Montréal: An island of inspiration for travel content creators

Situated in the middle of the mighty St. Lawrence River, Montréal is quite literally an island unto itself. The city’s uniqueness favours the creation of unforgettable, highly shareable moments. Comfortably metropolitan, yet exciting and unexplored, Montréal is less a place to visit than a place that visits you. It inhabits your memories, changes your expectations about experiences, and leaves you with an emotional connection that is rare among major North American cities.

In other words, it’s an island of inspiration for content creation.

Feed your feed with a buffet of photo-ops

From the historic cobblestone streets of Old Montréal to eye-popping attractions, iconic and curious city symbols, culturally distinct neighbourhoods, chic urban architecture and beyond, our physical demeanor is a photogenic tapestry of the old, new and intriguingly offbeat. Cases in point…

Quench your thirst at the Gibeau Orange Julep diner, a humungous, four-storey orange that has served generations of Montrealers with its signature orange-flavoured beverage. The Bonjour Montréal sign is a welcoming, rooftop gathering spot located atop the Grand Quay of the Port of Montréal with the city’s spectacular skyline in the backdrop. Unlike the movie of the same name, Montréal’s The Ring is far from terrifying. The massive circular art installation in the heart of downtown establishes a direct line of view from the Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth hotel to Mount Royal. Speaking of which, the Kondiaronk Belvedere (or lookout) at the summit of Mount Royal provides a panoramic view of the city’s downtown.

The eye-catching, art nouveau Métropolitain portico, created in 1900, frames the entrance to the Square-Victoria–OACI metro station, symbolizing the collaboration of French and Canadian engineers in the building of Montréal’s metro. The Biosphère is a geodesic dome designed by famed architect Buckminster Fuller, and is now the only environment museum in North America. A masterpiece of neo-Gothic Revival architecture, Notre-Dame Basilica (built between 1824 and 1829) captivates hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. And La Grande Roue de Montréal, Canada’s tallest observation Ferris wheel, stands 60 metres above the Old Port, providing 360-degree views of the city.

For creators with an appetite for food and art à la Montréal

Montréal’s culinary and arts scenes have a taste for the amazing: always bold and creatively daring, they’re an unending celebration of innovation and a bottomless stomach for those hungry for content inspiration. All of that said, sometimes you, and your followers, just want to know where to tuck into a soul-satisfying poutine. To that end…

Poutine is a hotly debated topic in Montréal, by both visitors and locals alike. The good news is that it’s hard to go wrong. Whether it’s gourmet (Au Pied de Cochon), classic MTL (Montreal Pool Room) or boisterous, late-night post-party refuelling (La Banquise), bring your smartphone and dare to share and compare. Same goes for Montréal bagels, with Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel being the perennial contenders for top spot. Smoked meat is synonymous with Montréal, and as equally contentious as all of the aforementioned. Since 1928, Schwartz’s Deli has written the script for Montréal smoked meat at it’s time-capsule-like location on “The Main,” the city’s most culturally diverse artery.

Montrealers love their independent cafés, and that love is reflected in the extraordinary offering of visually striking gathering spaces designed to satisfy the senses. Notable among these are Bar Darling, Café Parvis, Crew Collective & Café (voted one of the most beautiful cafés in the world), Le Petit Dep and Le K in the architecturally picturesque Square Saint-Louis on the Plateau-Mont-Royal. And that’s just to name a very, very few. Same goes for the almost ridiculous abundance of innovatively imagined eateries — creative cuisine that comes with a side of satiating design. Look no further than Henri Brasserie Française, Damas, Ibérica, Maman and Bar George for imagery that makes you shivery.

And if you really want to lean into visuals, our world-renowned arts and multimedia installations are a content-friendly no-brainer. OASIS Immersion is an immersive sensory space in the Palais de congrès de Montréal powered by 105 laser projectors and 119 surround sound speakers. Nearby, the Notre-Dame Basilica’s AURA Experience — a captivating display of projections, lasers, lights and orchestral music — is one of the city’s top attractions. Then walk up St-Laurent Boulevard to take in dozens and dozens of stunning, large-scale urban-art murals (fully sanctioned by the city) that are present on virtually every block.

Be your own action figure in MTL

If you’d rather take a more active, adrenaline-driven role in your stories, options abound in terms of physically oriented adventure in Montréal. For example…

Montréal Bungee offers the highest urban bungee jump in Canada, and standing at an impressive 64 metres, it offers a breathtaking view of the Old Port of Montréal. Similarly, explore your inner superhero on MTL Zipline, the first urban zipline in the country and which soars more than 360 metres over Bonsecours Island. Montréal is also one of the top cycling destinations in the world with more than 1,083 km of bike paths.

Believe it or not, urban surfing is a thing, and a very popular thing at that. The fast-flowing St. Lawrence River has a number of white-water rapids along its course, and the permanent nature of the waves provides for a wholly unique surfing experience. Or maybe you’d rather stay dry… and high. Helicraft offers recreational air tours over the city, as well as a complete pilot training program that allows you to fly the whirly bird yourself. And if that doesn’t get your ya-yas out, test your lumberjack aptitude at one of MTL’s many venerable axe-throwing institutions.

We may have run out of space, but not ideas

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the almost innumerable content opportunities that Montréal consistently delivers across a broad spectrum of tastes, interests and engagement. Which isn’t a bad thing. It’s why we open the doors for all creators to come and discover their very own Montréal — to see the city through a different lens, and to tell the untold stories that inspire us all. As anyone who’s been to Montréal can attest, a major part of the magic and marvel of the city is that you don’t actually have to be a Montrealer to live and feel like one. Welcoming, open-minded and authentic, there’s a bounty of opportunity when it comes to discovering, sharing and participating in the spirit of la belle ville.

To all TBEX creators and influencers, we wish you an exceptional experience, and Montréal looks forward to seeing you soon.

Montréal may be an island, but this June, it’s coming to Québec City as a proud sponsor of TBEX North America 2025. Registered attendees will have the opportunity to meet the team behind this iconic destination and explore how Montréal inspires content creators from around the globe. Don’t miss your chance to connect with their story, discover potential collaborations, and gather ideas for your next great piece of content. TBEX isn’t just about attending — it’s about immersing yourself in places that spark creativity, and Montréal is ready to meet you there.