Montreal

Your Montreal Grand Prix weekend traffic survival guide

Tourists from around the world are descending on Montreal for the three-day Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend, and additional road closures for Mural Fest and FrancoFolies mean getting around will be a challenge.

Mural Fest, Francofolies, F-1 mean street closures, including St-Laurent, Crescent, Peel, De Maisonneuve

The Grand Prix event this weekend in Montreal will mean traffic headaches for drivers. (Charles Contant/CBC)

Tourists from around the world are in town for the three-day Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend, and additional closures for Mural Fest and FrancoFolies mean Montreal's streets will turn into frustrating maze.

The city is recommending drivers leave their cars at home and use public transit as much as possible.

The following streets will be accessible only to pedestrians and emergency vehicles:

Peel Street

With Formula 1 activities happening on Peel Street, the street between Sherbrooke and René-Lévesque Boulevard will be closed to anyone not on foot. Details about the weekend events and Peel Street party can be found on the Peel Formula website.

The closure will last until June 11 at 6 p.m. As well, only one lane on Metcalfe Street is open to traffic.

A tourist from Tallahassee, Fla., wears a Ferrari car hat at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on open house day for the Grand Prix in 2016. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

Crescent Street

Formula One street parties on Crescent Street will mean Crescent will also be closed between Ste-Catherine and Sherbrooke streets until June 10 at 6 p.m.

Find more information about events scheduled for Crescent Street here.

Crescent Street is packed every year during Grand Prix race weekend. (Peter McCabe/Canadian Press)

De Maisonneuve Boulevard

De Maisonneuve Boulevard will be closed between Bishop and de la Montagne streets until June 10 at 6 p.m.

The closure also affects the bike path along De Maisonneuve between Peel and Bishop streets. It will be temporarily relocated to the north side of the street.

Cyclists are advised to use detour routes on de la Montagne and Mackay streets.

FrancoFolies

The FrancoFolies music festival, which runs from June 7 to June 16, will mean traffic congestion in the area around Place des Arts and the Quartier des Spectacles.

The City of Montreal is asking motorists to avoid Bleury, Ste-Catherine, Clark and Ontario streets.

The concerts at FrancoFolies festival will mean some closures and detours in the area around the Quartier des Spectacles. (Frédérique Ménard-Aubin/Les FrancoFolies de Montréal/Facebook)

Mural Fest​

This weekend is the sixth edition of Mural Fest, the street art festival in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

Along with artists setting up on side streets to paint large-scale artworks, St-Laurent Boulevard will be closed to serve as the main artery for pedestrians.

The Main is closed between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal Avenue until June 17.

The mural depicting Leonard Cohen was created during Mural Fest last year. (Marilla Steuter-Martin/CBC)

Pedestrian-only streets

The following streets are designated pedestrian-only throughout the summer:

Until Sept. 4:
Place d'Youville, between Saint-François-Xavier and Place Royale East.
Place Royale West, between de la Capitale and de la Place d'Youville

Until Oct. 28:
Avenue du Musée in the Golden Square Mile, between Sherbrooke and place Ontario.

Until Sept. 5:
Saint-Paul East in the Old Port, between Marché-Bonsecours and Saint-Laurent Blvd.

Until mid-September:
Ste-Catherine Street between De Bleury and Saint-Laurent Blvd.
Ste-Catherine Street between St-Hubert Street and Papineau Ave. in the gay village.

A portion of Ste-Catherine Street is designated pedestrian-only until the end of September. (Charles Contant/CBC)

STM offers 3-day Grand Prix pass

To ease some of the stress of getting around, the STM is offering a special $18 three-day pass for Grand Prix-goers. A two-day pass is $13.75.

The Grand Prix du Canada transit passes are on sale at select stations, listed here.

But don't bring your bikes. Because of the Grand Prix, bikes will not be allowed in the Métro system until 7 p.m. on June 8 and 9 and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 10.