8 big reasons why Montreal is better than Toronto
Spoiler alert: We love Montreal. It's got swagger and style, and while no city is perfect, we'll take it over anywhere else any day of the week. Then, there’s the other city—the big bad beast six hours West on the 401, Toronto.
Montreal has a love/hate relationship with it’s Ontarian rival—we love to hate them. Don’t get us wrong: Toronto is a great city in its own right, but we think Montreal has got it beat in a number of important ways.
Reason #1: Nightlife
Photograph: Karel ChladekFlyjin
If you’ve checked out the best bars and nightclubs in Montreal, you’ll know that this city has got spectacular nights in store for partygoers.
Montreal’s reputation as a sin city dates to the 1920s, if not earlier. Quebec was the only part of North America that never had Prohibition, while Ontario embraced the buzz-kill regime for nearly a decade. Toronto has somewhat outgrown its teetotaling days, but it’s hard to call it a great party city.
In Montreal, the drinking age is 18 and closing time is a respectable 3am. In Ontario, you’ll have to be 19 (and they’ll likely ask for I.D., something you’re far less likely to see here) and last call is 2am. It’s not just the red tape that’s keeping Toronto back—the cost of living, long working hours and dreadful commutes through suburban sprawl really have a dampening scene on Hogtown’s nightlife.
Next time you see a Torontonian stumbling down Crescent, the Main or Sainte-Catherine with a grin on their face, have some sympathy—they’re on a much-