It’s hot, hot, hot this week in Montreal, and the scent of yellow lilies and pink lilacs makes us want to fall in love. The soles of our feet are burning on the asphalt, our skin is flushing in the sun’s rays (UV 7), our hearts are thawing, and we’re craving sugar and the chance to whisper something very sexy in a lover’s ear.
Summer has a very strong romantic power in Montreal. Lone wolves find themselves humming love songs, people make passionate declarations in the street, lovers risk getting ticks by spending the entire afternoon in the park, lying on a picnic blanket.
This summer, we have a list of places to fall (or fall back) in love in Montreal.
We fall in love… at the movies
A movie theater remains one of the most romantic places to fall in love. Dimmed lights, knees touching, hands intertwined over a bag of popcorn, shivers of emotion—and on top of that, there’s air conditioning.
At Cinéma Moderne, a Summer Romances film series is perfect for lovers and those with a crush they want to send a subtle message to . And for those who feel forgotten by love, it’s a good start.
À Nos Amours (1983) by Maurice Pialat / Thursday, July 2 at 7 p.m. (Original version with French subtitles)
Bonnie and Clyde ( 1967) by Arthur Penn / Friday, July 3 at 9 p.m. (Original Version with English Audio)
Bye Bye Love (1974) by Ijao Fujisawa / Friday, June 26 at 9:30 p.m. (Original version with French subtitles)
A Summer’s Tale ( 1996) by Éric Rohmer / Friday, June 19 at 7:00 p.m. (Original version with French subtitles) / Thursday, June 25 at 9:15 p.m. (Original version with French subtitles)
Desert Hearts (1985) by Donna Deitch / Sunday, June 21 at 7 p.m. (VOA)
Dirty Dancing (1987) by Emile Ardolino / Friday, June 19 at 9:30 p.m. (Original Version with English Audio)
Jules and Jim ( 1960) by François Truffaut / Saturday, June 27 at 7 p.m. (Original version with French subtitles)
Moonrise Kingdom ( 2012) by Wes Anderson / Saturday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. (original version with subtitles) / Wednesday, June 24 at 4:30 p.m. (original version with subtitles)
A Summer Love (2015) by Jean-François Lesage / Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. (Original version with subtitles)
For those who prefer to go to the movies under the stars and are deeply in love with an intellectual, we also recommend the independent film screenings in the Livart courtyard this summer—the Bleu Soir series.
The films to be screened in the Livart courtyard at dusk are drawn from the best of international independent cinema—Lucrecia Martel’s Argentine filmLa Ciénaga (2001), Claire Denis’sChocolat (1988), Christopher Guest’s cult classicWaiting for Guffman (1996), Lucio Castro’sDrunken Noodles (2025) by Lucio Castro, andMy Own Private Idaho (1991) by Gus Van Sant.
Admission is $16;the program and ticket information are available here
We fall in love… on a terrace
There’s really nothing more romantic than having an afternoon to kill (which happens less and less often as we get older) and spending itin a café or on a terrace, lost in a book.
It’s about catching the eye of someone very sexy who’s also reading a book on a terrace; it’s about lounging around, getting a light sunburn all afternoon with a lover who makes you lose track of time; it’s about romanticizing a break in the day.
Our favorite outdoor dining spots in Montreal are:
- the terrace of the Galerie Foil, for artists and trendy lovers
- the terrace at Café Gotsoul, for musicians and groovy lovers
- the terrace at Romies, for a cocktail and for those who want to fall in love the European way
We fall in love… at the park
Montreal is very romantic in its parks, under the tall trees, as the light fades and bumblebees buzz in the flowering bushes. The best way to eat with a lover is to do it in the park.
The best part is still a picnic in the park with a warm sandwich, a craft beer, and Saguenay blueberries in a Tupperware container.We have three of the city’s most beautiful parks—and some of the best sandwich shops right next door—for summer picnics.
- A bagel from Bagel Saint-Viateur at Lafontaine Park
- A sandwich from Renzo’s at Laurier Park
- An arepa from Arepera du Plateau at Square Saint-Louis
