Population: 3.4 million
Area: 61 square miles
Time: Eastern Standard Time (GST-5)
When to Go
Summer and Autumn are popular because of the mild weather and a number of
festivals: the 10-day Festival International de Jazz in late June, the
International Fireworks Competition in late June and July, and the World Film
Festival and Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in August. For winter sports
enthusiasts, December ? March are the months of choice. Fierce weather is
never a problem in Montreal ? visitors can always retreat to the pleasant
year-round climate of the Underground City! Montreal is beautiful at any time of
the year.
| Monthly
Temperatures |
|
High |
Low |
| Month |
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
| January |
23 |
-5 |
9 |
-13 |
| February |
25 |
-4 |
12 |
-11 |
| March |
36 |
2 |
23 |
-5 |
| April |
52 |
11 |
36 |
2 |
| May |
65 |
18 |
48 |
9 |
| June |
74 |
23 |
58 |
14 |
| July |
79 |
26 |
63 |
17 |
| August |
76 |
24 |
61 |
16 |
| September |
68 |
20 |
53 |
12 |
| October |
57 |
14 |
43 |
6 |
| November |
42 |
6 |
32 |
0 |
| December |
27 |
-3 |
16 |
-9 |
Banks & Offices
Most banks in Canada are open Monday through Thursday 10-3 and Friday 10-5 or 6.
Some banks are open longer hours and also on Saturday morning. All banks are
closed on national holidays. Banks, shopping malls, many large hotels, and some
gas stations have automated teller machines (ATMs) that are accessible around
the clock.
Museums & Sights
Hours at museums vary, but most open at 10 or 11 and close in the evening. Some
smaller museums close for lunch. Many museums are closed on Monday; some make up
for it by staying open late on Wednesday, often waiving admission.
Churches are usually closed and locked (to prevent vandalism) except during
scheduled religious services The Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montr?al, however, is
open daily, usually from 9-6.
Customs & Duties
Arriving in Canada
For information, contact: Revenue Canada (2265 St. Laurent Blvd. S, Ottawa, ON
K1G 4K3, 204/983-3500; 800/461-9999 in Canada).
Emergencies: Ambulance, fire, police ( 911).
Hospital Emergency Rooms
Montr?al General Hospital (1650 av. Cedar, 514/937-6011).
Late-Night Pharmacies
Many pharmacies are open until midnight, including Jean Coutu and Pharmaprix.
Some are open around the clock, including the Pharmaprix on chemin de la
C?te-des-Neiges.
Guided Tours
Boat Tours
From May through October, Amphi Tour ( 514/849-5181 or 514/386-1298) offers a
unique one-hour tour of Vieux-Montr?al and the Vieux-Port on both land and
water in an amphibious bus.
Bateau-Mouche ( 514/849-9952) runs four harbor excursions and an evening supper
cruise daily May through October. The boats are reminiscent of the ones that
cruise the canals of the Netherlands : wide-beamed and low-slung, with a
glassed-in passenger deck. Boats leave from the Jacques Cartier Pier at the foot
of Place Jacques-Cartier in the Vieux-Port.
Bus Tours
Gray Line ( 514/934-1222) offers almost a dozen different tours of Montr?al and
environs from May through October, fewer the rest of the year. It has pickup
service at the major hotels and at Info-Touriste (1001 Sq. Dorchester).
The double-decker buses of Imperial Tours ( 514/871-4733) follow a nine-stop
circuit of the city. You can get off and on as often as you like and stay at
each stop as long as you like. There's pickup service at major hotels.
Language
Although Canada has two official languages : English and French : the province
of Qu?bec has only one. French is the language you hear most often on the
streets in Qu?bec; it is also the language of government, businesses, and
schools. Most French Canadians speak English as well, but it is useful to learn
a few French phrases before you go. Canadian French has many distinctive words
and expressions.
Money
ATMs are widely available.
Currency
The units of currency in Canada are the Canadian dollar and the cent, in almost
the same denominations as U.S. currency ($5, $10, $20, 1?, 5?, 10?, 25?,
etc.). The $1 and $2 bill are no longer used; they have been replaced by $1 and
$2 coins (known as a "loonie" because of the picture of a loon that
appears on the coin, and a "toonie," respectively).
Taxes for Travellers
In Quebec, several taxes may apply. Provincial Sales tax is 7.5% and there is a
$2.00 per night hotel tax. Canada's national tax (GST) of 7% also applies to
most goods and services. Non-Canadian residents are entitled to claim a rebate
of all GST paid on accommodations and certain categories of goods purchases (see
Canadian
Travel Information on this site).
A $15 airport tax (for capital improvements) is charged when you leave. You can
pay cash or with a credit card.
Always save the original receipts from stores and hotels (not just credit-card
receipts), and be sure the name and address of the establishment is shown on the
receipt. Original receipts are not returned.
Telephones
The country code for Canada is 1. The area code for Montr?al is 514. You do not
need to dial the three-digit area code when making a call from within the same
code.
Arriving & Departing
By Air
Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (formerly Dorval) (YUL) (975 blvd.
Ren?-Vachon, Dorval, 514/394-7377), 221⁄2 km (14 mi) west of the city,
handles all scheduled foreign and domestic flights and some charter operations.
Mirabel International Airport (YMX) (12600 rue A?rogare, Mirabel,
514/394-7377), 541⁄2 km (34 mi) northwest of the city, serves most charter
traffic.
Passengers departing Montr?al must pay a $15 airport-improvement fee before
they can board their plane.
Transfers Between the Airport and Town
By Bus
L'Aerobus ( 514/931-9002) offers shuttle service into town from Mirabel and
Dorval. Shuttle service from Mirabel to the terminal next to the Gare Centrale
(777 rue de la Gaucheti?re) is frequent.
By Bus
Greyhound Canada ( 800/661-8747) has service from Toronto and points west in
Canada.
All buses arrive at and depart from the city's downtown bus terminal, the
Station Central d'Autobus Montr?al (505 blvd. de Maisonneuve Est,
514/842-2281), which connects with the Berri-UQAM M?tro station.
By Car
Montr?al is accessible from the rest of Canada via the Trans-Canada Highway
(Highway 1), which enters the city from the east and west via Routes 20 and 40.
The New York State Thruway (I-87) becomes Route 15 at the Canadian border, and
then it's 47 km (29 mi) to the outskirts of Montr?al. U.S. I-89, from New
Hampshire and Vermont, becomes Route 133 at the border, eventually joining Route
10 to reach Montr?al. I-91, from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and
Vermont, becomes Route 55 at the border and also joins up with Route10.
By Train
The Gare Centrale, on rue de la Gaucheti?re between rues University and
Mansfield (behind Le Reine Elizabeth), is the rail terminus for all trains from
the United States and from other Canadian provinces. It is connected underground
to the Bonaventure M?tro station.
Amtrak ( 800/872-7245) Adirondack leaves New York's Penn Station every morning
for the 101⁄2-hour trip through scenic upstate New York to Montr?al. The
Vermonter, which travels between Washington, D.C., and St. Alban's, Vermont, is
also connected with Montr?al, via a through bus connection provided by Amtrak.
VIA Rail ( 514/989-2626; 888/842-7245; 800/361-5390 in Qu?bec) connects
Montr?al with all the major cities of Canada, including Qu?bec City, Halifax,
Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Getting Around in Montreal
By Bus
Soci?t? de Transport de Montr?al ( 514/288-6287), (STM),
administers the buses as well as the M?tro, so the same tickets and transfers
(free) are valid on either service.
By Car
Car Rentals
Rental cars are readily available in Montreal.
Insurance.
For insurance information, contact Insurance Bureau of Canada (
416/362-9528; 800/387-2880 in Canada, www.ibc.ca).
Gasoline
Gasoline is always sold in liters (a gallon=3.8 liters). Lead-free is called
sans plomb.
Rules of the Road
Road signs are in French in Qu?bec. The speed limit is posted in
kilometers; on highways the limit is 100 kph (about 62 mph), and the use of
radar-detection devices is prohibited : possession of such a device in a car,
even if it is not in operation, is illegal in Qu?bec.
Qu?bec law forbids you to turn right on a red light.
By Subway
The M?tro, or subway, is clean, quiet, and safe and it's heated in winter
and cooled in summer. The M?tro is also connected to the 18 miles of the
Underground City. Each of the 65 stops has been individually designed and
decorated. Free maps may be obtained at M?tro ticket booths.
By Taxi
Taxis in Montr?al all run on the same rate.
Neighborhoods
Montreal is laid out in a grid pattern and defined by
neighborhoods and districts.
Downtown: This area displays the most striking elements of the dramatic
Montr?al skyline and contains the main railroad station, as well as most of the
city's luxury and first-class hotels, principal museums, corporate headquarters,
and largest department stores .It is loosely bounded by rue Sherbrooke to the
north, boulevard Ren?-L?vesque to the south, boulevard St-Laurent to the east,
and rue Drummond to the west,
Downtown Montr?al incorporates the neighborhood formerly known as "The
Golden Square Mile," which once held dozens of mansions erected by the
wealthy Scottish and English merchants and industrialists who dominated the
city's politics and social life well into the 20th century. Many were torn down
and replaced by skyscrapers after World War II. At the northern edge of the
downtown area is the urban campus of prestigious McGill University.
Rue Crescent
One of Montr?al's major dining and nightlife districts lies just west of
western shadow of the downtown skyscrapers. It holds hundreds of restaurants,
bars, and clubs of all styles between Sherbrooke and Ren?-L?vesque, The party
atmosphere is ongoing every evening, especially in warm weather, as the sidewalk
cafes and balconies fill with revelers.
St.-Denis
Rue St-Denis, from rue Ste-Catherine Est to avenue du Mont-Royal, from the
Latin Quarter downtown and continuing north into the Plateau Mont-Royal district
is the entertainment center. Cafes, bistros, offbeat shops, and lively
nightspots make this area what boulevard St-Germain is to Paris.
Boulevard St-Laurent
M?tro St-Laurent and up Blvd. St-Laurent,
In the 1880s the first of many waves of Jewish immigrants escaping pogroms in
Eastern Europe arrived. They called the street the Main, as in "Main
Street." The Jews were followed by Greeks, Eastern Europeans, Portuguese,
and Latin Americans. The 10 blocks north of rue Sherbrooke are filled with
boutiques, restaurants, and galleries.
Chinatown
The Chinese first came to Montr?al in large numbers after the
transcontinental railroad was completed in 1880. They settled in an 18-block
area between boulevard Ren?-L?vesque and avenue Viger to the north and south,
and near rues H?tel de Ville and de Bleury on the west and east, an area now
full of mainly Chinese and Southeast Asian restaurants and shops.
Quartier Latin
The Universit? de Montr?al was established here in 1893, and the students
and academics called it the Latin Quarter. The university later moved to a
larger campus. The area declined, but revived in the 1970s, after the opening of
the Universit? du Qu?bec ? Montr?al and the start of the Annual
International Jazz Festival.
Vieux-Montr?al
Home to the first European settlers, for almost three centuries this was the
financial and political heart of the city. Government buildings, office
buildings and warehouses, the largest church, the stock exchange, and the port
were here. Vieux-Montr?al (Old Montr?al), was revitalized over the past 40
years.
Today it is a center of cultural life and municipal government. Most of the
summer activities revolve around Place Jacques-Cartier, which becomes a
pedestrian mall with street performers and outdoor caf?s, and the Vieux-Port,
one of the city's most popular recreation spots.
Place Jacques-Cartier
This two-block-long square at the heart of Vieux-Montr?al opened in 1804 as
a municipal market; during the summer it becomes a flower market. Rue St. Amable,
a one-block lane southwest of Place Jacques-Cartier, is a marketplace for
artists and craftspeople. The fashionable Rue St-Paul runs north-south through
Place Jacques-Cartier.
The Underground City
During Montr?al's long winters, life slows on the streets of downtown.
People move down escalators and stairways into la ville souterraine. In the
controlled climate, there is no worry of disruption of activities by the outdoor
elements, It is possible to arrive at the railroad station, check into a hotel,
go out for lunch at any of hundreds of fast-food counters and full-service
restaurants, see a movie, attend a concert, conduct business, go shopping, and
even take a swim-all without a thought for the weather!
There are now more than 1,600 shops, 40 banks, 200 restaurants, 10 M?tro
stations, and about 30 cinemas within easy reach of one another, and with no
traffic snarls.
The Village
For more see: Gay and
Lesbian Montr?al
One of North America's largest gay and lesbian communities, The Village runs
east along rue Ste-Catherine from rue St-Hubert to rue Papineau. This small but
vibrant district, is filled with clothing stores, antique shops, bars, dance
clubs, caf?s, and the Gay and Lesbian Community Centre, at 1301 rue
Ste-Catherine Est. A rainbow marks the Beaudry M?tro station, in the heart of
the neighborhood. Major annual celebrations include the Festival Montr?al en
Arts, Divers/Cit? in August, Black & Blue in October or the Red
Weekend.
The Village is a proud symbol of the city?s openness; the neighbourhood of
choice for thousands of gay tourists who come to Montreal to experience the
whole host of activities in stress-free and secure surroundings. Its laissez
faire, sizzling nightlife and stylish bars and restaurants come together to
create a paradise for those who like to live life just as they are.
A rainbow marks the Beaudry M?tro station in the centre
of the Village, which proudly wears the colours of the gay
community. Active, vibrant and teeming with creativity, this community offers a
calendar of events definitely worth discovering. Check out the ay
and Lesbian Community Centre, at 1301 rue Ste-Catherine Est.
Not to be missed: the neo-Gothic ?glise Saint-Pierre-Ap?tre, built in 1851
and, since 1996, home to the Chapel of Hope, where a special candle burns in
memory of AIDS victims.
Ile Ste-Helene
St. Helen's Island in the St. Lawrence River was altered extensively to
become the site of Expo '67, Montr?al's very successful world's fair. In the 4
years before the Expo opened, construction crews reshaped the island and doubled
its surface area with landfill, then went on to create beside it an island that
hadn't existed before, Ile Notre-Dame. The city built bridges and 83 pavilions.
When Expo closed, the city government preserved the site and a few of the
exhibition buildings. Parts were used for the 1976 Olympics, and today the
island is home to Montr?al's popular casino and an amusement park, La Ronde. |
