Venue & Travel Information

Travel Information

From the Airport (YUL-Trudeau)

Montreal’s primary airport is the Trudeau International Airport to the west of the city. From there, you can take a taxi ($49.45 flat rate) or bus to get downtown. The 747-1 bus runs every 10–15 minutes, 24 hours a day, and goes directly from the airport to several stops in the city center. The fare of $11.25 pays for your trip and is valid for unlimited trips on the island of Montreal for the next 24 hours. You will see the vending machines in the airport. You can also pay with exact change on the bus. To go straight to the McGill campus, get off at Réné-Lévesque/Union Street. If by chance you end up taking the 747-2, this route will end at Lionel-Groulx metro station, which is a short ride away from McGill, and the fare you paid for the bus will enable you to continue your journey by metro.

From the Train Station (Gare Centrale)

Montreal’s main train station, Gare Centrale, is located below the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on the corner of René-Lévesque and Mansfield. It also has an entrance at 895 de la Gauchetière ouest. The station is the major terminus for Canada’s VIA Rail trains from Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec and the Gaspé, as well as U.S. Amtrak trains from Washington and New York. It also provides easy access to the city’s subway (the Metro), as it is situated at the Bonaventure station (on the Orange Line of the Metro).

Getting Around Montreal

Montreal is a very pedestrian- and bike-friendly city. However, if you wish to explore more of the city, using public transportation is highly encouraged. Taxi and Uber ride-share services are also widely available. (Lyft is, however, not available in Montreal.)

Bike Share

BIXI is a public bicycle sharing program originating in Montreal. It costs $1.60 to unlock a bike plus 21¢/minute for standard bicycles or 36¢/minute for electric bicycles. Bikes can be checked out using a credit card or the BIXI app and returned to any of the hundreds of bicycle docking stations in the city. Even if you have nowhere specific to go, we highly recommend using BIXI as a way to see the city!

Metro

Public transportation in the city is handled by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). Passes can be purchased from STM vending machines at the airport or in any metro station. Some convenience stores (dépanneurs) and pharmacies also sell passes.