Montreal Airport to the City Centre – Transport Guide

Montreal Airport is officially called Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, but the signs and tickets simply say YUL. The airport is in the suburb of Dorval, about 20 kilometres west of downtown, and getting from Montreal Airport to the city centre is easy. Bus 747 runs around the clock from the airport to Lionel-Groulx metro station and on through downtown to Berri-UQAM, and the 11.25 Canadian dollar ticket (around £6) also works as a 24-hour pass for all the city’s buses and the metro. For most people, it’s the best choice.

If you land late, are travelling as a group with lots of luggage, or simply want to go straight to your hotel door, taxis run to downtown at a flat rate, and Uber picks up close by. Here you’ll find all the options with prices, journey times and exactly where to find them at the airport: bus 747, taxi, Uber, limousine and transfer, car hire and the status of the REM light rail. I also explain how to continue by VIA Rail from Gare Centrale to Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto. Prices are given in Canadian dollars with an approximate amount in pounds.

Montreal Airport to the city centre at a glance

• Bus 747: 11.25 dollars (around £6) including 24 hours of unlimited travel on buses and the metro, running around the clock, 30 to 35 minutes to Lionel-Groulx and 45 to 70 minutes to Berri-UQAM.
• REM light rail: a station is being built beneath the airport, but until it opens, the 747 is the only public transport running directly to the city centre.
• Taxi: a flat rate to downtown of 49.45 dollars (around £26) from 5am to 11pm and 56.70 dollars (around £30) at night, from door 23 in the arrivals hall.
• Uber: the price depends on demand, and UberX picks up at the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area, which you reach from door 28.
• Limousine and transfer: the airport’s limousines from 85 dollars (around £65) including tax, and private transfers from about 41 dollars (around £30) per person.
• Car hire: the rental companies are based in the P4 car park, which you reach on a free 24-hour shuttle bus. Handy for the Laurentians and Quebec City, unnecessary in the city centre.

How to find the transport at the airport

YUL has a single terminal with three sections: domestic flights within Canada, international flights and flights to the USA. Wherever you’re arriving from, you’ll end up on the arrivals level on the ground floor, and if you’re flying in from the UK or elsewhere in Europe, you’ll first need to go through Canadian passport control and collect your luggage before you reach the public arrivals hall. The airport numbers its doors along the front of the building, and it’s the door numbers you need to look out for when finding your transport.

The most important number is door 28 in the international arrivals hall. This is where you’ll find STM’s information desk and the ticket machines for bus 747, and the bus stops just outside, where STM staff are often on hand to help. From door 28 you can also walk on to the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area, where UberX picks you up and where the shuttle bus to the hire cars in P4 leaves from. Taxis wait at door 23, and Uber Black at door 25. Hotel shuttles and the shuttle to VIA Rail’s station in Dorval, however, leave from door 8 on the departures level one floor up.

1. Bus 747 to Lionel-Groulx, downtown and Berri-UQAM

Bus 747 is Montreal’s airport bus, run by the city’s transport authority STM. It operates around the clock, seven days a week, and during the day there’s a departure every 10 to 15 minutes. The buses have room for suitcases, so you needn’t worry about your luggage. There are two versions. The short route, 747 Métro, runs non-stop to Lionel-Groulx metro station in around 30 to 35 minutes, while the long route, 747 Centre-ville, stops at Lionel-Groulx and then carries on along Boulevard René-Lévesque through downtown to its final stop at Berri-UQAM and the coach station Gare d’autocars de Montréal. The full journey takes 45 to 70 minutes depending on traffic, so check the sign on the front of the bus before you get on.

The short route is quickest if you’re changing to the metro. Lionel-Groulx is on both the green and orange lines, so you can carry on by metro in any direction from here. At night, when the metro is closed, you’ll want the long route all the way in. The timetable and all the stops are listed on the website of STM, which runs bus 747.

Fares and tickets

A ticket for the 747 costs 11.25 dollars (around £8.40), and it’s a real bargain, because it works as a day pass with unlimited travel for 24 hours on all STM buses and the metro. So you can take the bus into town, carry on by metro to your hotel and spend the rest of the day sightseeing on the same ticket.

At the airport, you buy your ticket from the machines by door 28, which accept cash, Interac and Visa or Mastercard, or at the STM desk next to them. You can also buy it in STM’s Chrono app. If you pay on the bus, you’ll need the exact fare in coins, as the driver doesn’t accept notes or give change. It’s therefore easiest to buy your ticket before you head out to the bus.

Where should you get off?

Lionel-Groulx: The first stop and the right place if you’re continuing by metro. If you’re staying in Old Montreal, take the orange line five stops to Place-d’Armes, and you’ll be there in about an hour from the airport. The orange line also runs three stops to Bonaventure, which has an indoor connection to Gare Centrale.

Downtown on Boulevard René-Lévesque: The long route stops at several points on René-Lévesque between Rue Guy and Rue Berri, which is handy if your hotel is downtown or in the Golden Square Mile. If you’re staying in the Quartier des Spectacles, get off at the stops on the eastern part of the route and walk the rest of the way.

Berri-UQAM: The final stop, at the city’s biggest metro interchange, where the green, orange and yellow lines meet. From here it’s a short walk to the Quartier Latin and The Village, one of the easiest and cheapest bases when you’re coming from the airport. For the Plateau, take the orange line one stop to Sherbrooke, and Place-des-Arts is two stops on the green line. If you’d like to stay close to the bus, you can check prices at Tru by Hilton Montréal centre-ville here, which is on Boulevard de Maisonneuve Est, a few minutes’ walk from the station. If you’re not sure which area suits you best, read my guide to where to stay in Montreal, where I go through the five best areas and hotels in several price ranges.

Other buses from the airport

Several regular STM routes also serve the airport, including the 209, 356, 378 and the 460 express. A single journey costs 3.75 dollars (around £2.80), but none of them go downtown, so they’re only useful if you’re heading out to the suburbs. As a visitor, you can safely skip them and take the 747.

Does the REM light rail go from Montreal Airport to the city centre?

Montreal’s new driverless light rail, the REM, already runs from Gare Centrale downtown across the river to Brossard on the South Shore, and a station is being built beneath the airport, which will provide a direct rail link to Gare Centrale in around 20 minutes. Until the airport station opens, however, bus 747 is the only public transport running directly from the airport to the city centre, and the airport has said that the 747 will also continue at night when the light rail isn’t running.

So check REM’s own overview of which sections are in operation before you travel. Once the airport station has opened, the light rail will be the quickest option for downtown, and you can get off right beneath Gare Centrale.

2. Fixed-fare taxi

Taxis wait at door 23 on the arrivals level, where a dispatcher directs you to the next available car. You don’t need to book in advance, and there are almost always enough cars. Taxis to downtown charge a fixed fare, so you don’t have to keep an eye on the meter. According to the airport’s own information on taxi fares, the journey costs 49.45 dollars (around £37) between 5am and 11pm and 56.70 dollars (around £42) between 11pm and 5am.

If you’re going somewhere other than downtown, the taxi runs on the meter, with a starting charge of 4.10 dollars, then 2.05 dollars per kilometre and 0.77 dollars per minute during the day, slightly more at night. A tip of 15 to 20 per cent is normal in Canada and isn’t included in the fixed fare. The journey to downtown takes around 25 to 40 minutes without traffic, but it can take longer during rush hour on the motorways.

If there are several of you, the dispatcher can arrange a minivan with room for five or six people and five medium-sized suitcases, and wheelchair-accessible taxis are also available. A taxi is expensive for one person compared with the bus, but for three or four the fixed fare is competitive, and it’s the safe choice when you land in the middle of the night with tired children.

3. Uber

Uber is allowed to pick up at Montreal Airport, but the system is a little different from many other places. If you book UberX or one of the other standard categories, walk from door 28 out to the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area and request your ride from there. The app gives you a PIN, and then you join the queue and get the next available car on a first come, first served basis. You show the driver the code when you reach the car. Between 2am and 10am, and for Uber XL and Comfort, follow the instructions in the app instead. Uber Black picks up separately at door 25. The details are in the airport’s guide to Uber.

The price follows demand, so it can be both lower and higher than the taxi’s fixed fare. Compare the price in the app with the 49.45 dollars before you book, as Uber isn’t always cheapest, especially when lots of flights land at once. The advantage is that you know the price in advance and don’t have to explain the address. You tip in the app afterwards.

4. Limousine and private transfer

The airport has its own limousines, which run at a price you’re told before you confirm. A sedan costs from 85 dollars (around £65) and an SUV from 104 dollars (around £80), both including tax, and you can pay by card, cash or Interac. It’s a pricey option, but it makes sense if you want a bigger and more comfortable car than a taxi.

A private transfer is a pre-booked car with a driver who waits for you in the arrivals hall and takes you straight to your hotel door for a fixed price. It’s handy if you’re travelling with children, landing late or simply don’t want to find your own way after a long flight from Europe. On GetYourGuide, prices start from around 41 dollars (around £30) per person to downtown.

Book a private transfer from Montreal Airport here.

The transfer must be booked at least 10 hours in advance. Enter your flight number when you book so the driver can keep track of any delays, and bear in mind that getting through passport control can take a while when you land from Europe.

5. Car hire from Montreal Airport

The car hire companies at Montreal Airport are based in the P4 car park, some distance from the terminal, so you don’t pick up your car right outside the door. From door 28 on the arrivals level, walk to the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area, where a free shuttle bus runs to P4 every 5 minutes around the clock. The desks are open from 7am to 1am, and you can also walk the 8 to 10 minutes if you’re travelling light. A few hire companies are located off-airport and collect you with their own shuttle from door 8 on the departures level. You can compare prices on car hire at Booking.com, and remember to check whether an additional driver and insurance are included in the price.

A car is a good idea if you want to head up into the Laurentians and Mont-Tremblant, explore the Eastern Townships or drive along the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec City. In winter, under the province’s winter tyre rules, cars in Québec must have winter tyres from 1 December to 15 March, and that applies to hire cars too. Also note that you’re not allowed to turn right on red on the island of Montreal itself, even though it’s permitted in the rest of Québec.

In Montreal itself, a car is more of a hindrance than a help. There’s heavy traffic and lots of roadworks, and parking at downtown hotels is expensive. My recommendation is therefore to stay in the city without a car, use the metro and only pick up the car on the day you leave the city. To return the car, simply drive straight to P4 and follow the signs.

Onwards with VIA Rail from Gare Centrale

Montreal’s long-distance trains leave from Gare Centrale in the heart of downtown, and the station sits beneath the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel on Boulevard René-Lévesque. From the airport, take the 747 to Lionel-Groulx and the orange line three stops to Bonaventure, from where you can walk indoors to the station, or stay on the 747 to the stops on René-Lévesque and walk the last bit. A taxi straight from the airport costs the fixed downtown fare. According to Tourisme Montréal’s guide to Gare Centrale, the station is connected to the underground city RÉSO, so you can get all the way there without stepping out into the cold. If you want to sleep right above the platforms, you can check prices for Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth here.

To Quebec City

The train to Quebec City is the most popular trip for tourists, and according to VIA Rail it takes around 3.5 hours on average, with several departures a day. Tickets get more expensive closer to departure, so book well in advance. If you’re heading straight from your flight to Quebec City, the coach company Orléans Express also runs a few departures a day directly from the airport to Sainte-Foy and central Quebec City. The coach stops at bus stop 8 on the arrivals level, which you’ll find by walking towards door 28 and following the signs, and you buy your ticket in advance on the company’s website. If you haven’t sorted your accommodation yet, I’ve written a guide to where to stay in Quebec City, with the best areas inside and outside the city walls.

To Ottawa and Toronto

VIA Rail’s train to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, takes around two hours, and the train to Toronto takes just over five hours. Both routes have several departures a day from Gare Centrale. If your trip continues to Toronto, I have a guide to where to stay in Toronto, where the train arrives at Union Station in the middle of downtown.

If you’re heading west straight from your flight, it’s worth checking whether your train also stops at VIA Rail’s station in Dorval, around 2 kilometres from the airport. According to the airport, a free shuttle runs to the station from door 8 on the departures level: you call the number shown on the screen by the door, and the shuttle comes to pick you up. That saves you the trip into downtown and back out again.

Getting back to the airport

Bus 747 to the airport leaves from its terminus on Boulevard René-Lévesque at Rue Berri, right by Berri-UQAM, and stops along René-Lévesque through downtown and at Lionel-Groulx. Allow 45 to 70 minutes from Berri-UQAM and 30 to 35 minutes from Lionel-Groulx. If you don’t have a valid ticket, you can buy one from the ticket machines with the blue P$ sign at the downtown stops. Enter 0747, pay and hand the receipt to the driver, and it must be used within two hours. You can also use the Chrono app or pay the exact fare in coins.

A taxi to the airport costs the same fixed fare from downtown, and your hotel reception can book one for you. If you’re flying with Air Canada, check out the airline’s own Air Canada City Shuttle, which runs between the Palais des congrès and the airport for the airline’s passengers and drops you off in front of Air Canada’s check-in. If you’re returning a hire car, drive to P4 and take the shuttle bus to the terminal, which can easily add an extra 15 minutes.

The airport asks passengers to arrive three hours before departure, and this also applies to flights to the USA, as you go through US border control in Montreal. If you have a very early flight, it can be worth spending your last night at the airport. The Marriott is inside the terminal building itself, and you can check prices for Marriott Montreal Airport In-Terminal Hotel here.

Which option should you choose?

Here’s my recommendation based on where you’re staying and when you land:

Old Montreal: Take the 747 to Lionel-Groulx and the orange line to Place-d’Armes. It costs 11.25 dollars (around £6) in total, and you’ll be there in about an hour.

Downtown and the Golden Square Mile: Stay on the 747 to the stops on René-Lévesque, or change to the green line at Lionel-Groulx if your hotel is close to a station.

Quartier Latin, The Village and Plateau: Take the 747 all the way to Berri-UQAM and walk or take the metro for the last stretch.

If you land at night: The 747 runs all night, but the metro doesn’t. If you’re staying far from a stop, a taxi at 56.70 dollars (around £30) is the best option.

3 to 4 people with lots of luggage: Here the taxi’s fixed fare almost pays for itself compared with four bus tickets, and you avoid changing with your suitcases.

Straight on to Quebec City: Orléans Express from bus stop 8 at the airport, or the 747 and the metro to Gare Centrale and the train from there.

Road trip: Take the shuttle bus to P4 and drive straight out of the city, or wait to pick up the car until you’ve finished with Montreal.

Practical tips for getting from Montreal Airport to the city centre

Buy your 747 ticket at door 28. The machines take cards, so you don’t have to scrape together the exact fare in coins on the bus. Keep the ticket, as it’s valid on the metro for the rest of the 24 hours.

Remember the door numbers. Door 28 is for the bus, Uber and hire cars, door 23 is for taxis, and door 8 on the departures level is for hotel shuttles and the shuttle to the train station in Dorval.

Expect queues at passport control. If you’re arriving from Europe, you’ll have to go through Canadian passport control, and it can take a while. Remember that you need an approved eTA before you fly to Canada, and don’t book a tight onward train connection the same afternoon.

Dress for winter. You wait outdoors for both the bus and Uber, and in winter it can be very cold in Montreal. Keep a hat and gloves in your hand luggage if you’re landing between November and March.

Remember to tip. In Canada, people tip taxi drivers 15 to 20 per cent, and with Uber you tip in the app. It isn’t included in the taxi’s fixed fare.

Don’t go with strangers. People offering you a ride inside the arrivals hall aren’t licensed drivers. Head to the taxi rank at door 23, or use Uber from the designated pick-up point.

Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇

• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers

Psst 👀 Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel and my Instagram where I provide more useful travel tips?