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Montreal
Montréal's charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Québec Province's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.
Québec's largest city has always kept one foot in the countryside, although mighty skyscrapers have sprung up among the city's churches. During the day, the city has a typically north-American bustle - though French-speaking Montréal takes pains to retain its linguistic heritage.
Area: 449 sq km
Population: 3,400,000
Country: Canada
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -5 (Eastern Standard Time)
Telephone Area Code: 514
Orientation It may not feel like it, but Montréal is on an island 40km(25mi) long and 15km (9mi) wide, where the Ottawa River flows into the Saint Lawrence River in Canada's southeast. The most striking landmark is Mont Royal, a 232m (760ft) remnant of volcanic rock known locally as 'the mountain'. The core of the city is quite small and is below the mountain in the south-central part of the island.
The city is conveniently laid out in a grid pattern and defined by neighborhoods and districts. The main downtown heart of Montréal is the area south of Mont Royal, with Rue Sainte Catherine, the main shopping street, running east to west through its center. McGill University marks the channel of space leading from downtown to the impressive views of the mountain. To the east of the mountain is the chic district of Plateau Mont Royal, with its fabulous 19th-century architecture and hopping nightlife. Running north-south through the district, is the busy and cosmopolitan Rue Saint Denis and the Boulevard Saint Laurent, known as 'The Main'. Its restaurants, history and ethnic mix make it one of Montréal's best-known streets. It also delineates traditional French-English boundaries; the area east of The Main remains French inspired although the boundary itself doesn't have great significance anymore.
Both The Main and Rue Saint Denis continue south towards the Saint Lawrence River and into the historic heart of the city, the Vieux (Old) Montréal and Vieux Port area to the southeast of downtown. Directly to the east of downtown, over The Main, Rue Sainte Catherine Ouest (west) becomes Rue Sainte Catherine Est (East) and runs into the strongly French flavored Quartier Latin. The area is dominated by the emblematic Université du Québec à Montréal, and the waft of good coffee, steaming bagels and strong cigarettes. The city's gay district, The Village, lies to the east along Rue Sainte Catherine Est. Heading south of the Quartier Latin, and on the southeast border of downtown, is the small but well-entrenched Chinatown area.
Montréal has two airports. Dorval 22.5km (14mi) west of dowtown, serves most domestic, US and overseas flights. Mirabel, 55km (34mi) northeast of downtown, serves mostly charter flights. The Station Central de l'Autobus (Central Bus Station) is on Blvd de Maisonneuve E, in the Quartier Latin, just outside the university. Montréal's Gare Centrale (Central Station), north of Place Bonaventure in downtown, services the popular VIA Rail Québec City-Windsor route.
back to top When to Go
Montréal has a notoriously arctic winter (December-March) that makes it great as a base for winter sports, but with the sort of spiteful temperatures that would probably frighten a polar bear. Thankfully, Montréal gets around the problem with its 'Underground City', a unique climate-controlled labyrinthe of 2000 shops and 29km (18mi) of corridors. This makes the city an alluring year-round tourist drawcard - a winter wonderland during the cold season and warm, long, lazy nights in the summer. Late May to early September is peak tourist time and sees a seamless procession of festivals, including the legendary Jazz Festival and the Grand Prix, take over the town.
Events Public Holidays include:New Year's Day (1 January), Good Friday and Eastern Monday, Victoria Day (May 24 or nearest Monday), Jean-Baptiste Day (July 1), Canada Day (July 1), Labour Day (first Monday in September), Canadian Thanksgiving (second Monday in October), Remembrance Day (November 11), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 26).
In January-February, the Féte des Neiges (Snow Festival) celebrates the pleasures of snow for two weeks in the Parc des Îles. In June, the province's cyclists assemble for the Tour de l'Île, and enthusiasts can attend Canada's only Formula One race, the Grand Prix Player's du Canada. On every weekend during June and July there are firework displays on the banks of the Saint Lawrence during the Benson & Hedges International. The same months also welcome Montréal's International Jazz Festival, a major event hosting more than 400 concerts throughout the city. In July, the Juste pour Rire (Just for Laughs) Festival brings together some 500 artists from all over the world, while the entire city dances at the Nuits d'Afrique celebrations. There are over 200 shows during the Francofolies de Montréal, a festival of French song held in July and August; the Du Maurier Omnium, a world tennis tournament, is held at the same time. The Festival des Films du Monde (World Film Festival) takes place during three weeks in August-September, with many films and debates. In September, a wide range of people - from young people to those in wheelchairs - run the Montréal Marathon..
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Attractions
Downtown
At the foot of Mount Royal, the downtown area is a heterogeneous mix of post-modern office towers, churches, shops and art galleries, as well as many museums: the Museum of Fine Art whose Pavillon Jean-Noël Desmarais must be seen for its architecture and for its collections of contemporary art; the Museum of Decorative Art ; the Canadian Center for Architecture; the McCord Museum of Canadian History, which is devoted to Canadian history; the Museum of Contemporary Art; the Just for Laughs Museum, in which humour is king; the Fier Monde Ecomuseum, which retraces the history of the popular south-central quarter. Near Mount Royal, McGill University is one of Canada's most prestigious. Its downtown campus is lined with splendid private houses. When the weather turns cold, descend to the Underground City, where you will find nearly 32km (20mi) of galleries, 10 subway stations, two railway stations, 2,000 shops, hotels, offices, cinemas, parking areas, etc. While the notion is functional and innovative, there's really not much to see - the shops are all modern and most of the system looks no different from a contemporary shopping mall, except that it's bigger and has the Métro going through it.
Plateau Mont Royal
Ignored not so long ago, the Plateau Mont Royal is a trés hip multi-ethnic district located between Rue Sherbrooke and Blvd St Joseph. Charming visitors with its hopping nightclubs, funky shops and droves of eateries, the chief commerical strips are Blvd St Laurent (referred to as 'The Main' by locals) and Rue St Denis. In between, the shady Carrée St Louis and the restaurant-bulging Rue Prince Arthur and Ave Duluth are alive with activity. Full of ornate 19th-century Victorian style homes, the housing is stylish, ornate, colourful and fantastic to walk around as Montréalers go about their business. To the north, Ave Mont Royal is known for its vintage and offbeat clothing stores as well as a jumping nightlife. Heading east along Ave Mont Royal leads to the masterfully planned Parc Mont Royal. This is Montreal's biggest and best park, simply known as 'the mountain', sprouting with nature lovers throughout the year and with spectacular views of the city, the river and surrounds.
back to top Quartier Latin
Distinctly French in character, the Quartier Latin is the Paris-style student district along lower Rue St Denis, with the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) at its heart. Here you'll find row upon row of trendy bars, open-air cafés, bistros and clubs - and more of Montréal's beautiful people than you could poke a mirror at. Just to the east of the Latin Quarter is the hub of the gay community, The Village, which centres around Rue Ste Catherine Est. Among the bars, clubs and cafés is a slightly rougher edge and 'anything goes' attitude, especially during the Gay Pride Festival in early August when things get decidedly outrageous.
The Vieux-Port and Parc des Îles
The Vieux-Port (Old Port) stretches for 2.5km (1.5mi) along the river and consists of four quays: the Vieux-Port Promenade and Esplanade, a favourite strolling spot for Montréal's inhabitants; the Quai de l'Horloge, with its eponymous tower dedicated to sailors; and the Quai Jacques-Cartier. From the latter, a ferry runs to the Parc des Îles, the park created on the two islands that were the site of the 1967 World's Fair. Île Sainte-Hélène now boasts Québec's largest amusement park, and Île Notre-Dame is an artificial island created for the fair in the middle of the river. The Biosphere on Île Saint-Hélène offers a fantastic journey through the Saint Lawrence ecosystem.
Vieux-Montréal - Old Montréal
This 18th-century quarter, around the quays of the Saint Lawrence River, is the city's oldest. Its romantic narrow streets and squares are filled with vendors, visitors, performers, horse-drawn carriages and bars and cafes, it can push the point of rubbing shoulders with the locals a little too literally during the peak season.
The focal point of Vieux Montréal is Place Jacques Cartier, which was set up as a public market space in 1803. Elsewhere among the charm and character of Vieux Montréal is the Place d'Armes, the other major square in the area, featuring the magnificent Basilica Notre Dame. Built in 1829 and big enough to hold 5000 people, the Basilica's luscious, richly detailed interior houses the Chapelle du Sacré Couer (Sacred Heart Chapel) and still attracts legions of admirers.
In the west end of Vieux Montréal is the Place Royale where Ville Marie, Montréal's first small fort town, was built. It later became a marketplace and is now the forecourt of the Veille Douane (Old Customs House), linked to the Pointe à Callière Museum of Archaeology & History. Built on the exact spot of Montréal's first European settlement, the fascinating museum is mostly underground, in the actual ruins of buildings and an ancient sewage/river system.
For more information about Montreal please follow this link here.
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