Montreal Shopping Tips by brazwhazz

Downtown grocery stores: Self-catering Downtown Review

If you prefer to make your own meals, or if you just want to save some money on food, there are a handful of supermarkets in and around the downtown area:

ALIMENTATION POIVRE ET SEL

865 Sainte-Catherine St. East, one street east of Saint-Hubert St. (5 minutes on foot from Berri-UQAM metro)

IGA

1500 Atwater St., inside the Place Alexis-Nihon shopping mall between Sainte-Catherine St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd. (accessible by underground tunnel directly from Atwater metro, just follow the signs to Place Alexis-Nihon)

5 Place Desjardins, inside the Complexe Desjardins building bordered by Sainte-Catherine St., Jeanne-Mance St., René-Lévesque Blvd. and Saint-Urbain St. (accessible by underground tunnel directly from Place-des-Arts metro, just follow the signs to Complexe Desjardins)

PROVIGO

3421 Park Ave. (Avenue du Parc), at the corner of Sherbrooke St. (5 minutes on foot from Place-des-Arts metro)

1953 Sainte-Catherine St. West, at the corner of Fort St. (5 minutes on foot from Guy-Concordia metro)

PA SUPERMARCHÉ

1420 Fort St., between Sainte-Catherine St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd. (5 minutes on foot from Guy-Concordia metro)

Theme: Food and Drink

Downtown: Sainte-Catherine Street Sidewalk Sale Downtown Review

Sainte-Catherine Street is Montreal's main shopping street. If a major international chain has a store in Montreal, it is likely to be found here. Countless souvenir stores, street vendors and coffee shops compete with those larger chains on the city's most bustling street.

While this means you will very few original, smaller stores in this part of town, it also means that this is perhaps the best place to feel the pulse of Montreal during the day, as you cross the full gamut of locals, whether they are on their way to/from work, lazing around or shopping themselves.

Every year in July, Sainte-Catherine's merchants holds a huge sidewalk sale, from Saint-Marc Street (Guy metro) to Jeanne-Mance Street (Place-des-Arts metro), which covers most of the street's shopping area. In 2008, the sidewalk sale will be on the weekend of July 12-13.

Theme: Other