Overview

When it comes to celebrating jazz, film, comedy, Francophone music or Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, hundreds of thousands of people flood into the streets, turning events into warm public gatherings. Although a big city, there is no doubt that Montreal has still managed to keep a human face. While its towering glass and concrete silhouette give it the appearance of a North American metropolis, Montreal remains primarily a city of charming little streets and colourful neighbourhoods -- each with its own church, businesses, restaurants and brasseries (beer taverns). In short, each of its districts has its own unique personality, fashioned over the years by the arrival of people from all parts of the world.

Attractions

Vieux-Montréal (Old Montreal)

Place d'Armes is a great location right in the heart of this historic quarter. It features a magnificent statue of the city's founder, Paul de Chomedey. Nearby, rising gracefully towards the sky, is the ever-popular Notre Dame Basilica, one of North America's greatest Gothic Revival masterpieces. Don't miss going inside to see its fabulous, polychromatic decor. Montreal's Vieux-Port (Old Port) and Place Jacques-Cartier are always bustling with street performers and feature inviting restaurants and cafés. Not far away, the monumental Hôtel de Ville de Montréal (City Hall) adds an imposing air.

Downtown

The downtown skyscrapers give Montreal a typically North American look. But its famous underground city, the most extensive in the world, is what most amazes visitors. Its tunnels, atriums and indoor malls lead to more than 2,000 shops, restaurants, movie theatres, residential buildings and offices. Underground Montreal began with the construction of Place Ville-Marie, whose famous cruciform tower has become one of the city's landmarks.

The downtown area is also home to Montreal's greatest museums: the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (fine arts), which is the largest and oldest museum in Quebec; the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (modern art), located near Place des Arts; the McCord Museum of Canadian History and the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

You can also stroll through Dorchester Square, a pleasant green space embellished with several monuments. Nearby, there's the Molson Centre, home of the Canadiens hockey team, and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, a one-third scale reproduction of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Crescent Street, with its antique dealers, luxury boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs, is a street where there's always something happening.

Mount Royal

Montreal's central neighbourhoods were built around Mount Royal, an important landmark in the cityscape dear to Montrealers who refer to it simply as "the mountain." Mount Royal measures 234 m (768 feet) at its highest point and is truly a "green lung" rising up above the downtown streets. Frederick Law Olmsted, the celebrated designer of New York's Central Park, was commissioned to design Mount Royal Park in 1870. Mount Royal is also the site of the Oratoire Saint-Joseph with its huge copper dome, as well as the Université de Montréal, which has an Art Deco central courtyard designed by architect Ernest Cormier.

Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame

These islands were selected as the location of the 1967 World's Fair (Expo 67). Some of the pavilions originally built for the exhibition still exist. The Biosphère, now an environmental observation centre for the Saint Lawrence River, is a geodesic dome that was designed by R. Buckminster Fuller to house the United States Pavilion during Expo 67. The Casino de Montréal occupies the former French and Quebec pavilions. There is also La Ronde amusement park, the beach at Île Notre-Dame and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, where Formula One drivers compete every year in the Canadian Grand Prix, part of the international racing circuit.

Quartier latin and Plateau Mont-Royal

These two neighbourhoods are great places to amble about. You'll love the theatres, cinemas and sidewalk cafés in the Latin Quarter, centred around Rue Saint-Denis and the Université du Québec. The "Plateau," as its inhabitants refer to it, is a neighbourhood of penniless intellectuals, young professionals and old Francophone working-class families. A visit to Montreal would not be complete without a stroll through this area which truly embodies the spirit of Montreal.

Maisonneuve

Here you can't miss the imposing Olympic Stadium, an immense sports complex built for the 1976 Olympic Games. Is was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert and is flanked by its slanting tower. A cable car goes to the top of the tower, which offers an exceptional view of the city. Nearby, don't miss The Jardin Botanique, one of the most important botanical gardens in the world and the artificial habitat for plants and animals known as the Biodôme. This new type of museum contains four very different ecosystems.

Going Out

Montreal's gastronomic reputation is enviable, to say the very least; it is also well-deserved. The culinary traditions of countries around the world are represented here with restaurants of all different sizes and price ranges. No matter what taste or budget, a memorable meal can always be had! You'll find several good French restaurants in Old Montreal. In the downtown area, Crescent Street is famous for its lovely terraces and restaurants, and Boulevard Saint-Laurent is noted for trendy restaurants and the wide variety of cuisine available. There are also many restaurants in the Plateau, on Rue Saint-Denis, as well as many popular establishments located on Rue Prince-Arthur and Avenue Duluth.

There is no doubt that Montreal is a vibrant, unique and intriguing travel destination. The many cultural activities, lively festivals, and countless bars and nightclubs of all kinds, make this a fascinating city with something for everyone. Sports enthusiasts will also find plenty of action with professional hockey games, as well as international sporting events held here each year. And for those who like to party, Crescent, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Denis and Saint-Laurent are favourite streets because of their effervescent nightlife.

Where on earth

The island of Montreal, measuring 32 km (20 mi) at its longest point and 16 km (10 mi) at its widest, is situated in the heart of the St. Lawrence River, in southwestern Quebec in Canada. Greater Montreal is home to 3,200,000 people.