Out there (in a good way): Quietly essential Montreal neighbourhoods

While there’s nothing wrong with hitting the classics, there are neighbourhoods worth exploring in Montreal that extend well beyond all the names that come up time and again. Whether it's due to a perceivably inconvenient geography, lack of comparable polish, or just missing some other ineffable factor of attractiveness, many beautiful parts of town go unrecognized.

This isn’t about hidden gems or secret spots. It’s about whole neighbourhoods that exist outside the usual churn, places of history and where families run the same businesses for decades, where you can still stumble into a perfect afternoon without planning it.

Here, we've chosen three parts of Montreal that may not be top-of-mind, but will show you a version of Montreal that feels real, lived-in, and quietly unforgettable: The lakeside calm of Pointe-Claire, the industrial roots of Lachine, and the deep cultural currents of Saint-Michel.