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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Laval
Skip Laval as a sightseeing base unless you have a car and want cheaper hotels: 1 night, or a half-day for the Cosmodome and a mall.
Laval is the island suburb north of Montreal, amalgamated into one city in 1965 and now home to about 400,000 people. It is car-oriented: big-box stores, malls and bedroom neighbourhoods, with a handful of family attractions. Its main travel use is cheaper lodging within metro reach of downtown Montreal, or a stop on the drive to the Laurentians.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for parks and pick-your-own farms; Dec–Mar for indoor attractions and hockey
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb for cold and snow; weekday 15:30–18:30 for bridge and highway trafficJan–Feb for cold and snow; weekday 3:30 PM–6:30 PM for bridge and highway traffic
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$70–110 excl. bed · Mid C$110–180 excl. bed · High C$180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Info-Santé nurse line 811
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | C$2.50–5 |
| Suburban diner main (burger, poutine, Greek plate) | C$15–28 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a depanneur | C$8–10 / C$3–4 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | C$15–22 |
| Metro or STL bus ride | C$3.75 |
| Cosmodome admission | check the official site |
| Hotel parking, per night | C$0–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YUL · Montréal–Trudeau
- About 20–30 min by car via Autoroute 13 to western Laval; no direct rail link
- YMX · Montréal–Mirabel
- No scheduled passenger flights; cargo only
Typical fares
- YUL airport → Chomedey, taxi
- about C$45–60, 20–30 min
- Metro Montmorency → downtown Montreal
- one fare, about 30 min
- Autoroute 25 toll bridge
- check the current rate and billing
- Rental car, one day
- from about C$60 plus parking and fuel
Get around
A car is the practical way: Autoroute 440 divides north from south, Autoroute 15 east from west, and street addresses carry O/W or E suffixes plus numbers that grow away from Autoroute 15. Without a car, use the Société de transport de Laval buses plus the Montreal metro orange line at Cartier, de la Concorde and Montmorency, and the REM at Sainte-Dorothée and Île-Bigras. Taxis are cheap for short hops but scarce outside the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Cosmodome space museum
- Carrefour Laval and Centropolis shopping
- Place Bell hockey and shows
- Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal | Metro orange line from Montmorency, de la Concorde or Cartier to downtown; or drive Autoroute 15 south | 30–50 min |
| Laurentians (Saint-Sauveur, Mont-Tremblant) | Autoroute 15 north from Laval | 1 h to Saint-Sauveur, 1 h 45 min to Tremblant |
| Terrebonne and the Mille-Îles river | Autoroute 25 north, or Route 344 along the river | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Chomedey
- Western Laval along Autoroute 13 and boulevard Curé-Labelle; most hotels, closest to Trudeau airport and the metro at Cartier.
- Laval-des-Rapides / Pont-Viau
- Southeast, across the Rivière des Prairies from Montreal; metro orange line at Cartier and de la Concorde, short ride downtown.
- Sainte-Rose
- Northwest old village on the Mille-Îles river; quieter, inn-style stays, needs a car.
- Laval-sur-le-Lac / Îles-Laval
- Western tip near the REM Sainte-Dorothée and Île-Bigras stations; residential, few beds.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ?kom-BYEN sa KOOT |
| Can I pay by card? | Puis-je payer par carte ?pweezh pay-YAY par KART |
| Where is the metro? | Où est le métro ?oo ay luh may-TRO |
| I don't speak French | Je ne parle pas françaiszhuh nuh PARL pah fran-SAY |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Bridges to Montreal and Autoroutes 13, 15, 440 and 25 jam badly at evening rush hour.
- Many attractions sit in industrial or big-box zones with no sidewalk: walking between them is unpleasant and sometimes unsafe.
- Autoroute 25 into eastern Laval is a toll bridge; check the current rate and plate billing before you cross.
- Winter driving means snow tires, ice and salt-stained roads; allow extra time in January and February.
- Hotel rates in Laval are often lower than downtown Montreal, but only if you are not paying for parking and gas twice a day.
Laval is a low-crime suburb and generally safe, including on the metro at night. The real risks are traffic: aggressive drivers, winter ice, and pedestrians crossing multi-lane boulevards where there is no signal.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Laval yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cosmodome space museum
- Carrefour Laval and Centropolis shopping
- Place Bell hockey and shows
- Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ville de Laval — official site: www.laval.ca/Pages/Fr/accueil.aspx
- Société de transport de Laval: www.stl.laval.qc.ca/
- REM — Réseau express métropolitain: rem.info/en
- Tourisme Québec: www.quebecoriginal.com/en
- Wikivoyage: Laval, revision 5165395 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5165395
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Laval
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Laval; the US consulate-general and most others are in downtown Montreal (check addresses).
French is the everyday language; a short bonjour before a question goes a long way.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/laval). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.