Saint Catherine is a main street in Montreal. Should you walk down this street? Absolutely. This street goes through some of downtown Montreal’s best neighborhoods.
As you walk through UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) you quickly realize this area is the university part of town. There are many shops and restaurants to accommodate student demands.
St Catherine quickly turns into the arts district. Near Place des Arts Metro station, you’ll find a great museum. Lets say you don’t want to go in, the entire street is one big work of art. You’ll find lots of interactive displays up and down the street.
Recently, they’ve placed maps near each work of art with it’s description and where you can find the next one.
I found several as I walked down the street. A fun interactive piece made of hammocks and curtains is fun as I laid and swung for a couple of minutes.
You can walk up and down the street until you get to the gay village, which is also down Saint Catherine.
Getting Around
Getting around Montreal is easy. Most sights are located near a Metro stop. However, that’s not your only option. If you’re looking for a workout and means of transportation try renting from BIXI. BIXI is Montreal’s bike rental option. If you’re from a big city, they probably have something similar. I go to Montreal often and sometimes I opt for a Bixi rental. Just, not in the winter. I sometimes refuse to go outside in the winter.
Saint Catherine and the Gay Village
Saint Catherine runs right through the middle of the Gay Village in Montreal. In the summertime the Gay Village is decorated with lots of colorful decorations. They also close off the street to street traffic. Having a pedestrian-only street allows the restaurants to expand on to the sunny streets.
The Gay Village is made up of many bars, art installations and cute original clothing stores. If you’re looking for something memorable make sure to check out the Gay Village and my all time favorite gay bar and strip club, Campus!
Veering off Saint Catherine
If you’re going to be in the neighborhood, you might as well walk towards Chinatown. Although, very petite, this cute little neighborhood packs a punch. On warm summer days, you can find the main Chinatown square filled with women dancing and practicing their tai chi. Like any Chinatown locale, it’s filled with Chinese souvenir shops and lots of amazing little Chinese hole-in-the-wall restaurants. My favorite restaurant is Qing Hua Dumpling. Its cute and always full of college students.
As a side note, I should mention Chinatown is not on Saint Catherine, its runs parallel to it about one or two blocks down. Not far at all.
Check out this video of Montreal I made the first time I was there:Â