Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (CYUL/YUL)
Montreal, Canada
Montreal Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The YUL crew card
| Fastest into town | The STM 747 shuttle bus leaves from door 28 and runs straight into downtown Montreal, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, with departures generally every 10 to 20 minutes in both directions |
|---|---|
| Night option | There is no last bus to miss. STM lists the 747 under its all night service as Service 24/7, and two ordinary night routes also serve the airport: 356 Lachine / YUL Aeroport / Des Sources and 378 Sauve / YUL Aeroport |
| Payments | The 747 costs CAD 11.25 per person, and that ticket is a pass valid 24 consecutive hours on bus, metro, exo train and REM in Zone A. Pay cash with exact change on board (no paper bills), or buy it in the Chrono app, at the vending machines at door 28, or at the STM counter there |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 911 (SPVM and Government of Quebec numbers. For a non-urgent municipal service such as parks or garbage, SPVM points you to 311 instead.) |
| Solo & at night | STM’s Between Stops service runs year round from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for anyone travelling alone or with a child: tell the driver where you want to get off and the driver decides whether it can be done safely. It is not available on express lines or shuttles, so not on the 747 itself or the 460. It applies to the ordinary night routes 356 and 378. |
| Crew knows | The 747 into downtown is CAD 11.25, but the seasonal 815 out to the REM light metro at Des Sources runs on an ordinary CAD 3.75 fare. On the taxi side, the sticker in the rear window is not the final number: a levy of CAD 1.05 goes on every trip and is deliberately left off it |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · YUL crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Oct 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from YUL Airport into downtown Montreal: which ride makes sense?
One bus does nearly all the work here. The STM 747 shuttle runs around the clock between the terminal and downtown on a single flat fare that doubles as a day pass for the rest of the network. The REM light metro does not reach the airport yet, so the other options are ordinary city buses, a tariffed taxi, and the apps.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (STM 747 airport shuttle) | 45 to 70 minutes to the downtown terminus on the long route (11 stops), 30 to 35 minutes to Lionel-Groulx metro on the short route generally every 10 to 20 minutes, all day, in both directions, 24 hours a day and seven days a week |
CAD 11.25 per person, which is a pass valid 24 consecutive hours on bus, metro, exo train and REM in Zone A, the agglomeration of Montreal | The airport stop is at door 28, where you also find the fare vending machines and the STM information counter, both in the international arrivals area. Two routings run from there: 747-1 to downtown by way of Lionel-Groulx metro station and several hotels on boulevard Rene-Levesque, ending at Berri-UQAM, and 747-2, which only runs between the airport and Lionel-Groulx metro station. Since January 26, 2026 the downtown terminus is stop 52905 on Rene-Levesque at Berri, about a ten minute walk from the Montreal bus terminal. Neither STM nor ARTM publishes a journey time for the shuttle, so plan it generously if you are riding to a report time. |
| Bus (STM 815, seasonal link to the REM at Des Sources) | less than 15 minutes to Des Sources station every 30 minutes, tightened to every 15 minutes during the busy hours at YUL from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; from the airport the first departure is 6 a.m. and the last 10:29 p.m., seven days a week |
an All Modes A fare is required, CAD 3.75 for a single trip, and it covers 120 minutes across the bus network, the STM metro and the REM | This line runs for the summer season only, from June 17 to October 19, 2026, and its departures are coordinated with the REM. It is the seasonal direct link and its departures are coordinated with the REM. Year round, route 209 also connects the terminal with Des Sources station, and the all-night route 356 serves both. The REM’s own airport station is not built yet. From Des Sources station the first departure toward the airport is 5:45 a.m. and the last 10:44 p.m. Year round, routes 747, 460 and 209 also serve the airport, and 209 also reaches Des Sources station. |
| Bus (STM all night routes 356 and 378) | the all night network runs every night of the week, with intervals of 4 to 45 minutes between buses across its 23 routes | an ordinary transit fare, not the airport fare: a 1-trip All Modes A ticket is CAD 3.75 and covers travel in Zone A | 356 Lachine / YUL Aeroport / Des Sources runs through Notre-Dame-de-Grace and downtown, or the other way to Dollard-des-Ormeaux. 378 Sauve / YUL Aeroport runs through Ville Saint-Laurent and Ahuntsic. These are ordinary city buses rather than the airport shuttle, so they take an ordinary fare instead of the CAD 11.25 the 747 requires. On boulevard Rene-Levesque the night network runs a bus every 15 minutes. |
| Taxi | The Commission des transports du Quebec sets a tariff for trips serving the main terminal. To downtown Montreal it is CAD 48.40 for a trip starting between 5 a.m. and 10:59 p.m. and CAD 55.65 for one starting between 11 p.m. and 4:59 a.m., taxes included. A levy of CAD 1.05, taxes included, is added to every trip and is deliberately not printed on the tariff sticker, which puts the real total at CAD 49.45 by day and CAD 56.70 at night. The minimum fare leaving the airport is CAD 21.65 by day and CAD 24.75 at night. | The downtown zone that tariff covers is drawn on the sticker as the area bounded by rue Atwater to the west, avenue des Pins and rue Sherbrooke to the north, avenue Papineau to the east, and the Lachine Canal and the St. Lawrence to the south. Outside that zone the meter applies: CAD 4.10 on pickup plus CAD 2.05 per kilometre for a trip starting between 5 a.m. and 10:59 p.m., and CAD 4.70 plus CAD 2.35 per kilometre between 11 p.m. and 4:59 a.m. The tariff sticker is on the rear left window, so you can check it before you load the bags. | |
| Rideshare (app dispatched) | app priced, and no official flat rate exists. Quebec law only lets a trip be priced outside the Commission’s tariff when the request is handled by a technological means that shows you the maximum price in writing and takes your consent before the driver is told about the request, so read that number before you accept. | No published pickup door, waiting area, or airport surcharge could be confirmed for app rides. Follow the ground transportation signs in the terminal, and check the price the app shows you against the taxi tariff above before you choose. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Montreal, from the boulevard the shuttle drives down to the hotel belt out by the terminal
Centre-Ville and the Quartier des spectacles: The office towers, the shopping core, and the festival squares around Place-des-Arts, all strung along the boulevard the 747 already drives down.
Vieux-Montreal and the Old Port: Cobbles, stone warehouses, and the waterfront, the short walk most first visits end up doing, a couple of metro stops east of the shuttle’s downtown stops.
Plateau Mont-Royal and Mile End: Outdoor staircases, terrasses, bagels, and record shops; the evening neighborhood rather than the sightseeing one.
Griffintown and the Lachine Canal: Converted industrial blocks southwest of downtown, with a flat canal path that suits a walk or a rented bike more than a monument list.
Dorval and Pointe-Claire: The West Island belt the airport actually sits in, built around early report times and car hire rather than an evening out.
What to Do on a Layover in Montreal, from a short sit in the terminal to a full day in the city
Under 5 hours: The 747 runs 24 hours and takes 45 to 70 minutes to the downtown terminus, or 30 to 35 minutes to Lionel-Groulx metro on the short route. Budget the long figure if you are heading downtown at a busy hour.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move works: the 747 to a single stop on Rene-Levesque, Old Montreal or the Quartier des spectacles on foot, and the same bus back. Your CAD 11.25 ticket is still valid for the return, so keep it.
9 hours plus: A proper city run is realistic: downtown, one neighborhood beyond it such as the Plateau or the Lachine Canal, and a real meal, with the 747 behind you all night if the evening runs long.
Crew Tips for Montreal and YUL Airport
Paying for the 747 (the trap that catches people): An ordinary single ticket does not get you on this bus. STM states that only transit fares of CAD 11.25 and more are accepted on board the 747, so the CAD 3.75 single that works on every other STM bus will not do. Buy the CAD 11.25 fare, which is a pass valid 24 consecutive hours on bus, metro, exo train and REM in Zone A, or a longer All Modes A pass, which ARTM lists as authorized on the 747: CAD 21.75 for 3 days, CAD 33.25 for a week. Paying the driver means cash with the exact amount in change, and no paper bills.
Connectivity: sort your data before you board: If you buy the fare in the Chrono app, STM requires you to activate it on the phone before you get on the 747, and you then have 120 minutes to have the driver validate it visually. Activating needs Wi-Fi or a data plan, so the terminal has free Wi-Fi, so buy and activate before you walk out to door 28: STM requires activation before boarding, and that is the real constraint, not connectivity. The cash, vending machine, and counter routes at door 28 are the fallback that needs no signal.
The downtown terminus moved, so old directions are wrong: Since January 26, 2026 the 747-1 departure point and terminus downtown is stop 52905, on boulevard Rene-Levesque at rue Berri, moved because of work on the Berri integrated project. STM notes it sits about a ten minute walk from the Montreal bus terminal, and that from the metro you take Exit B, rue Sainte-Catherine Est, to reach it. Any guide or screenshot older than that will send you to the wrong curb for the ride back to the airport.
Know the taxi tariff before you get in: Taxis serving the main terminal carry a separate exception tariff sticker from the Commission des transports du Quebec, on the rear left window. To downtown it reads CAD 48.40 for a trip starting between 5 a.m. and 10:59 p.m. and CAD 55.65 between 11 p.m. and 4:59 a.m., taxes included, with a minimum of CAD 21.65 by day and CAD 24.75 at night for any trip leaving the airport. A levy of CAD 1.05 is added to every trip and is not printed on that sticker, so expect CAD 49.45 or CAD 56.70 on the machine. Reading the sticker takes five seconds and settles the argument before it starts.
Getting off closer to the door after dark: STM’s Between Stops service is offered year round from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. to any customer travelling alone or with a child. Tell the driver where you would like to get off; the driver decides whether it can be done and warns you about obstructions such as a wide gap to the sidewalk, a bike lane, or street furniture, so you can step off safely. It works on the bus network, which includes the night routes serving the airport. It is not available on express lines or shuttles, so not on the 747 itself or the 460. It applies to the ordinary night routes 356 and 378.
Bags and bike cases on the shuttle: Luggage on the 747 goes on the racks, larger pieces first with smaller items on top, so the driver can move freely and nobody is blocked from an exit. STM states plainly that drivers may refuse a customer travelling with a bike case or any other bulky item and ask them to wait for the next bus. Bikes are only carried in a rigid shipping case, or folded in a soft case, and they go on the racks too. With a full crew bag plus a rollaboard, board at door 28 rather than at a mid route stop where the racks are already full. There are no lockers in the terminal for safety reasons, but there is a cloakroom on the arrivals level between doors 21 and 23, open 4:00 a.m. to midnight seven days a week in summer, and it wants photo ID plus a boarding pass or flight confirmation departing YUL. Wi-Fi is the .YUL Wi-Fi network, free, authenticate with an email address, 60 minutes per session and you simply start another. SIM cards are sold on the public arrivals level between doors 27 and 28 at the ChatR and Rogers/Fido kiosks. Uber Black picks up at door 25 on arrivals; every other Uber and Lyft goes to the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area via door 28, and no airport access fee is published. Taxis are at door 23 on arrivals with a dispatcher and no advance booking, taking cash in Canadian dollars, debit, Mastercard, Visa, Amex or a Taxelco coupon.
Emergency Numbers for Montreal, YUL Airport, and Canada
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency (police, fire, medical), anywhere on the island of Montreal | 911 |
| SPVM general information (Montreal police, non-urgent) | 514-280-2222 |
| Info-Crime Montreal, to pass information anonymously | 514-393-1133 |
| Info-Sante 811 option 1, nurse advice. Quebec states the service is for people living in Quebec and does not say whether visitors may call | 811 |
| Canada country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Montreal airport to downtown Montreal?
Take the STM 747 shuttle from door 28. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with departures generally every 10 to 20 minutes in both directions, and it serves Lionel-Groulx metro station and several hotels on boulevard Rene-Levesque before ending at stop 52905 on Rene-Levesque at Berri, next to Berri-UQAM. The fare is CAD 11.25 per person. Neither STM nor ARTM publishes a journey time for the run, so plan by the live arrival information rather than by a quoted number.
How much is the 747 bus from YUL to downtown Montreal?
CAD 11.25 per person, and that ticket is a pass valid 24 consecutive hours on bus, metro, exo train and REM in Zone A, the agglomeration of Montreal. Only fares of CAD 11.25 and more are accepted on board, so an ordinary CAD 3.75 single ticket will not get you on. Longer All Modes A passes are also authorized on the 747, at CAD 21.75 for 3 days and CAD 33.25 for a week.
Does the airport bus in Montreal run all night?
Yes. STM lists the 747 under its all night service as Service 24/7, so there is no last bus to miss. Two ordinary night routes also serve the airport, 356 Lachine / YUL Aeroport / Des Sources and 378 Sauve / YUL Aeroport, and those take an ordinary fare rather than the CAD 11.25 airport fare. Across the night network buses run at intervals of 4 to 45 minutes, and every 15 minutes on boulevard Rene-Levesque.
How much is a taxi from Montreal airport to downtown?
The Commission des transports du Quebec sets a tariff for taxis serving the main terminal: CAD 48.40 to downtown for a trip starting between 5 a.m. and 10:59 p.m., and CAD 55.65 between 11 p.m. and 4:59 a.m., taxes included. A levy of CAD 1.05 is added to every trip and is not printed on the tariff sticker, so the real total is CAD 49.45 by day and CAD 56.70 at night. The minimum fare for any trip leaving the airport is CAD 21.65 by day and CAD 24.75 at night.
Is tap water safe to drink in Montreal?
Yes. The City of Montreal states that Montreal’s drinking water is of excellent quality, treated at six plants through filtration, ozonation, UV treatment and chlorination, with some 17,800 bacteriological and 9,440 physicochemical samples collected across its plants and networks in 2024. Lead was the only parameter that exceeded standards, and that comes from old service lines in individual buildings rather than the supply; the city’s regional public health authority considers the related health risks in Montreal to be low.
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