Electric Bike | Montreal Mural Tour

They dress our streets, decorate our daily lives, light up our city. Guided tour of Montreal’s murals on two wheels, in a few pedal strokes and above all without forcing… Warning: you might be charmed!

To fall in love with the city of a thousand diversions again, what could be better than playing tourist for a bit? It was in the company of Fitz Montréal, based in the Maison des cyclistes on Rachel Street, that we attempted this seduction operation, as part of its new guided (electrified!) tours of Montreal’s murals. First stop on two wheels: in front of a joyful work by Maxilie Martel (aka Mono Sourcil), which brought us our first smile.

Did you know? Montreal has one of the largest street art festivals (Mural), as well as one of the oldest (Under Pressure), our (certified) guide, Thom Seivewright, tells us, who will fill our two-hour tour with several anecdotes about this art that is as imposing as it is ephemeral. Also on the Plateau, this immense work by Greek muralist Insane 51, a pioneer of 3D art, threatened by imminent adjacent constructions, is proof of this.

The interest of these pretty bikes (signed Norco, “Cadillacs” financed by Tourisme Montréal, also offered in cargo format for families!), is that they allow you to cover pretty distances without the slightest effort. After the Plateau, here we are in Mile End, in front of a masterful mural with folkloric accents, signed Ola Volo. The career of the very fashionable Kazakh-born artist, who today collaborates with Louis Vuitton and Starbucks, has taken off right here, in the metropolis, we learn.

The route, about fifteen kilometers long, takes us along several cycle paths, but also through many unknown and especially deserted streets and alleys. A real charm, when you know that you are still in the heart of the city and its traffic jams. Freedom, you say? That is also what this mural, signed Nicole Boyce, inspires in us, exploring the bright future of Mile End, where, by the way, have you seen it… a bicycle!

Here we are in the parking lot of the Pajar boutique, literally surrounded by murals. Among other things, we discover this work by one of the legends of the genre in Montreal, Alex Scaner, known as Scaner, or Scan. The unique, colorful and complex style of this artist who passed away in 2017 is easily recognizable. Note, just above, this original diamond, signed by the Frenchman Le Diamantaire. There are said to be about fifty of them in the city, of all sizes and in all neighborhoods, it’s up to you to find them!

Back on our mounts, towards the Portuguese quarter. Here, we stop where a work by another legend, Zilon, once stood, today replaced by this committed installation of recycled objects, signed by the artist Bordalo II. Among other eclectic objects, we can see a construction helmet, even an orange cone! Attention Zilon fans: an exhibition is dedicated to the artist, who died last year, on Atateken Street these days.

In the Portugal Park, our guide obviously pointed out the house where Leonard Cohen once lived. For good reason, we then head to his favorite mural, and probably ours too: Kevin Ledo’s tribute to Cohen. While the muralist has several other mural portraits in town, this one, created in 2017 (a year after the singer’s death), is particularly poignant, almost alive.

This is one of the few murals lit up at night in Montreal. Created by Marc Séguin, this tribute to Jean Paul Riopelle, named Magnetic artmeasures nearly 50 meters in height. The work literally sits on the Plateau Mont-Royal, where Riopelle grew up. Also lit up: the masterful portrait of Leonard Cohen, on Crescent Street, which we unfortunately won’t see this time (and it will be the one and only disappointment of our tour).

After Mile End and the Plateau, head to the Quartier des spectacles to continue this artistic, but also historical, journey. The proof: this is where you will discover one of the oldest murals in Montreal, dating back to the 1970s. Would you believe it? Created by Claude Dagenais and Jacques Sabourin, this work was also commissioned by Benson & Hedges (now Rothman, Benson & Hedges), which means that it is in fact an advertisement… thinly disguised!

To finish in style, our guide presents us with two last murals, and not the least. The first comes from the Brazilian twins Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, known as Os Gêmeos (can you see them, up there?). The second, going up Boulevard Saint-Laurent, named Peace and justiceis signed Frank Shepard Fairey (founder of the Obey brand, to whom we owe the campaign Hope Barack Obama), “the biggest street art star in the world,” concludes our guide, after these two hours of tour, as pleasant, instructive as entertaining. To do again, without hesitation.

$89 per tour, bike, helmet and guide included. For all bookings made before July 15, the promo code EBIKE24 saves $30 on the ticket.

Visit the Fitz Montreal website

Check out other guided bike tours on the Tourisme Montréal website