Montreal
Explore a smorgasbord of French culture
Montréal is a fascinating mix of urban thrills and natural wonders, neatly contained in one pristine island setting. Which means that there’s something for everyone, from the adventure-seeker to the cultural purist. Take, for example, the grand museums: the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée d’art contemporain, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History and the Canadian Centre for Architecture regularly inspire with international-caliber exhibitions devoted to art, architecture and history.
East of downtown, the Olympic Stadium stands as a glorious reminder of the 1976 summer games. The top of the stadium tower is still the best place in town for full-blown city vistas. Nearby is a naturalist’s paradise, made up of the Botanical Garden, a showcase for plants local and exotic, the Biodôme, home to four of the world’s ecosystems, and the Insectarium, a fascinating shrine to bugs.
Downtown Montréal, an attraction in itself, is everyone’s preferred place to be. Chic boutiques, galleries and trends converge amidst an eclectic architectural medley of soaring skyscrapers, church spires and the Quartier international’s futuristic spaces.
Mount Royale
Proof that Montrealers are as passionate about nature as they are about their urban experiences is Mount Royal, the city’s magnificent centerpiece. The mountain is everyone’s favorite spot for sports and leisure, with Saint-Joseph’s Oratory and two gorgeous hillside cemeteries great for quiet contemplation.
Step onto Old Montréal’s cobblestone streets and feel time shift, as every turn reveals a cachet of history, like the breathtaking Notre-Dame Basilica and the silver-domed Bonsecours Market. Still popular since colonial times, Place Jacque-Cartier’s summer spoils include flowered sidewalk cafés, street entertainers and artists.
Steps away, the Old Port brings you back to where it all began, at the shores of the majestic St. Lawrence River. People come here for panoramic cruises, lazy quayside promenades, and further upriver, whitewater rafting. A ferry ride takes you to Parc Jean-Drapeau where you can enjoy an amusement park, exquisite gardens and the Casino de Montréal, not mention the striking city skyline.
Climb a mountain, ride rushing waters, step back in time, mix with jet-set crowds — in Montréal, everything is possible!
With more than 1,000 parks and green spaces and 530 kilometers (329 miles) in bike paths, Montréal is a major metropolis with a soft spot for nature. Crowning the urban landscape is the popular Mount Royal, a gigantic four-season playground and downtown’s backyard. With its leafy trails and gravel footpath winding all the way to the summit, “the mountain,” as locals call it, is a great spot for walking, cycling, jogging and even spotting indigenous birds. When winter comes, residents bundle up and head out for activities like tobogganing, tubing, cross-country skiing and skating that this majestic green space offers.
Old Port
Just south of downtown, the historic Old Port features a 2.5-kilometer (1.5 mile) recreational park and panoramic views of the old city’s grand greystones and the mighty St. Lawrence River. In warm weather, the Old Port is populated by a merry assortment of strollers, cyclists and in-line skaters, and when the temperature dips, people go there for crisp winter walks and to carve loops on the open-air Bonsecours Basin Skating Rink.
You’ve heard of flower power? Well, here, it’s called the Montréal Botanical Garden, a 180-acre fragrant oasis of indigenous plants, exotic greenhouses and beautiful outdoor gardens. This lush and expansive getaway, mere metro stops from downtown, is considered one of the finest in North America.
BIXI, the city’s public bike system, offers residents and visitors a pollution-free way of getting around town. It’s the perfect complement to Montréal’s already vast network of citywide bike paths, frequented by everyone from Sunday cyclists to serious pedal pushers.
In fact, Montrealers tend to head outside no matter what the season. The street is their most popular place to meet, with major festivals like the Jazz Fest, the Just for Laughs and the MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE festival rolling out under the sun and stars, summer through winter. They salsa in the moonlight, sip café au lait on sidewalk terraces and catch up with the neighbors in their ruelles vertes (green alleys). And though they take pride in Montréal’s cosmopolitan reputation, they know that you really don’t have to go far to get your green fix here.
Explore this city with a real downtown, and a hundred real neighborhoods. Montréal’s quartier’s all have their own personalities, as evidenced by their food, architecture and joie de vivre.
For more information
Tourisme Montreal
877-BONJOUR
Tourisme Quebec