Introduction
Montreal (Montréal) is unique in North America, blending a brash New World urbanity with the romantic charm of its European-flavoured historic districts and a Gallic sense of joie de vivre evident in the city’s many pavement cafés and dynamic nightlife.
Although its downtown skyscrapers are a testament to the economic clout of Canada’s second largest city, visitors are more likely to be drawn by the promise of a horse-drawn calèche ride along the cobbled streets of Old Montreal near the St Lawrence River or around Mount Royal, the city’s landmark.
Quebec'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 Montreal takes pains to retain its linguistic heritage.
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Getting There & Around
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (PET), also known as Montreal Trudeau Airport, is about 21km (13mi) west of downtown and is the centre of domestic, US and overseas flights. PET Airport (coded as YUL) has good connections to the city by either car, bus or metro (subway). The Québécois Bus Company runs Aérobus shuttles from PET Airport to downtown. At Station Aérobus, a smaller shuttle will pick you up and drop you anywhere in central downtown, free of charge. Driving to downtown Montreal from PET Airport will take roughly 20 or 30 minutes.
Montreal has a very extensive and extremely practical subway-bus network. The western sectors of the city are reachable by suburban trains from the Bonaventure and Vendéme stations. Although quite heavy, automobile traffic flows reasonably well. Try not to drive in Vieux-Montréal, where the streets are narrow and often congested. Tourist offices and bicycle-rental facilities can provide excellent maps of cycle paths and routes. If you are tempted to try an organised bus tour, various options are available, one of which allows you to visit the city and to get on and off where you like.
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.
Plateau Mont Royal : The Plateau Mont Royal is multi-ethnic district located between Rue Sherbrooke and Blvd St Joseph. Charming visitors with its hopping nightclubs, shops and droves of eateries.
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. As befits student life, bars, open-air cafes, bistros and clubs - all full of happening types - line the streets.
Vieux-Montreal - Old Montreal : 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. Major square in this area is featuring the magnificent Basilica Notre Dame, built in 1829 and big enough to hold 5000 people.
Basilica's luscious, richly detailed interior houses the Chapelle du Sacré Couer (Sacred Heart Chapel) and still attracts legions of admirers.
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