Montréal Gay Travel
wolfyy’s Montréal gay guide to top hotels, things to do, gay bars, clubs, saunas & the gay village.
The Gay Travel Experience: Montréal, Canada
Montréal is one of the best LGBT-friendly destinations in Canada. Local gay life is found in Montréal’s internationally known gay village, located in the east of the city near the Latin quarter.
Gay-owned restaurants, clothing stores, and bars line the streets beneath festive hanging balls, a rainbow art installation that has become symbolic of LGBT Montréal.
You will find a mix of Anglo and Francophone gay guys in Montréal. It’s a great way to practice that French you learned! Nonetheless, just about everyone speaks perfect English. The French influence is certainly magnificent, though.
I had a blast during my short trip to this wonderful city. Vibrant and filled with young people, there was much to keep busy with, both indoors and out.
Gay Montréal: Hotels & Where to Stay
The Le Plateau neighborhood is a trendy and authentic place to stay. I stayed in this area and loved it. My friends and I booked a modern apartment with lots of space to spread out.
Apartment rentals in Le Plateau are charming, close to Montréal’s gay village, and are surrounded by plenty of cozy cafés. Plus, accommodations in Le Plateau can be much cheaper than staying near the gay village.
Hotels in Plateau Mont-Royale are also a good bet. With Montréal ‘s fantastic metro system, this part of the city is easily accessible via the Orange Line.
The Montréal Gay Village: Hotels, Apartments & BNBs
Montréal’s gay village is pretty legendary. All the gay nightlife is in this part of town and the area is a fantastic place to hang out. There are tons of bars, restaurants, and boutique stores lining the main street of the gay village. The vibe is undeniably awesome.
Many gay travelers prefer local gay village hotels or even apartment rentals in the gay village to be closer to the gay nightlife, and I don’t blame them! Being in the heart of the city’s gay life is always a great experience.
A fantastic option for staying in this area is Maison Des Jardins B&B, one of the most popular gay bed and breakfasts in the village.
Or, you can snag one of the many luxurious apartments that offer some sweet amenities. A decent number of these rentals include access to rooftop pools and/or fitness centers in the building.
Downtown Montréal Hotels
While you can find some great apartment rentals and hotels in downtown Montréal, I personally think other neighborhoods outside the city’s core provide a better experience. Sometimes staying close to highly commercial areas like this can feel a little lifeless.
The 4-star boutique St. Paul Hotel is a fabulous option though if you do decide to stay downtown.
Montréal Gay Travel Experiences
Montréal has something to offer for every type of gay traveler. The city has several impressive museums, adorable cafés and patisseries for the foodies, and plentiful park space for the outdoorsy types.
Parc du Mont Royal (Mount Royal Park)
Parc du Mont-Royal is a scenic vista on a cliff, high above the city. It is easily accessible by car or on foot. Both tourists and locals capture snapshots of the drastic elevation change. Montréal’s skyscrapers offer the perfect backdrop.
Walking up is pretty easy and relaxing. There is a huge park and lake on the way up the mountain. There are also some restaurants with outdoor seating. Parc du Mont-Royal has probably the best view in Montréal, so you should definitely make a trip here.
Try Kouign Amann
Have a sweet tooth? Visit Patisserie Au Kouign Amann. Here you can order some classic Kouign Amann, a pastry rarely baked anymore. The recipe originated in France back in 1860.
My friend Taylor found this small bakery that is one of two establishments in the entire world that continues to bake this fine snack. Kouign Amann is not made often because it is labor-intensive, with so many layers of delicious butter-soaked flakes.
The Biosphere Museum
The Montréal Biosphere Museum at Parc Jean-Drapeau is architecturally stunning and has some interesting history behind it. While the site is currently an environmental conservation museum, it was originally built for the World’s Fair Expo 67.
When originally constructed, the sphere’s shell was composed of acrylic panes held between a steel lattice, which could carefully control the internal temperature. These panes unfortunately burned away in a building fire, but the trusses withstood the blaze.
The Biosphere Museum hosts dozens of exhibits focused on topics such as ecosystems, climate change, marine environments, neighborhood design, and planetary phenomena.
Also, walk through Espace 67 and take a look at the Trois Disques sculpture while you’re in the beautiful and modern Parc Jean-Drapeau.
Restaurants & Cafés in Montréal
Café Titanic is worth a visit for a relaxed lunch. This restaurant is a casual yet chic cafeteria-style eatery. It’s a convenient stop while exploring Montréal’s downtown.
They have both a coffee and a wine bar, so whether you need a boost of energy or want to relax, they’ve Café Titanic has you covered.
Ming Tao Xuan Tea House was also one of the highlights of my trip. I have never been to an Asian tea house before, but for my first time, I had a stellar experience!
A server prepared the first bit of tea in our individual teapots, and my friends and I sat and talked for hours.
The arrangement of the room was so peaceful. So much so, that we all felt relaxed afterwards. Ming Tao Xuan is more than just a place where you can enjoy tea in a relaxing environment.
A big portion of Ming Tao Xuan’s business is selling loose tea. Some loose tea might make a perfect gift for someone back home!
Café Replika is worth a visit if you’re in the Le Plateau neighborhood. They have iced macchiatos that will knock your socks off. If Turkish coffee is something you enjoy, they have that too!
Montréal Gay Bars & Clubs
There’s no shortage of gay bars and clubs in Montréal. The city has a wide range of options, from large dance clubs to cozy, intimate spots.
Bar Renard
Bar Renard is a mixed, gay-friendly bar in Montréal. While it’s not branded as a gay bar, all the Montréal gay locals hang out here.
The perfect place to start your night out in the gay village, Bar Renard is a classy, dimly-lit spot with great cocktails and a comfortable vibe. You can dance a bit here too, without feeling too crowded.
They were playing a mix of pop music when I went, as well as the most popular Eurovision songs. I’ve recommended many people to this bar, and they all have told me they loved it! See events on Bar Renard’s Facebook page.
Complexe Sky
Complexe Sky is a Montréal gay club notable for poppy beats and live DJs. It was super fun!
The space is super fun for dancing because everyone gets up on the platforms around the bar. Their fog machine is always pumping and the bartenders are always pouring!
While Complexe Sky tends to err on the side of pop music, they are always hosting nights with a specific genre of music. Their DJs range from EDM to Latin to Urban.
Club Unity
Club Unity was so much fun! They’re a massive gay club in Montréal. So big in fact, that multiple dance floor rooms were empty. The bar service and music were perfect.
18 to 21-year old patrons frequent Club Unity, so the faces were young! If you typically prefer a more mature crowd, you might prefer my next recommendation.
Le Stud Leather Bar
Le Stud is Montréal’s gay leather bar, ideal for those who enjoy a mature crowd. While I did not visit this spot myself, it definitely tops the list among local gay bars based on other traveler opinions.
Le Stud has a lot of themed nights going on during the week, so if you’re in Montréal only for the workweek, Le Stud may be a great spot to try.
Montréal Gay Saunas & Strip Clubs
Montréal is quite popular for its gay saunas. Located on St. Catherine Street East in the gay village, local gay saunas and the city’s well-known gay strip club are all close to one another, as well as to the gay bars.
Sauna G.I. Joe
You can’t miss Sauna G.I. Joe with their famous illuminated male figures on the front windows. One of the most popular cruising spots in Montréal, they have four floors of play areas, a spa, a steam room, showers, a BDSM dungeon, and a range of different sizes of private rooms.
Sauna Oasis
Sauna Oasis is one of the best gay saunas I’ve ever been to. They have a huge, multi-level space with a modern jacuzzi in the center. Everything is clean, their prices are fair, and everyone seems to agree that the guys here are super sexy!
Bring along a sexy jockstrap to wear while you’re cruising all of Sauna Oasis’ dark corners!
Sauna Centre-Ville
Sauna Centre-Ville has a reputation for being a calmer, more relaxed gay sauna in Montréal. It doesn’t have the best reviews when compared to the other nearby saunas, but it is cheaper! Sauna Centre-Ville also tends to attract an older crowd.
Campus Male Strip Club
Male dancers at Campus, Montréal’s infamous male strip club, love showing off. These guys can dance in ways you’d never imagine! While it’s a bit of seedy fun, gay travelers in Montréal love stopping into Campus.
Even though the Campus Facebook page may seem to be oriented toward women, you’ll surely notice almost all the patrons are gay guys and their friends.
Montréal Gay Pride: Défilé Fierté
Closing down streets all around the city’s historic gay village, Montréal gay pride is an enormous event. The week of events takes place each August when this Canadian city is beautifully warm. FYI, défilé fierté is French for pride parade.
I definitely want my next visit to Montréal to be for their pride events. As you can see in the video above from the 2016 Montréal Pride parade, it’s quite a celebration! Diverse, proud community members show so much love and dance the nights away at some epic parties.
Considering a trip for a pride event? Explore these gay pride events around the world.
Montréal Travel Tips
Everyone's Bilingual
Montréal has one of the largest populations of French-speaking individuals outside of France. But even with this massive Francophone population, almost everyone knows English. Locals all learn both French and English in school from a young age.
Where Montréal Got Its Name
Montréal gets its name from a variant of the words “Mont Royale,” a sort of contraction that, over time, took on the shape of one word. A semi-European vibe permeates some parts of the city with many cafés and patisseries to try!
The Rainbow Balls of Montréal's Gay Village
For many years, strings of rainbow-colored balls hung over St. Catherine Street East, which is the heart of the gay village. This art installation created a beautiful symbol of how gay-friendly the city truly is.
The City of Montréal sadly took down the hanging balls in September 2019. The motive was to seek a new artistic chapter for the area. Many people were upset about the decision, wondering why anyone would desire to remove something so iconic to the area.
The City of Montréal will sell these iconic balls while the next project design is chosen. Some will also be kept for display in the Espace Village Gallery.
Canada Gay Life & Rights
The Canadian government recently surveyed citizens about their overall comfortability about having an LGBT neighbor. Completed in 2019, results showed a heartwarming 91.8% rate of comfortability, a huge success for Canada.
Canada decriminalized homosexuality back in 1969 and granted fundamental rights to the LGBT community in the country’s constitution as of 1982.
Since 1996, sexual orientation has been included in anti-discrimination protections and more recently, gender expression since 2017. LGBT people are able to serve openly in the military as of 1992, and gay marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005.
Lastly, here’s an interesting LGBT-related Canadian fact. The Inuit, or the indigenous people of Canada that settled farthest to the north, embraced gender nonconformity in their culture!
The Inuit people (at this time no longer formally known as Eskimos) had words for describing those individuals who did not conform to their gender at birth. Read some more on this if you like; it’s quite fascinating.
Overall, Canada is one of the more progressive Countries in the western world with regard to homosexuality and LGBT rights!
Next, check out wolfyy’s Syracuse gay travel guide. This mid-size city, adjacent to a beautiful college town, is not too far away from wonderful Montréal.
See wolfyy’s complete collection of gay travel guides for more gay destination ideas around the world.
