Montreal is one of the easiest big cities in North America to get around without a car. The metro is clean and fast, the buses run late, and the whole downtown core is walkable. Here's exactly how to get from the airport to your bed, and how to move around once you're here.
We run three capsule hotels in Montreal and answer these questions at the front desk all day, so we wrote down the version we'd tell a friend.
From Montreal-Trudeau airport (YUL) to downtown
The airport is about 20 km west of downtown. You have three sensible options depending on your budget and how much luggage you're wrangling.
The 747 airport express bus
The 747 bus runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, directly between the airport and downtown (with a stop at the Lionel-Groulx and Berri-UQAM metro stations). It's the local's answer: cheap, reliable, and your ticket doubles as an all-day transit pass, so you can hop straight onto the metro afterward. Buy the fare from the machine in the international arrivals area — cash or card. Journey time is roughly 45–70 minutes depending on traffic.
Taxi or rideshare
Taxis run on a fixed flat rate between the airport and downtown, so you know the cost before you get in — ask the dispatcher at the taxi stand. Rideshare (Uber) also operates from a designated pickup zone. Either one gets you downtown in 20–35 minutes off-peak, and is the easy call if you land late or have heavy bags.
REM light rail
Montreal's REM light-rail network has been extending toward the airport. If the airport station is running when you travel, it's a fast, weather-proof link into the city — check the current status when you book your flight, as new stations open in phases.
The 747 bus is the move for most travelers: one fare gets you downtown and covers your metro rides for the rest of the day.
Riding the metro like a local
The Montreal metro has four colour-coded lines — green, orange, yellow, and blue — and almost everything a visitor wants is on the green or orange line. It runs from early morning until roughly 12:30 a.m. (a little later on weekends).
- Buy a card once. Pick up an OPUS or contactless fare at any station machine. A single fare, a two-trip, a 24-hour pass, and a three-day pass are all available — for a few days of sightseeing, an unlimited pass usually pays for itself.
- Tap in, keep your ticket. You only tap on entry. Transfers between metro and bus are included within a time window.
- Directions are named by the end station. Follow signs for the terminus in the direction you're heading rather than "north/south."
- The underground city. In winter, the RÉSO — Montreal's connected underground network — links metro stations, malls, and food courts so you can cross downtown without a coat.
Walking and cycling
Downtown, the Plateau, and the Old Port are all genuinely walkable, and they connect to each other on foot in 20–30 minutes. In the warmer months, BIXI bike-share stations are everywhere — grab a bike, ride it to the nearest station near your destination, and dock it. The city's bike-lane network makes this one of the nicest ways to see Montreal between May and November.
How to reach each Capsule hotel
All three of our addresses are close to the metro and walkable to the things you came for.
Capsule Hotel Saint-Laurent — the Plateau
On Boulevard Saint-Laurent, in the middle of the nightlife and restaurant belt. Closest metro: Saint-Laurent (green line), with Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal a short walk away. From the airport, take the 747 to a downtown metro stop and ride the green line up.
Capsule Residence Bishop — downtown
Bishop Street is in the heart of downtown, steps from Sainte-Catherine's shopping and the Museum of Fine Arts. Closest metro: Guy-Concordia (green line). From the airport, the 747 drops you close by — this is the easiest arrival of the three.
Capsule + Old Port
Our premium concept in the Old Port, opening 2026 — walkable to the waterfront, cobblestone streets, and the Old Montreal restaurant scene, with metro access on the orange line.
Base yourself where the metro meets everything
Skip the car, keep your budget for the trip. Book a night at Bishop — steps from the metro, the museum, and Sainte-Catherine — and let the city come to you.