Travel guide Montréal
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Practical information for travel à MONTRÉAL
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Where to go à MONTRÉAL?
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How to travel à MONTRÉAL
How to go alone
Montreal is very accessible for individual French travelers. First of all, because you will not have any language barrier, then because Quebecers are warm and welcoming people. Finally, Montreal is easy to discover on foot and by public transportation. No problem to go there alone.
How to go on a tour
Montreal is a common destination for French tour operators. If you go on an organized tour, you will probably benefit from negotiated hotel rates and airport transfers and possible day trips. Guided tours will be a plus as you explore the city.
How to get around
Bus, metro, Montreal is very well served by public transportation. In winter, it is very easy to use them regularly. In the summer, you can enjoy the city on foot. If you plan to go out of the city, it will be easier to rent a car, from 30-40 CAN $ per day.
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Discover MONTRÉAL
Canada's second-largest city after Toronto, a dynamic financial, commercial and technological center, a first-rate port on the waterway linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, Montreal is one of the world's great French-speaking cities. It is the only city in the country to have reconciled Old World influences with North American modernity, to have succeeded in bringing together the English-speaking and French-speaking communities that history has long pitted against each other, and to have succeeded in integrating an ethnic mosaic resulting from immigration. It's also an agglomeration of once-distinct towns and villages, and a vibrant cultural metropolis. And the sheer number of events that take place here without a break explains its nickname of "North America's festival capital". Last but not least, Montreal is one of the world's great gourmet destinations, a fact not lost on epicureans.
The 12 keywords à MONTRÉAL
#Accent
Beware, here is a highly sensitive subject! Quebecers, who are at home here, consider that it is the French who have an accent. We can't prove them wrong on this point! So to discover the local kindness, the rule is simple: leave your prejudices about the Quebecois language when you get your suitcase at the airport.
#Craft beers
Artisanal breweries and microbreweries are growing like mushrooms all over the province. And Quebecers have become true beer geeks, as evidenced, for example, by the queues at the famous bottle releases (sale of limited edition beers directly at the brewery). An infatuation that continues to this day.
#Brunch
We could have brunch every Sunday in a different place, so vast and varied is the offer, from classic eggs-bacon-and-potatoes to inventive dishes to share, not forgetting traditional breakfasts from all over the world, not forgetting the famous Benedictines, which come in a variety of sauces... to our great delight!
#Troubleshooter
These small Quebec businesses open very late at night and every day of the week. Some even operate day and night. You can buy newspapers, cigarettes, beer, milk, canned goods, some fresh products, candy, etc. The prices are higher than at the supermarket, but as the name suggests, it's a convenience store.
#Squirrels
They're cute, all right. It's also true that they are omnipresent, especially in Montreal where their size can sometimes be surprising. There is not a single tourist who is not tempted to take a picture of these little hairy beasts. Can we prove them wrong? However, we recommend that you don't get too close to them, a bite can quickly happen...
#Indian summer
After the first frosts following the summer period, usually in mid-October, the Indian summer is the result of hot flashes from the Gulf of Mexico towards Quebec that redden the foliage. It is said that the Native people took advantage of this mild period to perfect the reserves before winter... hence the expression.
#Winter
"Mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver", sang Gilles Vigneault. These long, snowy months are harsh, punctuated by several major storms in eastern Canada. The winter season is long and harsh, but there's more than one way to enjoy it. And it has to be said that the return of positive temperatures is all the more celebrated.
#Field hockey
It is the national sport par excellence. Would you like to see the Montreal Canadiens play? Be patient to find tickets, they are almost all sold out before the season even begins. And if you value your life, we strongly advise you not to parade through the streets in the Boston Bruins jersey, the arch-enemy.
#Humor
Montrealers are bon vivants and particularly appreciate humour. So much so that a National School of Humour was founded in Montreal in 1988. Since then, the school has graduated more than 600 creators, authors and comedians, including many of the great contemporary names in Quebec humour. Some have even exported their talent to Europe.
#First Nations
Among the eleven nations present in the province of Quebec, the Mohawks (Kanien'kehá:ka) live near Montreal, in Akwesasne and Kahnawake (Montérégie) and Kanesatake (Laurentians). Despite the influence of neighbouring towns, their traditional values remain strong and they manage their education, health and services.
#Alleys
One can easily get lost in this parallel network that criss-crosses a good part of the city behind the houses. Often occupied by the inhabitants, the alleys are both peaceful and full of life. You can see budding field hockey players, vegetable gardens, a few cars running away from traffic jams, frescoes and sometimes a raccoon.
#Garage sale
On sunny days, the famous garage sales (spontaneous sales or garage sales) flourish on the sidewalks and in the streets of the city. It's an opportunity to make great finds, meet the neighbourhood or simply take an informative look to discover the tastes of Montrealers and past fashions.
You are from here, if...
You are in line to take public transit. Unlike in France, here everyone queues before getting on the bus.
The weather is your main topic of conversation. You are the first to sit shirtless on a terrace as soon as the mercury reaches 10°C in spring... and to put on your best woollen clothes in autumn, with the same 10°C...
You don't get offended when the waiter at the bar is on first-name terms with you... and you return the favour. This familiarity between complete strangers is quite usual, especially between people of more or less the same age, and it must be admitted that it plays a lot in the relaxed atmosphere that reigns here.
It takes less than 10 seconds to calculate the tip you'll leave in a restaurant or bar.
You have mastered the art of orientation according to the four cardinal points "à la montréalaise".
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