Montreal is a city that favours grace and elegance; a city where the past and the present mesh on a daily basis. Because of its beautiful Old World charm and European style, it has often been referred to as the 'Paris across the Sea’. While the city is classical, it is still as vibrant and beautiful. It is, as Anthony Bourdain says, "where the cool kids hang". Here are some of our favourite Montreal travel apps for the cool kids...
STM
© Matthias Berthet (Square Victoria)
The STM mobile app is the all in one app for navigating Montreal. It serves as a map, timetable and a tour guide. It showcases all the bus stops, train stops and even parking garages and car rental places in the city, so app users will know where to catch a ride. It keeps fairly accurate track of both bus and train timetables, updating when there are major delays. For the parking garages and car rentals, the app showcases not only where they are but how much they cost. The app also functions as a decent map. The map function can find users anywhere in the city and highlights surrounding businesses. MTL Mobile is free for Android and iPhone devices.
Get the app here: Click here
Montreal City Guide
© Alice Gao/Commission Canadienne du Tourisme (St-Viateur Bagel & Café)
When it comes to travel guides for the city, there is no better travel guide app than the Montreal City Guide. This app works entirely offline so users don't have to worry about pesky roaming charges. The app taps into Trip Advisor to detail hundreds of attractions, hotels and restaurants. For those who are unsure of where to start, there are quite a few trip itineraries that are pre-loaded onto this travel guide app. However, for app users who know what they want to see, they can create custom travel itineraries of their own and share them on social media. Using the GPS of a smart phone, the app guides users through their trip itineraries by providing step by step directions. When they arrive at the point of interest, users can view all the interesting tidbits about it. This app is free for iPhone and Android devices.
Get it on iTunes: Click here
Get it on Google Play: Click here
RestoMontreal
© Tourisme Montréal, Susan Moss (Bistrot La Fabrique)
RestoMontreal is the ultimate restaurant guide for the real foodie. This app gives details on all the great places to eat in Montreal, from elegant five star restaurants and the quaint little bistros, all the way to the funky food trucks. RestoMontreal allows for users to sort through restaurants based on district within the city, the cuisine that they serve, rating and price range. Users can leave ratings and reviews for the restaurants they visit. The fact that the app allows users to also upload pictures and make comments on the menu only furthers the experience. RestoMontreal is available for free on iPhone and Android devices.
Get it on iTunes: Click here
Get it on Google Play: Click here
Montreal Map and Walks
© Les Touilleurs (Les Touilleurs)
With Montreal, like with any city, the best way to see it is by walking. The Montreal Walks app functions as a map of the city, but it functions best as a tour guide. By tapping into the GPS of a smart phone, the walking tours navigate travellers step by step to various points of interest. When users reach the points of interest, the app gives a handy little audio guide detailing the history and other unique tidbits of the area. The app comes in two versions, the Lite version, which is free and contains tours on Famous Architecture, Shopping in Montreal, Montreal's Nightlife, Downtown Montreal and the Titanic Tour. The Full version is available for $4.99 and contains nine additional tours.
Get it on iTunes: Click here
Get it on Google Play: Click here
AddTo Montreal 2.0
© Tourisme Montréal (Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal)
This app is being hailed as the ultimate travel guide for the city. Both visitors and local residents within Montreal are going crazy over AddTo Montreal, as it functions as not just a handy travel guide, but also as a journal. The app gives users the ability to create custom travel maps and travel itineraries around the city, upload photos about their travels and add notes onto each location. When they feel they have created a truly great experience, they can show off their travel itineraries and journals on social media and publish them within the app itself. Other users can read through these journals and leave comments. It is a great social network for both locals and visitors who want to explore this diverse and beautiful city. This app is available for $0.99-$1.39 for iPhone and Android devices.
Get it on iTunes: Click here
Get it on Google Play: Click here
More handy 'smart' tips:
- Are you driving in Montreal? Consider downloading a parking app so you don't have to fumble with coins at a metre.
- Are you a car2go user at home? Great news, car2go is active in Montreal too.
- Consider downloading a free local taxi app before you arrive. Taxi apps send requests as quick as you can type them out, while phoning for a cab in peak hours can mean waiting on the phone until you get through to dispatch.
- Always handy: TripAdvisor, Yelp and Bravolol
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