Dollar Car Rental
Montreal

After collecting your luggage at Montréal–Trudeau Airport, you should look for the prominent overhead signs for "Car Rentals" or its French equivalent, "Location d'autos." These signs will guide you toward a dedicated rental car facility, which is typically located in the multi-level parking garage adjacent to the terminal. The Dollar counter will be situated within this central area along with other rental agencies. Once you complete the paperwork, you'll be directed to the designated level in the parkade to pick up your vehicle.

Upon clearing Canadian customs and immigration, you will exit into the main international arrivals hall. From this point, the airport is well-signed to guide all travelers to their next destination. Simply follow the universal pictograms of a car and key, along with text for "Car Rentals / Location d'autos." The path is designed to be straightforward, leading you directly from the secure arrivals area to the ground transportation facilities, including the rental counters, without needing to re-enter other parts of the terminal.

Friday afternoons are a peak arrival time at Montréal–Trudeau Airport, as both business and leisure travelers arrive for the weekend. While rental agencies are staffed to handle higher volumes, it is wise to anticipate a potential queue at the counter. To help expedite the process, have your driver's license and reservation confirmation ready when you approach the desk. Planning for a bit of extra time during these busy periods ensures a smoother and less rushed start to your visit in Montréal.

For arrivals after midnight, the most effective step is to include your flight number in your car rental reservation when you book. This information allows the local Dollar staff to track your flight status and anticipate your arrival, even if it's delayed. While many airport rental locations have extended hours to accommodate late flights, confirming the specific YUL location's operating hours online before you travel is also a prudent measure. This ensures you are fully informed and can proceed with confidence upon landing.

The walk from the Dollar rental counter to your vehicle at YUL is typically very short. The rental desks are conveniently located within the same building as the parking garage where the cars are kept. In most cases, it's just a matter of taking an elevator or a brief walk across a connecting corridor to the designated level. The entire transition from completing your paperwork to getting behind the wheel usually takes only a few minutes.

Yes, the vehicle pickup area at Montréal–Trudeau Airport is located within a covered, multi-level parking garage. This is a significant advantage, especially during Montréal's cold and snowy winters. You will be completely sheltered from the elements while you inspect your vehicle, load your luggage, and adjust your seats and mirrors. This indoor environment makes the start of your rental experience much more comfortable and allows you to get organized without being exposed to inclement weather.

The best place to install a child car seat is in the parking spot where you first pick up your vehicle. The rental car parkade at YUL offers a calm, controlled environment away from the flow of highway traffic. Before you exit the garage, you can take all the time you need to ensure the seat is installed correctly and your child is secure. This allows you to focus completely on navigation and driving conditions once you merge onto the busy roads leading into Montréal.

When traveling with oversized items like skis, snowboards, or large strollers, booking a larger vehicle such as an SUV or a minivan is highly recommended. Trying to fit bulky gear into a compact car can be stressful and time-consuming in the parking garage. A more spacious vehicle ensures that all your luggage and equipment will fit comfortably, making the pickup process at YUL much smoother. This allows you to load up quickly and begin your journey into Montréal without any hassle.

U.S. travelers should always be prepared to present a valid driver's license from their state of residence and their passport for identification purposes. It is also essential to have your rental confirmation details handy. A common point that can surprise some visitors is the importance of ensuring their documents are current and not expired. Taking a moment to verify the validity of all your identification and travel paperwork before your trip helps ensure a smooth and efficient pickup process at the rental counter.

While Québec has French-first language laws, Montréal–Trudeau is an international airport designed for global travelers. All essential signage is bilingual, featuring both French and English, and often includes universal symbols. You will see signs for "Location d'autos" followed by "Car Rentals," along with an icon of a car and a key. Navigating to the Dollar counter is very straightforward for English speakers, as the airport ensures clear guidance for all visitors.

One of the most common mistakes is not being prepared for the immediate merge onto a busy highway, Autoroute 20. It's wise to take a moment in the parking garage to adjust your mirrors and get comfortable with the vehicle's controls before you start driving. Another frequent issue is navigating the initial interchanges, so having a GPS or navigation app ready and active before you leave the rental facility is crucial. This helps prevent last-second lane changes and ensures a confident start to your drive.

The most straightforward route is to follow the signs from the airport to Autoroute 20 East ("Est") toward "Centre-Ville" (Downtown). This highway will take you most of the way. As you approach the downtown core, your GPS will likely direct you to exit onto surface streets like Rue Saint-Antoine. Following this road east will lead you directly along the northern edge of Old Montréal, making it a relatively simple approach with fewer complex maneuvers than other routes.

This is a critical rule for visitors: turning right on a red light is strictly prohibited on the entire Island of Montreal. This is a major exception to the rule in most of North America, including the rest of the province of Québec. Visitors often get tripped up by assuming they can turn after a stop, which can lead to a ticket. You must always wait for a green light or a dedicated green arrow before making a right turn anywhere in the city.

After a significant snowfall, the city will post temporary, bright orange signs indicating a snow-removal operation and banning parking on that side of the street. These bans are strictly enforced, and vehicles are quickly towed to clear the way for plows. If you are parking on the street overnight in winter, it is absolutely essential to check for these orange signs every evening. Relying on a hotel or public garage is the safest way to avoid having your rental car towed.

Driving around Mount Royal on a weekend can be busy, with many pedestrians, cyclists, and other cars sharing the road. The main parking lots, especially the one near Beaver Lake (Lac aux Castors) and the Kondiaronk Belvedere lookout, are very popular and tend to fill up quickly, often before noon. To secure a spot, it's best to arrive early in the morning. Be prepared for a leisurely drive, as speed limits are low to ensure the safety of all park users.

Driving to the Jean-Talon Market is relatively easy, as it's located just off major boulevards in the Little Italy neighborhood. The primary challenge is parking. While there is some metered street parking, it is highly sought after and often occupied. The most reliable and convenient option is the large underground parking garage located directly beneath the market itself, which provides easy access without the stress of searching for a spot on the street.

The best approach is to treat the entire Olympic Park area as a single destination. The Olympic Stadium, Botanical Garden, Biodome, and Planetarium are all located together in one large complex. The smoothest plan is to drive to the main Olympic Park parking entrance, leave your car for the day, and explore all the attractions on foot. They are all within easy walking distance of each other, which is far more efficient than trying to drive and park at each individual site.

Montréal's road construction season typically runs from spring through fall and is known for being extensive. You should expect to encounter lane closures, detours, and traffic delays, particularly on major highways and in the downtown core. The presence of numerous orange cones is a common sight. The best way to manage this is to always use a real-time traffic and navigation app, like Waze or Google Maps, and to budget significant extra time for any drive.

Montréal uses photo radar and red-light cameras to automatically enforce traffic laws, especially on major highways like the Décarie Expressway and around school zones. For visitors, this means it is crucial to be mindful of the posted speed limit at all times, as enforcement is constant and does not require a police officer to pull you over. A ticket can be issued automatically and sent to the rental agency, so adhering to speed limits is the best way to avoid an unexpected penalty.

A reserved lane, often marked with a large white diamond symbol on the pavement, is restricted to specific vehicles like buses, taxis, and sometimes carpools during certain hours. Signs posted alongside the road will indicate which vehicles are permitted and the times the restriction is in effect. To avoid entering by mistake, pay close attention to overhead and curbside signage, especially during morning and evening commute times when these lanes are most commonly active.

Getting on and off the Island of Montreal requires using a bridge or a tunnel, which are the main arteries connecting the city to its suburbs. These crossings are major traffic bottlenecks, especially during weekday rush hours (approximately 7-9 AM and 4-6 PM). When planning a day trip, it's best to schedule your departure and return outside of these peak commute times. Checking a real-time traffic app before you leave can help you choose the least congested bridge for your trip.

For the drive itself, taking Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20 East provides a straightforward route to Québec City. To avoid stressful driving in the historic center, park your car at a public garage on the edge of Old Québec, such as near the Parliament Building or the convention center. From there, the charming, walkable streets of the old city are easily accessible on foot. This strategy allows you to enjoy the scenic drive without the hassle of navigating narrow, congested streets at your destination.

Weekend trips to the Laurentians require some planning. Traffic on Autoroute 15 North can be extremely heavy on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, with return traffic peaking on Sunday afternoon. To avoid the worst of it, try to leave Montréal early. Upon arrival at popular destinations like Mont-Tremblant, parking lots in the main pedestrian village fill up quickly, so arriving before 10 AM is key to securing a convenient spot.

The most direct route to the Eastern Townships is Autoroute 10 East, which offers a pleasant and scenic drive. It takes you directly from the outskirts of Montréal into the heart of the region. A popular and charming town for a first stop is Knowlton (on Lac-Brome), known for its quaint shops and cafes. Alternatively, continuing on to Magog provides beautiful views of Lake Memphremagog and serves as a great hub for exploring the area.

The bridges and tunnels are the primary choke points for traffic entering and leaving the Island of Montreal. During peak rush hour, travel times across these crossings can easily double or triple. If you are traveling to or from YUL during these times, especially if you need to cross the St. Lawrence River, you must allow for significant extra travel time. A journey that might take 30 minutes in light traffic could take well over an hour.

If you're not accustomed to winter driving, the key is to slow down significantly and increase your following distance to at least double what you normally would. Apply gentle pressure to both the accelerator and the brakes to avoid skidding. Stick to major highways and main roads, as they are the first to be plowed and salted. If conditions feel unsafe, the best practice is to postpone your drive until the plows have had time to clear the roads.

Spring in Montréal is known as pothole season due to the freeze-thaw cycle damaging the roads. It is essential to drive more cautiously and actively scan the road surface ahead of you, especially on side streets. Reducing your speed gives you more time to react and safely steer around the worst of them. Being vigilant helps ensure a more comfortable ride and prevents the jarring impact of hitting a deep pothole unexpectedly.

During major summer events like the Jazz Festival or Just for Laughs, driving in the downtown core becomes extremely difficult due to numerous street closures. The festival areas are largely pedestrian-only. The best strategy is to avoid driving into the immediate vicinity altogether. Plan to park your car in a public garage several blocks away from the main festival zone, or near a metro station, and then walk or take public transit for the final approach.

Mile End is a vibrant but dense neighborhood with very limited street parking. The least stressful approach is to arrive early on a weekday morning, before 9 AM, when you have a better chance of finding a spot. Alternatively, consider parking on a larger, less-congested thoroughfare on the edge of the neighborhood, such as Boulevard Saint-Laurent or Avenue du Parc, and enjoying a short walk to the iconic bagel shops and cafes.

The best way to enjoy an evening in Old Montréal with a car is to park it on the periphery and explore on foot. There are several large, well-lit public parking garages located along Rue Saint-Antoine and near the Old Port, just outside the historic district's core. By parking in one of these lots, you can easily walk to all the restaurants and sights without the stress of navigating the narrow, one-way cobblestone streets, which can be particularly challenging after dark.

Gas stations in the areas surrounding Montréal-Trudeau Airport are plentiful and operate 24/7, making early morning fill-ups very convenient. Their layouts are standard for North America, with pay-at-the-pump options and easy-to-navigate entrances and exits. You will have no trouble finding a major brand station that is open and accessible, regardless of how early your flight departs. Just be sure to leave a few extra minutes for this final stop before your return.

For a hassle-free refuel, look for gas stations along the main boulevards just outside the airport's immediate perimeter. Roads like Boulevard Côte-de-Liesse, Boulevard des Sources, or even in the adjacent town of Dorval have numerous, easily accessible stations. Filling up in one of these locations is much simpler than navigating the dedicated airport road system and allows you to proceed directly to the rental car return entrance afterward.

It's wise to budget at least 30 to 45 minutes for the entire car return process. This includes the time to drive to the rental return area, have the vehicle inspected by staff, and complete the final paperwork. This buffer should be added on top of the airline's recommended arrival time for your flight. Allowing this extra time ensures that even if there's a short queue at the return lane, you'll have a stress-free walk to the check-in counters.

As you approach the airport terminal area, pay close attention to the large overhead signs. There will be specific signs for "Rental Car Returns" (or "Retour des voitures de location") that direct you into a separate lane or entrance from the main passenger drop-off and arrivals levels. Following these dedicated signs is key to avoiding the passenger traffic loops. The entrance to the rental return facility is typically well-marked as you get closer to the parking garage.

The airport's road system is designed for this exact scenario. First, follow the signs for "Departures" and drop your friends off directly at the curb for their airline. After they have exited the vehicle, simply stay in your lane and continue to follow the airport roadway loop. The signs will then guide you around to the entrance for "Rental Car Returns," allowing for a smooth and logical transition from passenger drop-off to vehicle return.

A common issue for drivers is missing the specific turn-off for the rental car return area and accidentally looping back into the main airport traffic for departures or arrivals. This happens most often when drivers are not paying close attention to the overhead signs as they approach the terminal complex. To avoid this, slow down as you get near the airport and actively look for the signs that explicitly mention "Car Rental Return," which will lead you to the correct entrance.

When planning to drive outside of Québec, it is an important step to verify the policy on out-of-province or cross-border travel. Geographical restrictions can sometimes apply, so it is always best to confirm your travel plans at the rental counter when you pick up your vehicle. The staff can provide clarity on any rules or considerations for taking the car into another province or into the United States, ensuring your itinerary is fully compliant with the rental agreement.

A great strategy is to use your rental car for excursions to destinations outside the city, such as the Laurentian Mountains, Québec City, or the Eastern Townships. For exploring Montréal itself, park the car at your hotel or a central public garage. Neighborhoods like Old Montréal, the Plateau, and the downtown core are best experienced on foot. You can use the efficient and clean metro system to cover longer distances within the city, giving you the best of both worlds.