Myself and a friend used Gray Line Canada for a few day trips and tours around Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City. The hop on hop off in Montreal was fabulous, and we stopped at all of the biggest sights in the city, like Olympic Park, St, Joseph's Oratory, the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, and Notre Dame Basilica, among many other options when you hop on and off to plan things you want to hop off and see. The Quebec City Day Tour was great as well, with stops in Old Quebec, Parliament Hill, Montmorency Falls, and the Place Royale. The Laurentian Mountains day trip was a scenic drive through the mountains to St. Sauveur and St. Adolphe d'Howard, including the beautiful Lac des Sables. Gray Line Canada is definitely more an aggregator of tours. You could probably book these tours locally or self drive a few of them, but if you are looking for more of an all-in-one tour plan, Gray Line could be the right fit for you. read more

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Since my wife and I's first day in Montreal was Monday when the museums were mostly closed, we decided to do the Gray Line tour. The bus was large and comfortable and our tour guide and driver were amazing. The driver gave us great recommendations of places to go as well. We got off a couple times, at Place d'Armes in Old Montreal in front of Notre Dame, the Tower of Montreal, to grab coffee and food at Masionneuve Market, and the amazing overlook of the city at Mount Royal. They gave us a few options for drop off so we could decide where to spend the rest our day and the pickup was centrally located near our hotel, the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. All in all, the half day tour is highly recommended and a great value so not sure why the ratings average so low. read more

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This is a hop-on hop-off type of deal EXCEPT instead of getting a headset (like most cities) the tour is done by a live speaker. We hopped on and off throughout the two days (which is what your wristband is for - so don't take it off after the first day) and experienced 4 different tour guides. There is absolutely no consistency from guide to guide. Note also: our hotel was able to give us a special sheet that gave us $10 off our tickets. (Embassy Suites on Saint Antoine.) Some buses are old jalopies, another bus is a completely enclosed tour bus. Others are double-decker buses. Again, no consistency. The bus stops are typically not marked. It's a bit of guesswork to figure out where to stand. And last, be forewarned, the tour guides, at the last stop, request tips. They're not aggressive, but it did catch me off guard. We made the most of it, but it sure was a little janky/wonky/weird. read more

The experience will mostly depend on the tour guide you get. There are some pretty knowledgeable and entertaining ones but some not so much. There were 2 women tour guides that were below standards in terms of the information and details provided. If this happens I suggest hopping off and waiting for the next bus. Buses were comfortable and smooth. However, the staff at the main office was somewhat rude; we bought a 2 day pass and nobody explained that we needed to keep the bracelet given that first day. The lady at the office today was argumentative and said that is impossible that nobody explained it and had us fill out a form to show the tour guide that we had paid. We also called the office today to ask where exactly to wait for the bus and they did not talk in English and proceeded to start laughing at us. They had a few young girls at the office but they should teach them to be more professional and give them English lessons. In any case the highlight of the tour was this tour guide that shared so much information and made the experience mostly positive. read more

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What a nightmare. It was 91 Degrees today and We were told that the bus had a/c but we had to wait an hour then went to board and we were told it was broke and that the next one had it but we had to wait some more. When we boarded we were told the a/c would kick on when the bus moved but the temp inside was atleast 85 degrees And never improved. Then another bus broke down and we had to Take on all their passengers. So on this hot smelly bus we had to squish in for one more hour! Sounds like a nightmare To me. Sad because we took these in two other cites and no problems. I will never take it again. No excuse for lying!' read more

Swan and Bernardo were fantastic. I had such an amazing time they really made visiting Montreal a joy. all the best to them I hope they always do well in life read more

We had the worst driver today. A woman who was on the first tour bus at 10 am. She was nasty and unenjoyable. Be careful. Yesterday we had two amazing people even in the rain. This morning was the wordt. Glad it wasn't our first day in Montreal. read more

Hop on, Hop Off was a nice representation of Montreal. Our guide was informative, although others throughout our trip varied. Sometimes we would arrive at a stop, at full capacity, leaving folks waiting for the next bus. Worth the price since it's for two days. If you're there for one day, perhaps the metro would be more economical. read more

We expected to purchase a ticket from the bus driver or attendant but instead were directed to an office a couple of blocks away from the bus stop. The staffer was not personable and "barked" the tour price almost as a challenge, intimating we might be unable or unwilling to pay. Not a good start to the experience. The older double-decker bus did not seem well maintained and the upper deck seating was uncomfortable. There was a human tour narrator on board rather than the bus being equipped with headset outlets that provide multiple language selections. At least the narrator spoke in English, our native language. But that was the only positive. He seemed to dwell on points-of-interest mostly as they used to be, leaving us with the impression that Montreal had experienced a large exodus of business (and money) during the last several decades. It seemed like many buildings had therefore been vacated before being converted to condominiums. We expected more positive narrative, both in quantity and quality, about the city. We've taken many enjoyable hop on-hop off tours in both North America and European cities. This was our worst experience by far. We do NOT recommend it. read more

My son and I got the 2 day ticket $65 each. We purchased it at Peel St. The sales lady was unfriendly. They only sold 2 day tickets. It was a beautiful sunny day with a clear blue sky, which was perfect for the top deck. The bus was clean and comfortable. You do need to keep an eye out for low hanging tree branches The map they give lists stop numbers and points of interest but it was laid out in a way that made it difficult to gauge where you were on the tour. The tour guide was not good - she did not give history and kept saying "over there is" and did not say where or describe what she was referring to. Her main points were "that was owned by such and such but now it is condominiums." She was friendly enough but not experienced in her field. My son did not enjoy the tour and said he would not do another one even if I paid him. I decided to give it another try the next day. I am so glad that I did. It was a rainy day so I sat in the bottom deck. The bus was comfortable, clean and new. The tour guide Jean Bernard was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and engaging. I got on and off and the busses seemed to be running on time. Overall day two and Jean Bernard redeemed Gray Line. If used for 2 days and you hop on and off it is worth the price. read more

The low reviews are pretty sad because our experience was fantastic. Bus was clean, no smells, and the staff was so rad! Very informative. It was worth the money for sure. We bought a 2-day Hop on Hop off ticket and I highly recommend. They really provide a great history of the city and if you see something you like, hop off and explore; you can always take the next bus at that stop. They run every 30 minutes and I believe the last bus goes out at 4pm. I found this easier and less stressful than using your own transportation. read more

It may be only the experience of one day but it really shows lack of organization and respect for their customers First nobody and not even the free advertising explains how to get the tickets or where. It you try booking online it says not available and you go to what is marked as the first stop on the map( no mark whatsoever on the street) and when the bus comes supposedly every 30' it's full . If you don't have tickets the first drivers tells us you that we can still get on the bus but pay later but there aren't enough seats we have to wait for the next bus. Here we waited 30' the second bus comes almost full again and the second driver tells us we can't get on the bus because we need to buy the tickets .. just across the street on La Poppessa ( a cafe)!!!! I was really upset with this because I could have just done that 30' ago and just be on the tour bus . Literally we waisted 1 hour of our day the only day we are spending in Montreal waiting to get on the bus. So if anything just plan ahead for this unpredictable issues that could have easily been avoided if they had a better way of communicating with the tourists. read more

RUN AWAY!!! THIEVES!!! We had a reservation for the Laurentians, confirmed and paid. We arrived at the meeting point on time and there was no one there. No bus ever came and we had a foreign phone so we could not call. Nobody ever came so we return very sad at home. We call the customer service and there, they tell us that we had to call to confirm 24 hours before! It was written in very small at the end of the email we received that we had not seen! Nobody even went to the meeting point or called us to ask us if the reservation was confirmed (we had paid anyway!!!) And now they refuse to refund us when they didn't even come to the meeting point to check if we were there! Thieves, worst customer service, they said it was our fault on the phone!!! Avoid this tour, never seen such a MINOR customer service, nasty thieves who do not take into account the customers and make money on people who do not read their little lines!!! read more

As a certified Tour Director and Guide, I feel I can lend some pretty good insight on tours I actually take. For this review, my focus is a 12-hour day-tour I took with Gray Line Montréal, a day tour of Quebec City with a trip to Montmorency Falls. Guides: The driver was great, seconding as our guide on the way up to Quebec ... very friendly and set the stage well. The step-on guide in the city was very good, but drowned out at times by construction. You need a bullhorn, homey. B+ Bus: This is a long trip ... more than half of the 12-hour tour is spent getting to and from Quebec City. The bus is relatively old, the leg room minimal, and the seats uncomfortable. No power outlets for a phone. Overall, not a very good bus. D+ Logistics. While there is a stop half-way, both ways, at an Esso w/convenience store, it isn't enough. Once you arrive in Quebec City, you launch right onto a city tour (no public restroom at the drop-off). So you have to survive the travails of the sketchy bus toilet or grip it for 2 hours. They give you 3 hours to yourself after the walking tour, which is pretty much right on the spot. B- Location: Quebec City is an excellent choice for a day trip. If I where Gray Line, I'd add a drive up to see the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, that big, grandiose hotel that symbolizes the city. Montmorency Falls is amazing, but give the tourers a little more time there! A- This journey is closer to 3.5 stars in my mind. I'd definitely go, just be prepared for some challenges along the way. read more

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I read some of the other reviews and don't know what those people are talking about. We had a great experience. Price is comparable to other open air bus tours we've taken (these double decker bus tours are a thing for my wife - so we've ridden many) and the staff were great. I enjoyed the tour guides' comments. Montreal is a beautiful big city and this tour is a great way to get introduced to the city. read more

Way too expensive. Only 2 out of our 4 busses were open double decker. The route was not continuous as everyone had to disembarked at the original starting point whether you were continuing on or not. The point of the stop seemed to be to hustle you for tips and make you wait an extra 20 minutes before you could continue on your tour. read more

Wish I yelped this tour before embarking on the most uninformative, boring, and slow tour I have ever been on. There was no history mentioned, beyond the tour guide identifying a hospital and telling us he stopped in a couple years ago "to see what it looked like inside". He would point out a grocery store and rattle off things you can buy at a grocery store. He talked about how nice the weather was over 30 times (not exaggerating). I was hoping to learn something about Montreal beyond "there's some condos, there's an apartment built in the 90's, there's an art museum", but I think I just lost brain cells instead. If I wasn't with my parents I would have asked for my money back. read more

Great service clean buses, timely. Great tour Guide with master in French history fluent In English

I do not recommend purchasing tours through the Orbitz app for this company, they were promoted as a fun activity for a day trip to Quebec City & Montmorency Falls as a suggested add-on to my flight to Montreal. I followed the guidance from my receipt to call and request pick up at my hotel. My first voice mail was not responded to. My second call was parked on hold several times till I was hung up on. My final call's agent seemed resentful that I had even called them, and assured my pickup at my hotel mostly feeling like as an effort to get me off of the phone. The bus never came, and the leadership at the company initially denied my claims when my agent from Orbitz advocated on my behalf. I had to submit evidence for review to get a full refund. I was really looking forward to seeing Quebec City for the first time. read more

We bought a 2 day pass for the hop on hop off tour. The first day, the stops returning to our hotel was cancelled. We walked back. The second day, the buses ran late, twice we went to a scheduled stop on time, and twice the bus was 45 minutes late, the second time in the rain, with no shelter. On the positive side the staff was friendly, and the information helpful. read more

The tour was fine and the guides generally good. But it was a misery trying to figure out where the stops were, if you wanted to reboard at a different place than where you got off. Why on earth don't they have their own signage to indicate the stop locations? Very aggravating . read more

HORRIBLE!!! The busses were filthy, smelled horrible, the audio was impossible to hear, the tour guide filled with useless facts and nothing exciting. STAY AWAY FROM THIS SCAM! $42 was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL RIP OFF! This tour was worth the fare of a public bus - nothing more. This was the worst experience in this beautiful city. I tried to resolve the following issues: someone in our party getting ill (vomiting) from the jerkiness of the bus and another member getting hit in the face by a branch on a passing tree, by asking for a partial refund. I was apologized to and told this was horrible and they'd issue a full refund. They never did. I have called the local and headquarters and emailed everyone from the local agent to the CEO. I have been ignored by them all. We will NEVER use them again and implore everyone else to boycott them as well. read more

We usually do a bus tour when we travel as of late. They are touristy but they do give a decent general over view of the city. Bus tours are what they are. The Gray Line Montreal tour is a 2 hour tour. There are 8 stops and a bus comes about every 30 minutes. The cost is $50.00 per person which is not inexpensive. However, this is for 2 days and that enables people to go back the next day to see some destinations in more detail. The bus stopped at Notre Dame, Old City, The Latin Quarter, St. Josephs, Mount Royal, The Plateau, etc, Gray Line has the open air double deck bus and one standard bus with A/C and a bathroom. The tour was given in English and French, some guides were better then others. The people at the stops were all very friendly. read more

Gray Line Montreal - St. Josephs of Mount Royal - Tours Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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I booked this tour through Priceline - big mistake! Not only did I get the wrong pick-up location, but I ended up missing the tour and losing the entire booking fee when the tour operators did not show up at the indicated pick-up location. If you decide to book this tour, DO NOT book through Priceline and make sure you get the correct pick-up location (NOT 1255 Peel Street). read more

If I could give this shoddy rip-off company no stars, I would. My husband and I went on the one-day tour of Quebec City with a stop at a waterfall. The reservationist promised us a free shuttle to and from our hotel/their offices. They picked us up as promised (a bit late), but at the final stop, at 8:00 in the evening, the bus tour driver ordered me and hubby off the bus to take a taxi. He was so rude, hostile and inappropriate, we almost went into shock. This came out of nowhere. We reminded him that the office clerk had promised us a free shuttle back to our hotel. His response: "The office is closed. Get off the bus and take a taxi." We put our generous tip to him back in our pockets, got off and walked the 40 minutes back to our hotel. Watch out for this PSYCHO GRAY LINES BUS DRIVER: GILLES! read more

We thought this was an informative, though expensive, tour. The starting point was a quick walk from our AirBnB and we opted to take the entire tour first, instead of hopping off early. It was approximately 2 hours and the guide was very informative. It's MUCH better if you can sit on the top deck; you'll get a better view. For just a 2 hour tour, we thought it was overpriced. If you are going to use it to return to points of interest, then it's worth it. Our main attraction was the Botanical Gardens, which are not on the tour line, and Vieux Montreal, which was walking distance from our accommodations. Two big negatives are that the stops are not marked (per Montreal City code) and they push VERY VERY hard for tips. read more

Seemed kind of strange taking a Gray Line tour of my birthplace. Glad we did though. Our friends purchased our 2 day Hop On Hop Off tickets. Think it costed over $50 per ticket. Kind of pricey, but still worth it. There were about 8 stops where you can hop off, and then hop back on another Gray Line bus later. We stopped at several stops to check out the various sites. We enjoyed the double decker buses the most. It was way cool to sit at the top, breathe in the fresh air, and admire the sights! All of the guides that we had were very informative and educational. Bottom line is that it was very convenient to do Gray Line's Hop On Hop Off tour. Sorry, but they do not offer it all year round. We were able to see and visit so many Montreal attractions in just two days. I do not think that we would have been able to accomplish all that we done without taking this tour. Would do it again! read more

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I have done several of these hop on/hop off tours in the US and Ireland. This was poor in comparison. We did not even use it the second day (no one day tickets, forced to by a 2 day one). They list several local attractions, but do not STOP at them!! Our hotel was at the gate to China Town, it was listed as an attraction, so we thought we could get on /off there. NO. You had to walk about 3/4 of a mile to get to the stop. Stops were often between two sites, so there was so much walking we just decided not to use it. I would strongly suggest taxi/uber or metro. Dont waste your money. Bus was OLD, noisy, and no AC, only 2 windows opened a few inches on very hot (86 F degrees). Only Positive thing was the first tour narrator was very entertaining (the second was not). read more

The good news is that the hop on/hop off bus didn't break down. We were told that it was a 50 year old bus and we weren't sure it would make it around the city. Let alone make it up the mountain. But there were other fundamental concerns. The temperature was 87 degrees F and the bus was not air conditioned at all. There were not enough windows to open to get even a little breeze. We were told that the tour would be in English, but the tour guide was French and spoke English poorly. It was very hard to understand. And lastly, the bus stops were not well marked at all. If we did get off, it would be hard to find where we needed to return to hop on the bus. This was extremely disappointing and definitely not worth the price we paid. read more

I will add to what others said. We enjoyed the tour and commentary, once we actually were able to figure out the pick up location and find a bus that wasn't full. I have done other hop on tours in other locations, and never had this problem. Absolutely no signs marking stop locations. read more

DO NOT DO THIS. This is a horrible company and ruined our first day in Montreal. We bought tickets at one stop, but the next two buses that came had broken down and we could not get on them. We decided to walk to the next one and no bus ever came. We gave up and took an Uber, and later spent over an hour looking for a third stop. Turns out the road listed on the map and the schedule does not exist, and has not existed for years. The bus stop was also in a completely different location than listed on the map, which we only learned when we called and expressed our frustration. We asked for a refund because we had not been able to use the bus all day and the extremely rude person who answered the phone refused. She gave no explanation for the mislabeled map. It is a scam, we walked around Montreal all day and didn't even see a bus driving around. read more

Not at all impressed. Boring excursion on 3 hour tour of Montreal. We saw more in old Montreal just walking around on our own. Once you leave Old Montreal it's very stark and depressing. Saw essentially nothing of the Olympic Stadium or grounds. Tour guide liked talking about himself a lot. At some points he started talking about transvestites and commentary that was just not appropriate for the tour. I would not recommend this at all. Save your money. We are counting the minutes to get off the bus. read more

The worst hop on-hop off experience of my life. Constant delays, with a 30 minute delay just at one stop so they could change drivers to someone who knows how to drive up a hill (didn't quite understand that, but...whatever...) The speaker systems on the 5 buses we took were horrible, the tour guides were very difficult to understand (and I am quite good at understanding people with strong accents). Not sure what other options one may have, but this company's business needs some sort of help. read more

Yes, this is the infamous hop-on/hop-off red double-decker bus tour you see all around tourist cities. It was our last day in Montreal, and we wanted to see the parts of the city we hadn't yet. This sight seeing tour did just that, and in a fraction of the time. Walking around and riding the metro all week was fabulous, don't get me wrong. But on this bus, we saw historical and cultural landmarks we had yet the chance. $45 dollars and we rode for a couple of hours total. A nice relaxing thing to do on our last day. read more

Gray Line Montreal - From the top deck 6/9/2017 - Tours Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Overview- A fantastic option to see the city sights many of which are difficult to access otherwise by public transportation. The entire loop takes approximately 2 hours and is multilingual. The Bus leaves from the Tourist Centre in downtown Montreal. You may also purchase your tickets there. The Highlights and Fun Facts that I Enjoyed: * The ascent and descent of Mont Royal....the bus made a 4 minute stop for passengers to take panoramic pictures and selfies with the entire view of the city of Montreal below * The commentary about Chinatown in which the Gate was made in Shanghai, China and delivered to Montreal (there are 4 Gates from Shanghai in various parts of the city). Shanghai is the "sister city" of Montreal *Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is the largest church in Canada and people often request penance by kneeling and going up the steps in the center set of stairs *La Presse News Agency in Montreal is the largest French News Agency outside of France *The oldest "French-Canadian" Home in Montreal is now a Brazilian Restaurant *The Old Port Ships are mostly for tourists..only 10% of Cargo accesses this area *1967 World's Fair was held here *There are over 100 Communal Gardens in Montreal *Outside of Quebec, Manitoba has the largest French speaking minority *Lowest Rate of Crime and Violence in North America FYI-Try to get on and get a seat on the bottom level on the left next to the driver...it feels like you are riding "shot gun" style and the views are the best because no one's head is in your way! read more

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I tried booking two days before my trip and the website was down. I was told to contact the customer service to book tour via phone but when I called they told me to wait four hours when the website would be up. Why couldn't I just book the tour via phone?? We got on two different buses and on the first one our guide was trying to be funny but failing miserably. On the second one, the guide had to say everything in English and French, and therefore admitted that he was not going to be able to give us all of the historical information because it would be too much to translate. Their map could be simpler and in actual order. Last but not least, it could be cheaper or they could have longer hours (maybe run until 6pm instead of 4pm). The one good thing is that the bus was usually on time. read more

Terrible...overcrowded...no AC...old buses...not all Windows open. Do yourself a favor...and get an uber to drive you around

We went on a 3 hour city tour, tour guide Robert Costa, September 4, 2019. The tour was very disappointing, failed to highlight some of points of interest on our route. Our tour guide spent more time talking about himself than the sights. He was very repetitive in the information that he gave. I do not recommend this service at all!!! A waste of money. read more

I suspect that with tours of this nature, your experience hinges on how good the guide/driver is. Luckily for me, our guide (Jean) was knowledgeable, witty, and quite helpful. Other than the sites in the beautiful city of Montreal, he made the whole trip (about 3.5 hours) worth every cent. We boarded the bus (one of those large coach deals, not the double-decker variety) at the Gray Line building for the Heart of Montreal Motorcoach City Tour (about $50 each), and from there stopped at various points around the city. The longest stop was about 25 minutes at Notre Dame, which gave me time to get in and take plenty of pictures. The bus also stopped for about 5-10 minutes at St. Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal and at some point near McGill University that allowed us to take in a stunning view of the city from a hilltop. After the tour ended, the driver kindly offered to take all of the guests back to their hotels even though that is not a service normally offered for that bus. All in all, he went above and beyond to make the tour a fun one, and I can't recommend it enough. read more

I am not typically a fan of hop on hop offs but the Gray Line Montreal was great! We road the two hour loop to get a feel of the city, hopped off for some shopping, hopped back on to make it to the Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. I really enjoyed how the tour was in both French and English. All the tour guides were very personable and nice! I would say that this bus is not handicapable, however we were able to bring our transport chair onto the bus because we went during shoulder season. read more