Downtown, Montreal

In Downtown Montreal is a series of shopping malls and food courts, all linked by underground tunnels and providing links into the Metro systems. This is known as the underground city and lets Montrealians get around in winter without ever going outside. One of the major malls is the Bonaventure Place, with shops, food courts and even an ice rink.

2 more images

HMV is probably the only landmark shop selling music, that is still there. "Le Mégastore" at St. Catherine West will stay there for some more years to come.

Well, DVD's and games are the main thing now, but on the first floor there's still plenty of CD's to explore.

Shop hours:
Mo-Fr: 9AM - 9PM
Sa: 9AM - 5PM
Su: 10AM - 5PM

What to buy: Music!

4 more images

Love this gallery, great hospitality, welcomed us, gave us a comfy chair, refreshments, and a relaxing chance to look at art while the kids made drawings. Helped us to pick an orginal artwork for our home, even arranged the delivery and hanging of the painting. They specialize in art exhibits and show a lot of serious art in both emerging and established artists. Prices were on target with our experience and we felt we were well educated on the artists and the artwork. They did not stop there they took us on Crescent and introduced us to the other boutigues we had interest in, we stopped in at La Pendulerie a great clock shop on Crescent where the owner Fabian even sells over 40 kinds of swiss chocolates, we tried over ten kinds ourselves, Christian the gallerist at the Crescent Gallery introduced my husband to the Formual One Boutique owners, this is my hubby's toy store and he was in seventh heaven, while I was introduced to The California Boutique where I bought an incredible sultry evening gown. We left our Crescent street new found friends with the promise we would be back for the Formula One in June.

What to buy: Buy art in Montreal, prices are great, quality is the best at Galerie Crescent Contemporain, Formula One fans you got to see the Formula One Boutique on Crescent, Clocks, more of the world's finest clocks than I have ever seen in North America at fair prices at La Pendulerie, and can't say enough for my dress boutique on Crescent The California Boutique, could not find gowns like this outside of Saks or LA.

What to pay: Orginal art works range anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars, while Formula one items range from dollars up ot hundreds of dollars, Clocks in the Swiss and German brand names have broad ranges while my dress is none of your business. Enjoy Crescent, it is like a small exclusive village.

4 more images

Love this gallery, great hospitality, welcomed us, gave us a comfy chair, refreshments, and a relaxing chance to look at art while the kids made drawings. Helped us to pick an orginal artwork for our home, even arranged the delivery and hanging of the painting. They specialize in art exhibits and show a lot of serious art in both emerging and established artists. Prices were on target with our experience and we felt we were well educated on the artists and the artwork. They did not stop there they took us on Crescent and introduced us to the other boutigues we had interest in, we stopped in at La Pendulerie a great clock shop on Crescent where the owner Fabian even sells over 40 kinds of swiss chocolates, we tried over ten kinds ourselves, Christian the gallerist at the Crescent Gallery introduced my husband to the Formual One Boutique owners, this is my hubby's toy store and he was in seventh heaven, while I was introduced to The California Boutique where I bought an incredible sultry evening gown. We left our Crescent street new found friends with the promise we would be back for the Formula One in June.

What to buy: Buy art in Montreal, prices are great, quality is the best at Galerie Crescent Contemporain, Formula One fans you got to see the Formula One Boutique on Crescent, Clocks, more of the world's finest clocks than I have ever seen in North America at fair prices at La Pendulerie, and can't say enough for my dress boutique on Crescent The California Boutique, could not find gowns like this outside of Saks or LA.

What to pay: Orginal art works range anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars, while Formula one items range from dollars up ot hundreds of dollars, Clocks in the Swiss and German brand names have broad ranges while my dress is none of your business. Enjoy Crescent, it is like a small exclusive village.

If you happen to be visiting Montreal in winter, it's a good idea to know how to get to the Underground city. That is because this is a refuge from the bitter cold and a great place to shop. There are hundreds of shops here. Granted, it is a mall, but there are so many passageways that you feel like an explorer rather than a typical consumer.

Le Faubourg Sainte-Catherine, constructed in 1986, is a 175,000 sq. ft. mixed use complex anchoring the west side of downtown Montreal on Sainte-Catherine Street.

It's really a one stop for shopping for prepared food (bagel, meat, pastry, ethnic food, etc...), fruits and vegetables, wine, flowers, newspaper, book or simply take a coffee or grab a snack in the food fare on the top levels.

What to buy: Similar to a market place, it is possible to complete your grocery shopping with quality gourmet products, in the heart of downtown Montreal.
Also arts and crafts, carpets, haircuts, or go bowling!!

What to pay: very affordable.

3 more images

What a surprise to take the metro and to discover that down there there's a parallel world of corridors, bars, restaurants and shops, all of it well connected. It doesn't metter whether you want to check out some of the luxurious depratment stores or just want to grab a cup of coffee or to have dinner with your friends in one of the ethnical restaurants. It's an excellent way to avoid freezing winter days and to do something fun.

What to buy: You can buy everything, the choice is excellent and there's something for every pocket.

4 more images

One can only imagine the severity of Montreal's long winters. What do people do? They head underground, to the vast pedestrian network known as RESO. It seems to stretch on forever; one could spend days here.

Every kind of shop and restaurant is somewhere down here. The hallways are crowded, and you can spend plenty of time just watching all the people go by. Constantly being expanded, this sprawling complex goes on for 19 miles.

What to buy: You can find virtually anything here.

What to pay: Prices are about average for Montreal.

ODYSSEE is a small shop with little walking space, due to the loaded book shelfs.

Great to explore if you are in search for that particular book you are still looking for.

And there are some records; ELVIS, Jazz and classical ones.

What to buy: Books.

Cheap Thrills is housed at the second floor of a "restaurant". The stairs lacks yeras of maintenance what makes it a unique piece of shopping challenge.
The shop is spread over several rooms and is cramped with salesware.
Count to find many local specialities.

Store hours:
Mo-We: 11AM - 6PM
Th-Fr: 11AM - 9PM
Sat: 11AM - 6PM
Su: Noon - 5PM