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Montreal Gay Travel Guide
Ten percent of everyone in Canada lives in Montreal, and we’d venture a guess that nearly half of gay Canadians make their home here. It’s the second-largest French-speaking city outside Paris. But don’t let that frighten you! Virtually everyone in Montreal speaks perfect English, as well, and you’ll find that they’re very happy to speak it. In fact, you’ll find that Montrealers are just plain happy. This dynamic city sitting astride the St. Lawrence River is bursting with life. It has a unique blend of Old-World atmosphere and hip, new, multicultural melting pot. Architecture runs the gamut from early 18th century to ultra-modern, and the city will tempt you away from the massive gay district with an endless variety of diversions. Everyone spends an afternoon in Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal), the oldest quarter of the city, with its Gothic architecture and cobbled streets packed with art galleries and chic restaurants. The Notre Dame Basilica rivals any European cathedral in size and beauty. The Biodome houses ecosystems from tropical rainforest to arctic tundra. Olympic Park is home to the world’s tallest inclined tower. If you feel like a little risk, Casino de Montreal is one of the largest in the world. Museums abound, with Musee McCord offering a superb collection of Canadian and Inuit historical treasures, Musee de Beaux Arts , the finest art museum in the country, and the Museum of Archaeology and History, where you can explore a genuine archeological dig on the site of the original Montreal settlement. If you need to get your nature on, Parc le Mont Royal sits smack dab in the middle of downtown, surrounding the big mountain for which Montreal was named. In all seasons it is bustling with people, gay and straight, for a variety of activities from hiking, biking, kite-flying, fall foliage-watching, ice skating, skiing, and snow-tubing. Parc la Fontaine is another urban gem, a vast sprawling green that gave birth to Cirque du Soleil. Its canals are a popular ice skating venue in the winter. And speaking of winter, Montreal has perhaps the harshest winter of any major North American city, but they’ve learned to deal with it. The entire downtown area is connected by more than 20 miles of underground walkways which also house theatres, restaurants, and entertainment complexes. Montreal’s immaculate subway system also helps avoid the cold. But winter still doesn’t stop people from going outside. On weekend nights, people stroll the streets in the falling snow at all hours in this city that never sleeps. Canada’s legendary tolerance reigns supreme in Montreal. Legal gay marriage, and a hands-off policy on drug use and escorting have attracted a vibrant gay scene which centers around The Village, a mile-long stretch of St. Catherine Street between the Berri and Papineau Metro stations. It is bigger than San Francisco’s Castro. Exploding with clubs, bars, cafes, legendary strip clubs, and shops of all types, The Village is truly one of the most exciting gay destinations on the planet.
Gay Montreal Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
Montreal has a wealth of unique bars spread across the entire metropolitan area, and you’re likely to run into gay people in all of them. But most of the exclusively-gay bars are located in The Village along Rue St. Catherine and a few blocks in either direction. The Beaudry Metro stop is smack dab in the center of it all, which the city government thoughtfully decorated with rainbow pillars. There are several gay newspapers covering the scene in Montreal, and although all of them are en Francais, it’s quite possible to make out what’s going on and when, or just ask at your guesthouse. A great place to start would be the Bourbon complex, which claims to be the largest gay establishment on Earth. We might agree, the place covers an entire city block! In addition to the restaurants and hotel inside, you can grab a drink at the cosy Bar Cajun, and grab another at Club Back Track while you bob to some 70s disco tunes. The Skyy complex has an enormously popular bar/café with an Old World feel and a busy happy hour, as does the Unity II complex, except that the dancers at that bar tend to wear…well…nothing. Indeed, Montreal is legendary for its male dancers who do, indeed, bare it all. Bars which feature such minimalist entertainment are integral to Montreal nightlife, and each feature a different style of guy. For young guys, Taboo is the place. For more muscular boy-next-door types, head to Adonis, Unity II, or Skyy. Muscle guys strut at Campus and Stock. Outside The Village, Q Zone is a popular venue with its piano bar, cushy sofas, and microbrewery. Nearby is Agora a small, friendly neighborhood bar. Both locations draw a mix of downtown businessmen and students from nearby Concordia University. Cleopatra hosts the drag scene (and sometimes a female-dancer night for lesbians.) Or for a change of pace, head to Bily Kun, a funky bar decorated with real ostrich heads, and one of the few places in North America to sample genuine, legendary absinthe. The leather crowd lurks at Bar le Stud (which has a monthly Lesbian Leather night) and Aigle Noir (the Black Eagle).
Gays in Montreal love to dance. And it’s hard to decide which club reigns here. It’s probably a split between Unity II and Skyy . Unity II offers a cavernous dance space on its main level that’s always thumping with hard house, and comfy couches on the second level with a secondary dance room playing gay-anthem techno. It can get quite difficult to breathe after midnight on either floor amid all the bodies, so you can escape (in season) to the spectacular terrace atop the building, with several bars and a killer view of the Montreal skyline. Skyy is a newer spot, with a space-age dance hall complete with iron catwalks and state-of-the-art video projections, and a smaller chill room with sporadic drag shows. Both clubs are packed every night, Thursday through Sunday, after midnight, but it seems that Skyy has the biggest crowds on Friday and Sunday, and Unity II takes precedence on Thursday and Saturday. Both clubs regularly host international DJs. For a smaller venue, Club La Track offers a more retro sound inside the massive Bourbon complex. Club Parking appeals to a more leatherish crowd. Regardless of who you are in Montreal and what your sexual preference is, when the clubs close around 4am you head to Stereo, an after-hours club with an expensive cover and an intense dance scene which thumps sometimes until lunchtime the next day. Every night is like New Year’s Eve here.
Montreal abounds with restaurants, and eating well here is quite inexpensive. As a rule, Montrealers dine late. And 24-hour pizza joints can be found on almost every block in The Village. These snack shops also offer a traditional Quebec delicacy, poutine, a mixture of French fries, white cheese curds, and brown gravy. (Trust us, you’ll love it, no matter how gross it sounds.) Gay restaurants sprinkle The Village, but some of the more popular ones are the eateries in the Bourbon complex which include Club Sandwich (open 24 hours, and offers much more hearty fare than just sandwiches) and an ice cream bar. Skyy Pub also has a full-service kitchen. La Strega offers an extensive Italian menu.
Gay Friendly and Gay Montreal Hotels
Gay Bed and Breakfasts thrive in this quaint city, and there’s something for everyone. Our favorite is Le St Christophe, a few blocks from the heart of The Village along a quiet street, and just steps from the Berri Metro. Its five guest rooms are decorated with antiques, its many patios are clothing optional, and its basement hides a cozy fireplace and a hot tub. Claude’s artisan breakfasts tempt you from your bed after a late night of clubbing (and most of the gay B&Bs only offer continental breakfast, so this is why we love the Christophe). For something more central, you can’t beat Auberge Cosy, right smack dab in the center of The Village on St. Catherine’s. Le Houseboy is also centrally located, and they’re very proud of their new hot tub. And Bed and Breakfast du Village is also a few steps from the heart of everything, but their hot tub is on a deck and usually buried under snow in the winter. Tucked away in residential areas near The Village are Ruta Baggage, Turquoise, La Conciergerie, Accommodation Montreal, and Le Chasseur. For a barebones budget B&B, Accommodations International is a good choice, a stretch of the legs uphill from The Village, but perched above its own neighborhood gay bar.
If you need the privacy of a hotel, try Hotel Bourbon, centrally located in the Bourbon complex. For something more upscale, Hotel Le St Andre beckons with its chic décor. A bit of a hike from The Village sits Aux Berges, which claims to be Canada’s finest all-male hotel. They have their own on-site sauna and a clothing-optional rooftop terrace. You can get to The Village easily on the metro from here.
Call an edirp.com gay travel specialist at 1-888-EDIRP-EZ (1-888-334-7739) or (214) 520-0345 (U.S.) to book any of the hotels mentioned above. Any hotels with links may be booked via our secure online booking system. <
Montreal Gay Pride and other Gay Events
Divers Cite is Montreal’s massive Gay Pride event, one of the largest in North America, and it takes place the last week of July, featuring huge concerts, rallies, parades, cultural festivals, and parties. Montreal also hosts four massive circuit parties, Red (Valentine’s Day), Hot and Dry (Victoria Day…usually around the third weekend of May for you non-Canadians), Twist (Pride weekend), and the legendary Black and Blue (second week of October). In addition, the Bal des Boys is held on New Year’s Eve. All are sponsored by Bad Boy Club Montreal which participates heavily in community charity. The International Gay Games will be held in Montreal in 2006.
Travel guide by Benjamin Starr, a travel writer who claims the entire world as his home. When he's not at home, he can sometimes be found at a residence in Dallas, Texas. To contact Ben, email him at benjaminstarr@sbcglobal.net. |
