best way to reach downtown area from montreal central station at night.

[smoothy604]

Hi everyone,

I am a new yorker who will be traveling to Montreal for the first time. I plan to take the train to montreal central station from nyc. I don't speak french, so I am wondering what's the best way for me to reach my hotel in downtown Montreal from central station at night after 8 pm? thank you guys.

 

[ezekiel]

Well you'd have to be more specific since Central station is right in downtown aera... Thoguh you could get a cab, The station is also directly connected to our subway network (we call it Metro) from the station you are at Bonaventure station. You could get also on foot since there are few hotel around the station.

 

[Max15411]

Yup central station is in the heart of downtown. You are already there. Are you looking at getting to a hotel in particular or somewhere else?

 

[Doc Holliday]

I am a new yorker who will be traveling to Montreal for the first time. I plan to take the train to montreal central station from nyc. I don't speak french, so I am wondering what's the best way for me to reach my hotel in downtown Montreal from central station at night after 8 pm? thank you guys.

It's difficult to give you a proper answer unless we know at which hotel you'll be staying at.

 

[IamNY]

Just walk outside the train station and grab a cab. Your already downtown and depending on which hotel your staying at you might not even need a cab, you could walk it.

 

[gugu]

Just walk outside the train station and grab a cab. Your already downtown and depending on which hotel your staying at you might not even need a cab, you could walk it.

Nah. Don't do that. It's too cold outside. Stay underground and and walk the pink network:

http://stm.info/English/info/souterrain2011.pdf

 

[CWipes]

The train sucks to Montreal. The problem is the border crossing. They need to check everyone before the train moves on so if 1 person has a problem they don't move. I know that wasn't the question but i realized that you said this was your first time taking the train.

Well if you are staying at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth I don't suggest taking a cab there.

 

[Ricky bonds]

is the train at bonaventure..i though the station central for montreal is a la gare central right between bonaventure, and place ville marie.
and isnt the queen actually connected to the place ville marie.
you could probably make your way underground right to the queen from the cn station.
if not exit on university (there is a staircase which will exit right onto university..its the staircase between the 'depanneur de la gare'. and the pharmacy.)
once you reach the top of those stairs..turn left (you will be walking north until the next corner)
turn left (which will be on rene-levesque)...and right after the vargas restaurant, the td bank, and another store..you will see the front entrance to the queen.

 

[TheDon]

There is a direct route from CN station right up to Queen E hotel without stepping outside.

If you get adventurous you can cross the street to the Bonaventure Hilton.

 

[lapadict]

The really cool thing for you about our "Gare Central" is that unlike "Penn Station" where you are leaving from in NY, There are no sleeping homeless people to trip over every two feet.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel is right above the station. No need to go outside. Just follow the signs. You are a 10-12 minute walk from the train station to anywhere downtown. Plus that walk can be achieved all underground if you find it too cold. The world famous Crescent St. is about 12min walk West, Old Montreal is 12min South East, main shopping centres (Eaton Centre, The Bay, St Catherine St.) is about 3-4 min walk North, St. Laurent St (The Main) is a little further maybe 20min walk East. Our Cathederal (Marie-Rein-Du-Monde) is on the next block West from the station if you exit the station from the North/West side before entering Place Ville Marie. Exiting S/W you can walk 3 min west and reach the Centre Bell where the Montreal Canadians occupy last place in the NHL Eastern Conference.

Someone mentioned Vargas Steak house which is in the same building as the station but on street level, N/E corner. This excellent restaurant can be reached without exiting the building. Take a cab to the trendy fancy resaurants on St. Laurent above Sheerbrooke St. If you are in a good hotel, ask the consierge to book a reservation for you, this usually results in even better service at a restaurant.

You won't have any trouble btw to locate any of our fine strip clubs. They are pretty much North South East or West. Have fun.

 

[smoothy604]

thanks for all the good tips! I can't wait to visit Montreal for the first time.

 

[TheDon]

Be careful of taxis that will take you for a ride to run up the bill when your hotel is 2 blocks away.

 

[aznguy]

Be careful of taxis that will take you for a ride to run up the bill when your hotel is 2 blocks away.

A few years ago, my wife and I went to Lyon, France. We got in a cab at the train station and asked the cabbie to take us to the Holiday Inn and gave her the address. She drove us and at one point, as we merged onto a round-about, I saw a Holiday Inn on the opposite side of the round-about. I thought, "Hmmm, there must be a couple of Holiday Inns' in Lyon". After driving another 10 minutes, guess where we ended up??

 

[MtlNewbie]

didn't read the replies but I just want to say that your stereotype of Montreal is simply a stereotype. Not speaking French is not a problem whatsoever, especially anywhere even close to downtown, especially especially if you're trying to spend money. I've lived here for 7 years and don't speak French and have had maybe 3 experiences in Montreal, total, where I needed to speak french. It's actually not that easy to learn French here because everyone is so bilingual and the minute they can even sense it, they'll speak english to you.

 

[vaxathrax]

The really cool thing for you about our "Gare Central" is that unlike "Penn Station" where you are leaving from in NY, There are no sleeping homeless people to trip over every two feet.

I don't think the stereotypes about NYC are any better... the bigger problem is the 30,000 tourists looking for the train station when they are right outside it

 

[lapadict]

My Penn Station comment, up untill about 10 years ago anyway, is fact, not stereotype. In the early morning and late at night there are indeed 100's of homeless people sleeping out in the hallways of Penn Station. Maybe they have since cleaned it up.

You are correct when saying that it is indeed a difficult station to locate being part of the MSG building and all. If you are refering to the difficulty in locating our Gare Central, I would agree. In my 30 years in Montreal, I have given directions to the train station on average 4-5 times per year. A big BILINGUAL sign is needed at all four corners outside and better signage is needed once inside PVM or the food court of Gare Central.

 

[simonpaul]

Keep it simple take a taxi