Montreal Walker's Paradise

Almost every guest asks some version of the same question: “Do we need a car in Montreal?” If you are staying with us, the honest answer is no. Gingerbread Manor stands at 3445 avenue Laval, on the edge of Square Saint-Louis in the Plateau, in a true walker’s paradise in Montreal, and the city unfolds from our front door at walking pace. If you arrived by car, park it when you get here and forget about it until you leave. Daily life is walkable too: the bakery, the SAQ, the pharmacy and a dozen cafés are all within a few streets of the door.

What is honestly walkable from the Manor

• Square Saint-Louis, three minutes. Our front yard, more or less: the painted Victorian houses, the fountain, and the pedestrian stretch of Prince Arthur Street with its bring-your-own-wine terraces.
• Place des Arts and the Quartier des spectacles, about 15 minutes south. Montreal’s festival stages and concert halls, an easy stroll down the hill, and in summer the festival crowds spill right into the streets around you.
• Chinatown, about 15 to 20 minutes south. The gates on Saint-Laurent, dumplings, bubble tea and bakeries, right on your way down to Old Montreal.
• Old Montreal, about 20 minutes south. You are on the cobblestones in about 20 minutes, up by City Hall and the Champ-de-Mars; give it 25 for Place Jacques-Cartier and the Old Port. It is the walk our guests do most, and many prefer it to any tour bus.
• McGill University, 15 to 20 minutes. Straight west (Montreal west) along Sherbrooke Street and in through the Roddick Gates.
• Downtown shopping on Sainte-Catherine Street, about 25 minutes, with entrances to the underground city along the way.
• Mount Royal, our backyard mountain. The park’s edge is about 15 minutes west; the lookout at the Chalet is about 45 minutes, uphill the whole way and worth every step.
• The Mile End, about 35 minutes north. Bagels still warm from the wood oven at St-Viateur… or let the 55 bus climb Saint-Laurent for you and walk back downhill. Either way, it is the city’s most delicious walk, with espresso bars and bakeries the whole way up.

When your feet ask for a little help

Sherbrooke metro station is three minutes from the door, on the Orange line. Berri-UQAM is one stop south for the Green line, and Old Montreal is two or three stops away. The 24 bus runs along Sherbrooke, the 55 up Saint-Laurent. BIXI bikes dock a few steps from the square, and the ride down to Old Montreal takes about ten minutes, mostly downhill, with a dock waiting at the other end. Even in the depths of winter, the metro turns the whole city into a short, warm ride home.

A walker’s paradise in Montreal, four seasons a year

Spring brings the terraces back to Prince Arthur. Summer is festival season, and half the city seems to be walking to the same show you are. Autumn puts the mountain in full colour, a 15-minute walk from the door. And winter? Montrealers do not hibernate; they dress properly. The sidewalks fill again for the snow festivals, and the metro is three minutes away when the wind has other ideas. A walker’s paradise in Montreal is not a fair-weather claim; it is simply how this neighbourhood works, all year.

So lace up something comfortable and explore Montreal the way Montrealers do: on foot, one neighbourhood at a time. And if you want a route over breakfast, ask us at your sitting. Pointing guests in the right direction is one of the pleasures of the house. Come and discover the magic of a true walker’s paradise in Montreal.