Public transportation is the best way to get around Montreal. Whether you’re headed to Old Montreal, downtown Montreal, or one of the cities trendiest neighborhoods, public transportation is the perfect way to get there, with the Montreal metro as the best option. Montreal’s Metro system consists of four lines, identified by the colors green, orange, yellow and blue. The names of the stations at the end of each line are used to indicate the direction in which a train is headed. This information is usually available on the metro station platforms.
Montreal’s Street System
In Montreal, most streets have names, not numbers. Street signs often use French terminology for street names. For example, when referring to a street, the French word rue is used instead of the English word street, the French word Est is used instead of the English word East, and the French word Ouest is used instead of the English word West. Here is a quick table showing the various French street terms that you will see in Montreal and their English translation:
| French Street Term | English Translation |
| Rue | Street |
| Boulevard (Blvd) | Boulevard |
| Avenue (Av) | Avenue |
| Est | East |
| Ouest | West |
| Nord | North |
| Sud | South |
| Vieux | Old |
Additionally, you may sometimes see streets starting with côte. Côte simply means little hill. Many of Montreal’s streets are named after saints. That is why many of the streets are preceded by Ste (female saint) or St (male saint).
Getting around Montreal by car
It is strongly recommended to not use a car when visiting Montreal. Driving a car in Montreal means having to deal with congestions, parking meters, confusing signs, and parking restrictions. Remember that right turns on the red lights are not permitted in Montreal. Montreal also has some particular driving rules that must be respected at all times. Some of these rules include yielding to buses entering your lane from the right, observing lanes that are reserved for buses and taxis during rush hours, and respecting the various parking restrictions that are imposed in various neighborhoods.
Many of the most popular car rental companies have offices in Montreal. The table below lists the car companies that operate in the Montreal area.
| Car rental company | Reservations phone | number Website |
| Alamo | 800-327-9633 | www.alamo.com |
| Avis | 800-331-1212 | www. avis.com |
| Budget | 800-268-8900 | www.budget.com |
| Dollar | 800-800-4000 | www.dollar.com |
| Enterprise | 800-736-8222 | www.enterprise.com |
| Hertz | 800-263-0600 | www.hertz.com |
| National | 800-227-7368 | www.nationalcar.com |
| Thrifty | 800-847-4389 | www.thrifty.com |
Getting around Montreal on foot
The best way to get around Montreal is by foot. Particularly during the summer, a stroll down the heart of Montreal can be very pleasant. In the winter time, there are underground passages that connect every section of the downtown core.
