10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Montreal

Bonsecours Market is a lively place to shop for local products in Montreal. Set within a neoclassical heritage building in Old Montreal, the market is eye-catching with its silver dome and dates back to 1847. It’s served as one of the city’s main agricultural markets for more than a century.

The market now offers a broader range of goods including Canadian and native arts and crafts, as well as jewellery and furniture by Quebec craftspeople and various clothing and accessories by local designers. Besides checking out some of the events or art exhibitions that are held there regularly, you could also take a break from shopping at Café des Arts.

Eaton Centre is the largest shopping centre in Montreal’s Downtown hub with some 125 stores and restaurants spread over its 5 levels. It offers a mix of brand-name fashions, beauty and health products, home decor, electronics and more. Sephora, Decathlon, and Uniqlo are among the notable tenants. Eaton also has access to RÉSO, Montreal’s ‘Underground City’, with hundreds more shops to discover and entertainment to enjoy.

Eaton Centre is home to dozens of dining spots including the TimeOut Market plus some chocolatiers and fast-food restaurants for your snack cravings. Paid parking is available in Eaton Centre’s underground car park, but a more cost-effective way to get there is by public transport - the mall has direct access to McGill Metro Station.  

Mont-Royal Avenue runs through Montreal’s vibrant Plateau neighbourhood, offering a rich variety of secondhand shops, bookstores and boutiques. You can also find many cafes, bars and restaurants along the thoroughfare. In favourable weather, a fun way to explore the avenue is by bicycle.

Wander the street and soak up the quirky, lively atmosphere of Plateau. Stop to relax at a cafe patio and look for colourful street art by local artists, including a Montreal-based muralist known as Mono Sourcil.

RÉSO or the Underground City (La Ville Souterraine) of Montreal connects several of Montreal’s shopping centres, theatres, hotels, exhibition halls, restaurants, sports complexes, and transport systems. It offers shoppers an easy way to get around and avoid any unpleasant weather conditions – no snow or ice to trudge through between shops! 

The Underground City of Montreal began construction in 1962 under the Place Ville-Marie commercial tower. Spanning 33 km, it's one of the largest protected pedestrian networks in the world. Some 1,700 shops and 200 restaurants are connected by the network. Those embarking on a Montreal shopping expedition could use RÉSO to visit malls like the Eaton Centre, Les Cours Mont-Royal, Place Bonaventure, and Place Montreal Trust.

Complexe Desjardins is a mid-sized Montreal shopping mall in the Quartier des Spectacles neighbourhood. There are about 100 shops, beauty salons, and restaurants to explore in the complex – check out Boutique Claudia for women's fashion or the Chocolats Favoris for a sweet treat.

At the heart of Complexe Desjardins is Grande-Place, a large indoor public plaza where dozens of festivals take place every year. From dance competitions and symphony orchestra performances to basketball games, there are plenty of happening events to you entertained while you shop.

Sainte Catherine Street is a major thoroughfare in Montreal that brims with independent shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and shopping centres. The 11-km street stretches through Montreal’s Downtown core and neighbourhoods like the Quartier des Spectacles. Festivals and events also regularly take place along the street.

The part of Sainte Catherine Street that runs west of Saint-Laurent Boulevard was where English merchants set up shop in the late 19th century. Today, it’s home to restaurants, large department stores, and retail centres. Sainte-Catherine Street East developed as a francophone area and commercial artery in the late 1800s. It now offers a range of boutique shops, nightlife venues, cafes, and theatres.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard is a busy section that was first built in 1792 as a dividing line between Montreal’s east and west sides. It’s today better known as “The Main”, which runs for 11 km from north to south. Serious shoppers will want to wander the particular section between Sherbrooke Street and Laurier Avenue in the trendy Mile End district. This is where a lively range of restaurants and boutique shops call home.

Shops and restaurants on Saint-Laurent Boulevard reflect the city's diverse mix of cultures and languages. The street’s importance in Montreal’s cultural landscape has earned it a National Historic Site designation by the Canadian government.

La Promenade Fleury is a scenic shopping street in the north Montreal borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville. It offers a friendly place to shop with a small-town feel, away from the crowds. Quaint delicatessens, restaurants, and shops line this promenade, which stretches between Saint-Hubert and Papineau Streets.

La Promenade Fleury is within a 30-minute drive from Downtown Montreal. This predominately French-speaking neighbourhood lies along the banks of the Rivière des Prairies. It has several large parks where you can enjoy a nice walk or bike ride after exploring its shop-lined streets.

Place Ville-Marie is a shopping mall inside a 5-tower complex, which has been a prominent Downtown Montreal landmark since the early 1960s. This centrally located complex is connected to the RÉSO underground network and the Eaton Centre, as well as several subways, bus and train stations for easy access.

The shopping centre, often referred to simply as PVM, has a food court, a host of dining places, and over 80 upscale fashion retailers. It’s a pleasant place to shop and stroll in Montreal. It has an airy glass pavilion design and indoor garden, as well as an outdoor esplanade that regularly hosts cultural events and programmes. 

Laurier Avenue West is home to a fabulous choice of shops, art galleries and places to dine and drink. Explore the section of the road between St-Laurent Boulevard and Chemin de la Côte-Ste-Catherine to find a selection of upscale goods, from toys and designer clothing to stylish home decor.

Visit Laurier Avenue West on an empty stomach to indulge in gourmet foods – local chocolatiers, cheesemakers and bakeries call it home. A great way to explore Laurier Avenue West is to grab a coffee, wander around, and soak up the lively scene as you window shop.