10 Things to Do in Montreal in May

May is a warm month as we prepare to say goodbye to spring and welcome the best of summer activities, there are plenty of outdoor options and the chances of rain are greatly reduced. Temperatures start to rise and range from 7° to 17° degrees, but you'll probably still need warm clothes.

You can take the opportunity to join the late spring food festivals, take a stroll during Museum Month, take part in a bike race, tango at a lively party, visit the tulip fields outside the city, explore at least 100 outdoor activities in Eurêka and more.

April offers plenty of things to do, you can visit the Montreal Biosphere and enjoy the tulip bloom. However, it is not until May that the fields around the city complete their process and offer dense mazes of colourful flowers.

One of the best tulip fields is a forty-five minute drive from the centre, in the mini-town of Boucherville. Many people flock to this adventure to enjoy the distinctive colours and smells of these striking flowers. Admission is approximately €6 to €9 and you pay €2 for each tulip you pick.

Another option is to purchase packages that include admission and 12 to 48 tulips, starting at around €24.

Details of interest: If winter is severe, the tulip bloom in the fields is likely to be at its peak in mid-May.

In May there are plenty of festivals on offer, for example you can sample pasta dishes or try local beers in a fun and different atmosphere. There are also music, theatre and dance events. It's one of the best times to visit Montreal, especially if you want to experience food and dance festivals.

Discover the best pastas and win a trip to the Pasta Fest

If you're in Montreal, you should know that pasta takes on a whole new meaning in May. For a fortnight, you can become a real pasta taster at the Pasta Fest. Many artisan chefs come to offer unparalleled bites and you'll find a variety of fresh flavours prepared with local ingredients.

Every year there are fun competitions, one of the most famous of which offers a prize draw for a paid trip to Rome, but please note that only those who visit at least three of the twenty restaurants at the fair are eligible to enter. In addition, at the end of the festival there is a vote at the end of the festival to find out which was the best pasta place by judges brought in from Italy.

Details of interest: Admission is free and restaurant stalls offer pasta dishes ranging from €12 to €27, depending on what you want to try.

Sample local brews at the Montreal Beer Festival

The Montreal Beer Festival, better known as Mondial de la Biere, offers a tasting space for the best local brews. Live music and food tastings usually add to the festivities.

You can sample more than 400 beers and tour at least 82 booths spread across breweries, distilleries and cider houses, including locally produced alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from Germany, Ireland, Austria, the United States, Belgium and Estonia, among others.

In May there may still be rainfall, so don't worry - this is the perfect plan as the facilities are either covered or have canopies to avoid disruption during the festival.

Details of interest: The event is usually held at Windsor, Rio Tinto Yard, Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure stations. Admission is free, but beer tastings and other drinks cost an average of €7 to €14.

Dance at the Pouzza Festival

Another annual festival during May that you can't miss on your itinerary is the Pouzza Festival which revolves around punk and rock music, each year at least 200 bands are expected in different parts of the city which are announced on the website, where you can also find the countdown. It's the perfect event to enjoy your favourite bands and interact with up-and-coming artists.

It's an ideal activity to include in a 5-day Montreal itinerary. What are you waiting for?

Details of interest: The average ticket price ranges from €50 to €120.

If you want to enjoy Montreal's history and other cultural attractions, the last days of May are the perfect time to visit the city's best museums. During this time, the famous Museum Day takes place in different parts of the city.

If you plan to spend two days in Montreal, I recommend you take advantage of the time to explore the museums with free admission.

Traveller Tip

You'll find more than 30 museums completely free of charge and there are public buses to take you around.

Redpath Museum

To learn about the history of Egyptian mummies I suggest you head to the Redpath Museum, where you can also explore dinosaur bones. The most important collections deal with plants, minerals, invertebrates, shells and seaweed, mammals, birds and world cultures.

Details of interest: It is usually closed on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays. General admission is free, although a donation of around €3 is recommended.

Stewart and McCoard Museum

The McCoard Museum holds interesting secrets that you can discover during your visit to Montreal. It houses a collection of the clothing of the country's original settlers and is an ideal place to visit because the building is located in downtown Montreal across the street from McGill University.

At the McCoard Museum you can also enjoy the exhibits that belonged to the Stewart Museum, which was closed but was a popular attraction in the city because it housed rare artefacts about New France. It is now housed in its new location and displays the history of French colonisation of the country, including documents on maritime trade, history, culture, navigation and more.

Details of interest: Admission is around €14, but during Museum Day you can enjoy it for free.

Every year in May, the city hosts the International Exhibition of Black Women, a historic event in Montreal that celebrates black women and their cultural influence on the country. There are a variety of events that promote female empowerment and examine the community's past, and you can enjoy artwork, live music, informative lectures and more.

Inside, there are food stalls inspired by black roots and a mid-morning and lunchtime snack is often provided.

Details of interest: Dates are announced early in the year and you can buy your ticket online for as little as €14. Alternatively, you can buy on the door, but you'll have to queue a little and pay around €20.

Montreal's streets are blessed with natural, fresh spaces that are ideal for a springtime stroll. The Go Bike Festival in May will help you de-stress and get away from it all. It lasts approximately a week, during which you can explore every corner aboard eco-friendly transport.

To complement this, many urban activities take place in Montreal's open spaces at different points along the designated route. You don't need to be an experienced cyclist, just be prepared and go with the best energy to enjoy the festival.

Another option is to enjoy a guided bike tour that will take you to see the best of the city.

Admission is free for children under the age of 12, who can cycle as many kilometres as they wish, while adults can purchase packages ranging from approximately €7 to €100, with the most affordable prices being the Tour La Nuit.

If you want to register you can visit the official website, where you will find telephone numbers, forms in English and French or go to Rue Rachel and register in person during the first days of May. Routes available include:

Metropolitan Challenge

The Metropolitan Challenge takes place during the first days of the week and is the opening event of the festival, organised for the purpose of enjoying the sunrise and the early morning sunshine of spring. You will find activities with DJs, live music, strolls through the merchants' alley, chocolate milk stalls, baths, tasting of Siboire craft beer, a lunch stop and a free massage.

Details of interest: Access has an average price ranging from €14 to €92.

Tour de l'Île

The Tour de l'Île is an urban Sunday where the streets are cleared of cars and stops are organised at the city's best viewpoints. It is a route that includes many things to do with children. There are first aid zones, rest areas, toilets, food stalls, drum shows, photo zones, music shows and mobile ice cream parlours.

Details of interest: Tickets range from €7 to €92.

Tour la Nuit

The Tour la Nuit takes place on Friday evening and the streets are also off-limits to cars to clear the way for cyclists. You can enjoy a night-time bike ride and an impressive light show, the route is shorter than the Tour de l'Île, but includes five local districts. There's musical entertainment, chocolate milk zones, photo areas, DJs, children's games, bike mechanic areas, refreshments, toilets and lots of surprises.

Details of interest: Tickets range from approximately €7 to €60.

Summer Challenge

This tour ends the festival and takes place between the end of May and the beginning of June, so it welcomes the summer. Activities last a full day and you can enjoy a wristband which includes access to a meal, toilets, hydration, first aid and repair areas for your bike. What makes this tour different is that it encourages you to get out of the city and explore the surrounding area, ideal for getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Details of interest: Tickets range in price from €14 to €100.

Over three days you can enjoy more than 100 activities at the Eurêka Festival including reading groups, interactive shows, branded booths, street performances, demonstrations, plays and live music. Its main attraction is the science and technology events, offering educational stations ideal for children, young people and adults.

On site parking, bike hire, toilets, taxi services, extreme adventures, free WiFi, hydration and information points and dining options.

Details of interest: Entry is completely free, but you must pay for parking.

If you like to dance and are a lover of Argentine tango, you must attend the Bailongo, a unique event during May that will make you sweat to the rhythm of this traditional music. Among the activities you will find group or personalised classes that are ideal for everyone, even beginners and last approximately one hour.

In addition, this event brings to Montreal a variety of tango shows, milongas, DJ-led performances and more. If you go during Bailongo Wednesday and pay for a class, you can access anamilongafree of charge. The entrance fee per class is approximately €27 to €30, while the milongas cost around €100 if you want to take advantage of all the days of the Bailongo.

You can also buy a pass to the Wednesday welcome milonga for an average price of €15, to the Friday practilonga for at least €10 or buy individual passes for each milonga for around €30.

Details of interest: Please note that the number of participants per class is limited and it is advisable to book online. Also, your chances of being considered for a class increase if you have a dance partner, otherwise you will be put on the waiting list.

Asian festivals are very important in Montreal and you will find different proposals in the city's venues. The Festival Accès Asie or Asian Heritage Festival is a multidisciplinary arts event held since 1997 to commemorate Asian Heritage Month, and you'll see many attendees whose roots fuse the DNA of Canada with the culture of other Asian countries.

Details of the itinerary can be found on the official website, but there are usually cocktail hours, Japanese beauty sessions, concerts, seafood tastings, costume competitions, documentary screenings and other events spread throughout the month.

Details of interest: Most activities are free of charge.

The Montreal Medieval Fair is an ideal event to explore the nation's past, with at least 75 fun activities, as well as exhibitors and artisans offering jewellery, leather goods and items characteristic of the period.

There's also a medieval parade, mock battles, period dances, tents, fighting arenas and plenty of people dressed as musketeers, Roman gladiators and fire-breathing dragons.

Details of interest: Admission costs approximately €10 to €22, and if you want to apply for a refund you are allowed a maximum of seven days before the event, after which time you will not be able to process it.

The St-Ambroise Fringe summer festival brings you an artistic repertoire, with fringe theatre, puppetry, storytelling, storytelling shows, magic shows, drag queens events, with at least 700 artists taking part in 800 theatrical activities.

Attend the free Fringe-For-All show to open the performances, which take place between May and June.

Details of interest: Most activities are free, with some plays costing an affordable €10.