Any unsafe areas in Montreal?
 

Hi All,
2 Females looking to travel to Montreal. Any streets, neighborhoods, etc. where one should be extra wary?

Would appreciate your advice on any 'shady', 'iffy', or downright dangerous parts of Montreal.

Thanks!!

Stay away from East End , like Ontario Street East and S.Catherine East (some parts of it are gay village so it's ok but don't go too far East it gets "red light" district. Don't stay in a hotel in the East End no matter how cheap it is .Anything West of St.denis or st.Laurent is fine .Actually there are great resto around there. good luck and enjoy! don't miss a side trip to the Laurentians (St.Sauver&Mont Tremblant!)

some dining tips....

You should check out "L'Academie" on St.Denis (bring your own wine place), a new favorite among locals.
Also great Italian place is DaVinci on Bishop or "Roberto's " on Belanger East (a little far from downtown, but worth it !!) and some of the best fish places are "Molivos" on Guy or "La Sirene de la Mer" on Jean Talon(near cote des neige) , that's MidTown and has beautiful decor. (you'll need a taxi ride). If price is no object , the go to Milos on Park Ave., very fine Greek and Mediterranean dining.
For a quick bite , check Parthenon on van horne , best cheap souvlaki joint in Mtl!
For pitas and schwarmas , go to Chez Benny's on Queen Mary (It's kosher, so closed on Fri night& Saturdays).
oh and for excellent pizza go to California Pizza on Decarie(Mondays & Tues they have great specials!!!)

Thank you for your wonderful input!

I've walked a lot of Montreal, and have never encountered a threatening neighborhood, although as the above mentioned, the far eastern end of downtown (past Papeneau) is supposedly not the best- but there's really nothing of interest that far over anyway. The area around the intersection of St. Laurent and St. Catherine is a little seedy, with miniskirted ladies in doorways, but not really dangerous, and walk up St. Laurent a a block or so and you are in an area of trendy restaurants and clubs. The bus station and nearby park (not far from the above area) attracts it's share of homeless and the leather jacket crowd, but again it's not really threatening. In contrast, Sherbrooke just east of St. Laurent and the streets above it (the plateau neighborhood) are some of the most pleasant and interesting in the city. The downtown, the plateau, and the old city are all very safe.

Thank you for being so detailed. It's always so helpful to know the ins and outs of a city.

Hi! Just a note to avoid L'Académie. It's mostly popular with out-of-towners (leaves many Montrealers baffled). Not worth the wait. There are MANY other delightful restaurants around to explore. Have a wonderful trip!

UH Oh, that worries me a little bit. We are two women who reserved a B&B at Inn on the Park. Obviously it's Park Lafontaine. Looks great on the Internet. The closest métro is a 5 min. walk. Sherbrooke. I had not been in Montreal in 20 years. should I look for another place?
I only have a couple of weeks to change my plans.

Location is fine, one of my favorite parts of Montreal, don't worry.

I agree with Daniel - fabulous, upscale, quiet location. I can't think of a nicer area to stay. The 'bad' area people are referring to is many blocks east and south of this b&b, not an area you would have any reason to go to.

Thanks, I am so looking forward to this trip (and Aznavour of course).