Montreal Plateau and Mile End Self-Guided Audio Walk: Bagels, Smoked Meat and Outside Staircases
1 hour and 30 minutes
About this experience
Montreal's Plateau and Mile End wear their staircases on the outside: wood and iron stairs climbing the fronts of brick and stone houses, one door for every flat. Once you know why, you can read the whole neighbourhood. Start in Carré Saint-Louis, a reservoir turned poets' square, then cross the Main, the street that splits the city's addresses east and west and welcomed wave after wave of newcomers. Hear how Portuguese families restored these streets, and how a burned fairground became the classic Montreal triplex. Along the way, stop across from Schwartz's smoked meat counter, pass Leonard Cohen's front door on Parc du Portugal, walk a block of outside staircases, and cross into the Mile End for Wilensky's, Fairmount Bagel, a Byzantine dome and the wood-fired oven at St-Viateur Bagel. Nine stops, about 3.6 km and 90 minutes, in English and at your own pace. Start whenever you like and stop to eat on the way.
- Experience type
- Day tour or activity
- Duration
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Audio guide
- English
- Guide
- English
- Categories
- Walking tour · Cultural and theme tours · City tours
What's included
Self-guided audio tour in English: 9 stops, 3.6 km, 1.5 hours Stops at Carré Saint-Louis, Schwartz's, Parc du Portugal GPS map and walking directions in your phone browser, no app needed Lifetime access: start any day, at any hour, and replay it
What's not included
A live guide: you set the pace and the pauses A fixed start time: begin whenever you arrive Museum and monument tickets, all optional extras Tip or gratuity Food and drinks Entry or admission fee
Please note
To start the tour, enter the ticket code from your confirmation on the Roamer redemption page linked there. Do this before you set off, while you still have signal. The tour then opens in your phone browser, with no app to download. Bring a charged phone and earphones. Mobile data helps; if you have none, open the tour on wifi before you set off. Best time: Any day in daylight works; a late-morning start brings you to the bagel ovens around lunchtime. Spring to autumn is the most comfortable; in winter the outside stairs are icy and the walk is shorter on light. During the MURAL festival in early June the Main is closed to cars and crowded. Come hungry and eat along the way: smoked meat at Schwartz's, the Special at Wilensky's, and a bagel from each of the two bakeries to compare. Schwartz's takes no reservations; if the line is long, walk on and come back later. Wilensky's and Fairmount Bagel keep their own hours, so check them before you set out. St-Viateur Bagel on Saint-Viateur was open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight when checked on 30 September 2026. The staircases, Leonard Cohen's former house and the rows of plexes are private homes: stay on the sidewalk, do not climb the stairs or sit on the steps, and do not photograph residents. Boulevard Saint-Laurent and the avenues are busy. The route crosses the boulevard only at traffic lights; take care too at the quieter side-street crossings, some of which are unmarked. The churches are active parishes; if you go in, keep quiet during services. Public transportation nearby
Itinerary
- 1Day 0
Carré Saint-Louis: A Reservoir Turned Poets' Square
Carré Saint-Louis, Rue Saint-Denis at Rue Sherbrooke, Montreal
Grand stone houses ring this leafy square. Their front stairs are iron-railed, and the square began as a water reservoir before it became a home for poets.
- 2Day 0
Prince-Arthur at the Main: Where East Turns West
17 Rue Prince-Arthur Est, Montreal
The street signs change from East to West here. Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the Main, has divided east from west since 1792 and has long welcomed newcomers.
- 3Day 0
Schwartz's: Smoked Meat Since 1928
3886 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal
A narrow deli with a tall red sign. Its smoked meat spends ten days in spices, and Leonard Cohen looks down from a wall nearby.
- 4Day 0
Parc du Portugal: Blue Tiles and Leonard Cohen's Door
28 Rue Vallières, Montreal
A rooster tops this little park's kiosk. Blue-and-white tiles face its pillars, and Leonard Cohen's former home, now a private house, stands across the little street.
- 5Day 0
Rue Clark: Montreal's Outside Staircases
4563 Rue Clark, Montreal
Wood and iron stairs climb these triplex fronts. The City says the classic Montreal triplex took shape on these streets.
- 6Day 0
Parc Lahaie: A Village Church and a Castle Town Hall
Rue Saint-Dominique, Montreal
This park was the old town's heart. A theatrical stone church front faces it, and a turreted former town hall stands nearby.
- 7Day 0
Fairmount and Clark: Wilensky's and Fairmount Bagel
Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal
A lunch counter and a bagel bakery meet here. They stand a few doors apart on Avenue Fairmount, with Rue Clark between them, and both are Mile End institutions.
- 8Day 0
St. Michael's and St. Anthony's: A Byzantine Dome in Mile End
5501 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal
A broad dome and a tall round tower. The brick church was built in 1914 and 1915 for an Irish parish and now shares its roof with Polish worshippers.
- 9Day 0
St-Viateur Bagel: Honey Water and a Wood Fire
263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal
The walk ends at a wood-fired bagel bakery. It dates itself to 1957, and its bagels are rolled by hand and boiled in honey water.
Meeting point
Carré Saint-Louis, Montreal Carré Saint-Louis, Rue Saint-Denis at Rue Sherbrooke, Montréal, Québec, CA
Pick up
Pickup is not provided.
Cancellation policy · Montreal Plateau and Mile End Self-Guided Audio Walk: Bagels, Smoked Meat and Outside Staircases
Standard Viator policy
- Cancellation 0–24 hours before departure: 100% cancellation fee.
- Cancellation 24–24000 hours before departure: 0% cancellation fee.
Good to know
Operated by Roamer and sold by AGORA. Your voucher and booking reference arrive by email straight after payment.