The 19 best things to do in Villeray

Outsiders looking into Villeray normally see a densely residential neighbourhood, only ducking in for supplies. So why do people flock to Villeray? Jarry Park: In the summertime it looks like festival grounds (or it actually is festival grounds for the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal) with how many people pack on its sprawling green with BBQs a-cooking and people playing baseball and beach volleyball matches if they're not already enjoying the pool or some petanque. If it's winter, you're still going to see folks flocking in for the sliding hill, skating on the pond, hockey, and cross-country skiing. There's a lot to do here, and you can do it all.

With its concentration of beverage shops touting locally produced and Quebec-made goods as well as cafés for grabbing iced coffee in the heat of July or spiced lattes once autumn rolls around, Place De Castelnau is single-handedly a destination that can stand alone within Villeray. The optimal time to visit is once the summer comes and the strip is pedestrianized between De Gaspé Avenue and Rue Saint-Denis, filled with open-air exhibitions of visual artworks, terrasse after terrasse, and communal parklets and benches to encourage people to gather amd get to know one another.

With its stone's throw proximity, it'd be impossible to talk about Villeray without mentioning Jean-Talon Market. Little Italy may try to lay some 'official' claim to it, but come on, this massive farmers' market is for everyone (and a great attraction for Villeray by proxy): Inaugurated in May 1933, it's one of the largest open-air markets in North America, best visited between June and October when it truly opens up and becomes a series of alleys brimming with local produce at its peak freshness. 

Located in the Cité des arts du cirque of Montreal—home to the National Circus School and the thousands of students who pass through it to study and the tens of thousnads more who pass through to spectate—TOHU stands at the eipcentre of the city's reputation for circus arts right after Ciruqe du Soleil. Open seven days a week with a constant flow of free activities and paid performances that range from tai chi and toga lesson on one end to inexpensive shows from a variety of circus companies, this alone should be the definite 'show' segment of your future dinner and a show.

Clothing, bags, wallets, purses, socks, ceramics, bodycare, jewellery, prints and photography, coffee equipment and its own café component: It's all contained inside of Villeray's Boutique Archive, plus surfboard summer pop-ups with the city's own Martin Guay and his company Guava Surfboards. Open since 2011, Archive's curatorial approach to its indie boutique has created a business that's unlike many others in town due to the pure range of its offerings that lean towards the more outdoorsy side with hygge home elements. This is where you go less for the brands and more for the comfort of knowing what you buy will last a long time.

As their second location, the Villeray outpost of the now-expansive gaming supply store and pub chain Randolph Pub Ludique is par for the course when compared to the company's other locations: It's awesome. With a focus on board games (the shops are even named after the father of contemporary game writers Alex Randolph), the casual environment gets a boost from a full-service bar serving pints and cocktails as well as a kitchen doing snacks. Creative social games, dice rollers, skill-based games, games based on dexterity—they'll got a massive library to dig into.  

Of the handful of thrifting options that Villeray has, those that are on offer are worth trips from across town. La Ruelle Vintage, for example, is a massively popular player when it comes to modernist furnishings and knick-knacks, while the local Renaissance outpost is great for hunting down books and clothing on the cheap (and is great for equipping your kitchen). Then there's walking down St. Hubert Plaza to scope out all of the shops along the shopping strip, but more on that later.

The appearance of Villeray is, at times, deceiving. What normally appears to be a largely residential area hides small gustatory gems around corners and in unassuming shopfronts, and if you know where to look and eat, you'll be eating some of the finest artisinal products that the city can offer. There's Mlles Gâteaux from Isabelle Leroux and Fanny Thériault, and their tailor-made pasties since 2013 (try the pies and cakes); the bean-to-bar, award-winning chocolate from Avanaa Chocolat; the master butcher Pascal Hudon and his shop Pascal le boucher, serving quality since 1993 (just pop in for jerky, sausages, or sandwiches); and Jean-Olivier Beaucage and Maya Ramacieri's Italian-forward grocery shop La Cena for imported goods and counter-made meals.

Adorable and amazing locales can be found behind the main thoroughfares and hangouts of the neighbourhood, each dressed up in their own individual ways with decorations, murals, and community activities. Spots like Le ruelle verte la forêt enchantée with its micro library built into a tree, the birdhouses of La ruelle verte aux oiseaux, the sunflowers of La ruelle des tournesols, or the art found all over La ruelle verte Le Raccourci by Melsa Montagne and Nicolas Des Ormeaux are all small gems worth discovering.

Operated by Tennis Canada, the IGA Stadium is on every Montreal tennis fan's mind once the National Bank Open (formerly the Rogers Cup) takes place in August. That's when Montreal and Toronto host the best men’s and women’s players in the world in tournaments that are played simultaneously over the same week. If you're thinking you're not a fan of tennis, you'll be one after feeling the infectious energy that goes into every round played. As for when the stadium isn't being used, the courts can be booked by the public.

Located just beyond the northern border of Villeray, TAZ has been a huge leading rolling and alternative sport complex for Quebec since 1996. We're talking skateboarding, scooters, BMXs and skates on a massive urban course with sections for all levels. There are classes with experts if you want to try your hand at it, and if you really get into it, there's a skate shop on site for you to grab your very own gear if you don't have some already. At full capacity, TAZ also sports a restaurant to fuel up as well, which makes this a great spot for birthdays for the little ones, too.

It's hard to state the striking transformation that Parc Frédéric-Back has gone through, especially when considering it used to be a quarry and landfill. Deemed the most ambitious environmental rehabilitation project ever undertaken in the city, the park's 153 hectares (upon completion) feature award-winning signage, furniture and lighting for the public alongside one curious feature: 250 biogas-capturing wells that create electricity for the city. Made of phosphorescent glass, the spheres glow in the evening and create an eerie-yet-welcoming presence.

A first of its kind in Quebec, the motorcycle garage and café combo of Idle Garage & Coffee is found on the southern border of Villeray off of St. Hubert. It's a DIY spot with a hangout component that blends caffeine and gasoline to create a place where bike enthusiasts of all stripes—choppers, sporty types, even scooters—are welcome. They also host classes and have a mechanic on hand to help you learn more about your gear, and if you just love the community, they create communal ride events for people to check out in the summer.

With its proximity to the St. Hubert Plaza, it'd be hard to mention the best things to do in Villeray without talking up shopping along its expansive strip that extends into the neighbourhood. Home to an impressive collection of famous restaurants and bars, boutiques new and time-honored (plus dress shops for when locals have proms and weddings to plan for), tattoo parlours, record stores, and more? The greatest concentration of cultural wealth on this strip isn't in Villeray proper, but its presence is so loud that it's a de facto part of the area. 

Got little ones? Are they aged 3 to 36 months old? Bouge Petit's a peculiar spot that's perfect for them: It's a physical activity center for parents to chill at a diner-style counter with a coffee and maybe snacks from a full-service restaurant (operational at full capacity) while babies and kids crawl, run, and jump through a module designed specifically to improve muscle strength and development of gross motor skills. They can also play with toys and enjoy the jazz, blues, classical, and bossa nova music that's played in the space.

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Operating in Villeray since 2012, this small boutique is built to promote local crafts and talent. Whether it's cermaics, homecare, bodycare, kitchen equipment, kids toys and accessories, paper goods like greeting cards and prints, fashion, and jewellery, Articho represents nearly a hundred artists and artisans from across the province. The inventory here is always shifting, so no two visits will likely be the same.

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Community centres don't always have to be some drab place in a city, and Patro Villeray is proof of that. Working with local organizations and teachers, it's a great place to both discover the ideas of others and to develop your own, whether it's physical exercise, learning a new language, helping feed the less fortunate—the list goes on. Really, the list goes ON: It has four gymnasiums to use, a full pool to use, improv classes, karate lessons, cooking and carpentry workshops; and that's just scratching the surface.

Not one but but escape rooms can be found around Villeray for both some family-friendly (if it's not one of the terrifying themes that are 13+) and team-building fun. There's Questrooms, whose one-hour prison break game puts beginners to task and gives experienced players a slight challenge; and then there's MTL Escape that's open as of December 2021, and starting out with a private experience for groups to challenge their analytical and problem-solving skills. Maybe (or don't) try to hit up the best bars in Villeray before you try them on for size?

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Whether you plan on cross-country skiing across Jarry or Frédéric-Back Park, plan to head out of town on a skiing trip replete with chalets and hot tubs, or you just need a good full retro snowsuit to take with you as you mosh at Igloofest? Poubell du Ski has it all, and they've had it all since the shop was first created back in 1964. It's far from some sleek new boutique; this is kind of place where you get served on site quickly and accurately. Don't be surprised if they don't pick up the phone when you call; they prefer to serve walk-ins (but they'll call you back later if needed).