Downtown metered and lot parking is usually easy enough to find, if expensive, but parking for free is just about impossible.

In more residential neighbourhoods there are complicated restrictions in place which often mean that if you haven't got a local permit (a small numbered red box on a parking sign), you are restricted to a limited number of street spaces. Once you get out of the centre of the city these will often be free all week except for a few hours on one day of the week.

Additional restrictions might also be in place in front of schools and places of worship, so you'd better know your Jewish religious holidays before you park beside a synagogue!

Winter

In winter, temporary signs suspend parking on entire streets to clear snow – sometimes with only a few hours notice – and any remaining cars will be towed and impounded. To keep abreast of this you can download an dedicated app.

Signage

And don't expect a single sign to be in English. As a minimum you’ll need to know the days of the week abbreviated in French

• Lun./Mon.
• Mar./Tues.
• Mer./Wed.
• Jeu./Thu.
• Ven./Fri.
• Sam./Sat.
• Dim./Sun.