tour.
Horse-drawn calèches are the source of no small amount of controversy in Montréal. There is an entire Anti-Calèche Defense Coalition that documents tales of horse abuse; opinions are greatly split over whether these accounts are exceptions to the rule, or the rule itself. In 2015, a city moratorium banned calèches for a year, but that moratorium was not renewed.
Taxi
Flag fall is a standard $3.45, plus another $1.70 per kilometer and 63¢ per minute spent waiting in traffic. Prices are posted on the windows inside taxis.
Taxi Champlain
Taxi Co-Op
Train
AMT (www.amt.qc.ca) commuter trains serve the suburbs of Montréal. Services from Gare Centrale are fast but infrequent, with two-hour waits between some trains.
