Laval

Introduction

Laval sits in southwestern Quebec, just north of Montreal, and forms part of Greater Montreal. As one of the province's major cities, it serves as the largest suburb of the Montreal area, making it a convenient base for exploring the region while offering its own urban character.

Before you go

Laval is a separately-administered city and its own tourist region, but it functions as a suburb of Montreal. Much of it is made up of bedroom communities, shopping malls and big-box stores that need cheaper land than downtown Montreal offers, which makes the city car-friendly and of limited interest for tourists. If you are considering a stay here, note that a car would be very useful.

Its name comes from François de Montmorency-Laval, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec and the first owner of Île Jésus. The first European settlers were Jesuits granted a seigneury in 1636, and agriculture began in 1670. Sainte-Rose, the only built-up area on the island, was incorporated as a village in 1850 and remained the main community for the rest of that century; urbanization arrived with the 20th century, when Laval-des-Rapides became the city's first city in 1912. Proximity to Montreal made Laval an ideal suburb, and in 1965 the Quebec government amalgamated the whole island into a single city.

Getting there

Laval sits just off the island of Montreal and is easy to reach by road. From Montreal, Autoroute 13 serves the western part of Laval, including Chomedey, and is the closest option if you are coming from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Autoroute 15, the Autoroute des Laurentides, arrives from Saint-Jérôme to the southeast and from Montreal to the northwest, while Autoroute 25 crosses from the east end of Montreal into eastern Laval via a toll bridge. Autoroute 440 terminates in Laval, running southwest; from Quebec City, follow Autoroute 40, then Autoroute 640, then Autoroute 440. Route 117, a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway, is the route to take from Mont-Tremblant and the Laurentians northwest of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, where you can transfer to Autoroute 15 for faster travel. You can also cross into Laval from Montreal by bridge via boulevard Curé-Labelle or avenue Papineau, but expect very heavy traffic on the bridges during evening rush hour.

Public transit connects Laval directly to Montreal. The orange line of the metro serves three stations in Laval: Cartier, de la Concorde and Montmorency. Parking is available at the stations, but arrive early in the morning on weekdays. The REM also has a rail line from Montreal Central Station that passes through the western tip of Laval, with two stations: Île-Bigras and Sainte-Dorothée. Exo operates train line 12 from Montreal through the centre of Laval, and FlixBus offers service from Ottawa and Gatineau.

Getting around

Laval is a spread-out, car-oriented city, so driving is the most flexible way to cover its neighbourhoods. The city is laid out roughly in a grid, split into quadrants by two autoroutes: Autoroute 440 divides the north side from the south, and Autoroute 15 divides the east from the west. That second divide matters for reading addresses — a suffix of "O" or "W" (ouest/west) puts you west of Autoroute 15, while "E" means east of it. Numbers increase as you head north, and increase as you get farther from Autoroute 15 when heading east or west. Major north-south highways are Autoroute 13, Autoroute 15 (the Laurentian Autoroute/Autoroute des Laurentides), Autoroute 19 and Autoroute 25; large north-south streets include Boulevard Cure-Labelle, Boulevard Chomedey, Boulevard des Laurentides, Boulevard le Corbusier and Boulevard Industriel. The main east-west thoroughfares are Boulevard de la Concorde/Boulevard Notre-Dame, Boulevard Levesque/Boulevard Cartier/Boulevard Samson, Boulevard Ste-Rose/Avenue Perron, Boulevard de Terrasses/Boulevard des Milles-Iles, Boulevard Saint-Martin, Autoroute 440, and Boulevard Dagenais/Boulevard Bellerose. Note that the "north-south" and "east-west" labels on these routes don't always match the compass, so check a map rather than trusting the street name alone. If you're crossing from Montreal, expect very heavy traffic on the bridges during the evening rush hour.

Without a car, you can reach Laval from Montreal on the metro's orange line, which serves the city at three stations — Cartier, de la Concorde and Montmorency — and is often the simplest way to arrive without dealing with traffic or parking. Parking at those stations is available, but on weekdays you should arrive early in the morning to get a spot. The REM light rail runs from Montreal Central Station through the western tip of Laval, with two stations, Ile-Bigras and Sainte-Dorothee, which is useful if your destination is on the western side. Exo commuter train line 12 passes through the centre of Laval from Montreal. Locally, the Societe de transport de Laval provides extensive bus service across the island and connects with the Montreal metro at Henri-Bourassa station, making it the backbone of transit for visitors without a car. Taxi Chomedey provides cab services within Laval and to Montreal, a practical fallback for late nights or trips that don't line up with bus or rail routes. Given how spread out the city is, walking works best within a single neighbourhood or commercial area rather than for crossing between districts.

Where to stay

Food & drink

Laval has one of the country's largest Greek communities, and that shows in its restaurants: you'll find plenty of good Greek food, particularly in southern neighbourhoods such as Îles-Laval and Chomedy. Later arrivals from the Middle East and Africa have added further range to the city's cooking, though Laval's food scene is often overlooked in favour of Montreal's.

• Patate Depot, on Boulevard Curé-Labelle a few blocks south of Autoroute 440, is a notably odd suburban greasy spoon.
• Dic Ann's, on boulevard Curé-Labelle in Chomedey, is a well-known Montreal-area burger chain serving its own distinctive burger.
• Au Biniou Restaurant, on Boulevard De La Concorde East, is a gourmet French restaurant; wine is available through the government liquor store.
• Restaurant Le Vieux Four de Laval, on Boulevard Levesque East, is an Italian spot offering pizza, mains and dishes from the grill.

What to see and do

Three days in Laval

Day one: Base yourself in Laval, on Jésus island in the Greater Montreal area, and use the city as your starting point for the region. Its position between Montreal and the Laurentians makes it easy to reach the island of Montréal and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, so you can arrive and settle in without crossing the whole region. Spend the first day getting your bearings along the Autoroute corridors and in Chomedey, then head to Sainte-Rose for a slower evening. If you want a first taste of the area's religious history, note the presence of the Roman Catholic Bishop and the Jesuits, whose legacy runs through this part of Quebec.

• Laval
• Chomedey
• Sainte-Rose
• Jésus
• Montréal
• Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport

Day two: Cross into Montreal and explore the city proper, then return to Laval for the night. The island of Montréal sits right beside Laval, so the trip is short and you can combine an urban day with a quiet base. From Montreal you can also look north toward the Laurentians, with Saint-Jérôme and the Laurentides within reach via the Autoroute des Laurentides. If you prefer to stay closer, the Rapides and the Montmorency area give you a sense of the region's waterways and older settlements.

• Montreal
• Montréal
• Laurentides
• Saint-Jérôme
• Rapides
• Montmorency

Day three: Head north into the Laurentians for a day trip, using Laval as your launch point. Route Trans-Canada Highway and the Autoroute make the drive straightforward toward Mont-Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe, and Monts Labelle, with Saint-Jérôme on the way. If you would rather keep the day shorter, stay in Laval and revisit the neighbourhoods you liked, or continue east toward Quebec City if you are extending your trip. Either way, end back in Laval, where proximity to Montreal, the airport, and the Laurentians makes the city a practical final stop.

• Laval
• Laurentians
• Route Trans-Canada Highway
• Mont-Tremblant
• Sainte-Agathe
• Monts Labelle
• Quebec City