Montreal

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Montreal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Montreal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city in Canada. For other uses, see Montreal (disambiguation). Montreal —  City  — Ville de Montréal Clockwise: View of downtown Montreal from the Mont Royal, Olympic Stadium, Jacques Cartier Bridge, McGill University campus, Tour de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Tower), St. Joseph's Oratory, and the City Hall Flag Coat of arms Logo Motto: Concordia Salus ("well-being through harmony") Montreal Coordinates: 45°30′N 73°40′W / 45.5°N 73.667°W / 45.5; -73.667 Country  Canada Province  Quebec Regional County Montreal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area[1][2][3]  - City 365.13 km2 (140.98 sq mi)  - Urban 1,677 km2 (647 sq mi)  - Metro 4,259 km2 (1,644 sq mi) Highest elevation 233 m (764 ft) Lowest elevation 6 m (20 ft) Population (2006)[1][2][3]  - City 1,620,693 (2nd)  - Density 4,439/km2 (11,496/sq mi)  - Urban 3,316,615  - Metro 3,635,571 (2nd)  - Metro density 854/km2 (2,211.8/sq mi)  - Demonym Montrealer (English), Montréalais / Montréalaise (French) Time zone EST (UTC−5)  - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4) Postal code span H Area code(s) 514, 438, and 450, 579 (metro) Website City of Montreal Montreal (French: Montréal;[4] pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeˈal]  ( listen) in French, i /ˌmʌntriˈɔːl/ in English[5]) is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary",[6] the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal,[7] the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located,[8][9] or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French,[10] (Mont Royal in present French). As of July 2009, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with a population of 1,906,811[11] in the city and metropolitan area population of 3,814,700.[12] The centuries-old marriage of Protestant English and Catholic French cultures defines Montréal and has given the city a character unique in North America. The most spoken language at home in the city is French by 56.9% of the population, followed by English at 12.8% (as of 2006 census).[13] The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city's charter.[14][15] Montreal is the second largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. Although a few francophone African cities are bigger in size, notably Kinshasa, and Abidjan, these cities have fewer mother-tongue French speakers.[16][17] Montreal is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities, was called "Canada's Cultural Capital" by Monocle Magazine and recently was named a UNESCO City of Design.[18][19] Though historically the commercial capital of Canada, it was surpassed in population, as well as economic strength, by Toronto after 1976. Today it continues as an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, culture, tourism, film and world affairs.[20] Montreal became well known as one of the world's best night life cities, a reputation it still holds today. In part, its bustling nightlife is attributed to its relatively late "last call" (3 a.m.), a large university population, the drinking age of 18, and the excellent public transportation system combining with other aspects of the Montreal culture to make the city's night life unique. The diversity of the clubs in Montreal attests to the popularity of its night life, with night clubs, pubs, bars and singing bars ("boîte à chanson"), Latin clubs, African clubs, jazz clubs, lounges, after-hours houses, and strip clubs all attracting different types of customers. In 2010, Montreal was named a hub city, ranked 34th globally out of 289 cities for innovation across multiple sectors of the urban economy, in the Innovation Cities Index by 2thinknow.[21] Montreal was the next Canadian city in the annual index behind nexus city Toronto in 12th place and ahead of fellow hub cities Calgary, Quebec City, Vancouver and Edmonton.[22] In 2009, Montreal was named North America's number one host city for international association events, according to the 2009 preliminary rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).[23] It houses McGill University in Downtown Montreal, which is consistently ranked as Canada's top university by Macleans and among the top 20 universities worldwide according to Times Higher Education and US News & World Report. Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 3 Architecture 4 Neighbourhoods 4.1 Old Montreal 4.2 Mount Royal 5 Demographics 6 Economy 7 Culture 8 Sports 9 Media 10 Government 11 Education 12 Transportation 12.1 Société de transport de Montréal (STM) 12.2 Air 12.3 Rail 13 Sister cities 14 See also 15 References 16 Further reading 17 External links [edit] History Further information: History of Montreal and Timeline of Montreal history The Montreal Harbour in 1889. View from Mount Royal (Photochrom print, 1902) Saint Jacques Street (formerly Saint James Street), in 1910 Archaeological evidence demonstrates that various nomadic First Nations native people occupied the island of Montreal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. By the year AD 1000, they had started to cultivate maize. Within a few hundred years, they had built fortified villages.[24] The St. Lawrence Iroquoians, a people distinct from the Iroquois nations of the Haudenosaunee who originated mostly in present-day New York, established the village of Hochelaga at the foot of Mount Royal centuries before the French arrived. Archeologists have found evidence of their habitation there and at other locations in the valley since at least the 14th century.[25] The French explorer Jacques Cartier visited Hochelaga on October 2, 1535, and estimated the population of the native people at Hochelaga to be "over a thousand".[25] Seventy years later, French explorer Samuel de Champlain reported that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians and their settlements had disappeared altogether from the St. Lawrence valley, possibly due to outmigration, epidemic of European diseases, or intertribal wars.[25][26] In 1611 Champlain established a fur trading post on the Island of Montreal, on a site initially named La Place Royale. At the confluence of Petite Rivière and St. Lawrence River, it is where present-day Pointe-à-Callière stands.[27] In 1639, Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière obtained the Seigneurial title to the Island of Montreal in the name of the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal to establish a Roman Catholic mission for evangelizing natives. Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve was the governor of the colony.[28] Ville-Marie became a centre for the fur trade and a base for further French exploration in North America.[28] By the early 18th century, the Sulpician Order was established there. To encourage French settlement, they wanted the Mohawk to move away from the fur trading post at Ville-Marie. They persuaded them to make a new settlement at their former hunting grounds north of the Ottawa River. This became Kanesatake.[29] The Canadian territory remained a French colony until 1760, when it was surrendered to Great Britain after their victory in the Seven Years War.[30] Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832.[31] The opening of the Lachine Canal permitted ships to bypass the unnavigable Lachine Rapids,[32] while the construction of the Victoria Bridge established Montreal as a major railway hub. By 1860, it was the largest city in British North America and the undisputed economic and cultural centre of Canada.[33][34] Montreal was the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849, but lost its status when a Tory mob burnt down the Parliament building to protest the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill.[35] For strategic reasons, Ottawa, further toward the interior of the nation, was then established as the capital. After World War I, the Prohibition movement in the United States turned Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol.[36] Unemployment remained high in the city, and was exacerbated by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.[37] During World War II, Mayor Camillien Houde protested against conscription and urged Montrealers to disobey the federal government's registry of all men and women.[38] Ottawa was furious over Houde's stand and sent him to a prison camp until 1944,[39] when the government decided to institute conscription to enlarge the forces. (see Conscription Crisis of 1944).[38] By 1951, Montreal's population had surpassed one million people.[40] The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, allowing vessels to bypass Montreal. In time this development led to the end of the city's economic dominance.[41] However, the 1960s saw continued growth, including Expo 67, the construction of Canada's tallest skyscrapers, new expressways and the Montreal Metro system. The 1970s ushered in a period of wide-ranging social and political changes, stemming in large part from the concerns of the French-Canadian majority about the conservation of their culture and language, given the traditional predominance of the English-Canadian minority in the business arena.[42] The October Crisis and the election of the Parti Québécois, supporting sovereign status for Quebec, resulted in the departure of many businesses and people from the city.[43] In 1976, Montreal was the host of the 1976 Summer Olympics.[44] During the 1980s and early 1990s, Montreal experienced a slower rate of economic growth than many other major Canadian cities. By the late 1990s, however, Montreal's economic climate had improved, as new firms and institutions began to fill the traditional business and financial niches. Montreal was merged with the 27 surrounding municipalities on the Island of Montreal on January 1, 2002. The merger created a unified city of Montreal which covered the entire island of Montreal. This move proved unpopular. Several former municipalities, totalling 13% of the population of the island, voted to leave the newly unified city in separate referendums in June 2004. The demerger took place on January 1, 2006, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, including Montreal. De-merged municipalities remain, however, affiliated with the city through an agglomeration council that collects taxes from them to pay for numerous shared services.[45] [edit] Geography Main article: Geography of Montreal Montreal is located in the southwest of the province of Quebec. The city proper covers most of the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The port of Montreal lies at one end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which is the river gateway that stretches from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean.[46] Montreal is defined by its location in between the St. Lawrence river on its south, and by the Rivière des Prairies on its north. The city is named after the most prominent geographical feature on the island, a three-head hill called Mount Royal, topped at 232 m above sea level.[47] Montreal is at the centre of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, and is bordered by the city of Laval to the north, Longueuil, St. Lambert, Brossard, and other municipalities to the south, Repentigny to the east and the West Island municipalities to the west. The anglophone enclaves of Westmount, Montreal West, Hampstead, Côte Saint-Luc, the Town of Mount Royal and the francophone enclave Montreal East are all entirely surrounded by the city of Montreal.[48] [edit] Climate Montreal lies at the confluence of several climatic regions. Usually, the climate is classified as humid continental or hemiboreal (Köppen climate classification Dfb).[49] Bonsecours Market in autumn. Montreal's summers are warm, but often muggy with average high temperatures of 26°C (79°F) and low of 16°C (61°F), temperatures frequently exceed 30°C (86°F). Winter in Montreal usually brings very cold, snowy, windy, and at times, icy weather, with an average high temperature of -5°C (23°F) and lows of -13°C (9°F). However, some winter days rise above freezing even at times allowing for rain, while others dip well below -20°C (-4°F) [50] Spring and fall are pleasantly mild but are prone to drastic temperature changes. [51] Late season heat waves as well as "Indian summers" are a common occurrence as well as snow storms in November, March and April. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −37.8 °C (−36 °F) on January 15, 1957, and the highest temperature was 37.6 °C (100 °F) on August 1, 1975.[52] Annual precipitation is around 98 cm (39 in), including an average 218 cm (86 in) of snowfall, which occurs from November through March. Thunderstorms are common beginning in the late spring through summer to early fall period, additionally, tropical storm remnants can cause heavy rains. The city gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually, with summer being the sunniest, but is also the slightly wetter season.[53] Climate data for Montréal (Montréal-Trudeau Airport) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 13.9 (57) 15.0 (59) 25.6 (78.1) 30.0 (86) 33.9 (93) 35.0 (95) 35.6 (96.1) 37.6 (99.7) 33.5 (92.3) 28.3 (82.9) 21.7 (71.1) 18.0 (64.4) 37.6 (99.7) Average high °C (°F) −5.7 (21.7) −3.9 (25) 2.2 (36) 10.7 (51.3) 19.0 (66.2) 23.6 (74.5) 26.2 (79.2) 24.8 (76.6) 19.7 (67.5) 12.7 (54.9) 5.3 (41.5) −2.2 (28) 11.1 (52) Average low °C (°F) −14.7 (5.5) −12.9 (8.8) −6.7 (19.9) 0.6 (33.1) 7.7 (45.9) 12.7 (54.9) 15.6 (60.1) 14.3 (57.7) 9.4 (48.9) 3.4 (38.1) −2.1 (28.2) −10.4 (13.3) 1.4 (34.5) Record low °C (°F) −37.8 (-36) −33.9 (-29) −29.4 (-20.9) −15.0 (5) −4.4 (24.1) 0.0 (32) 6.1 (43) 3.3 (37.9) −2.2 (28) −7.2 (19) −19.4 (-2.9) −32.4 (-26.3) −37.8 (-36) Precipitation mm (inches) 78.3 (3.083) 61.5 (2.421) 73.6 (2.898) 78.0 (3.071) 76.3 (3.004) 83.1 (3.272) 91.3 (3.594) 92.7 (3.65) 92.6 (3.646) 77.8 (3.063) 92.6 (3.646) 81.3 (3.201) 978.9 (38.539) Rainfall mm (inches) 27.2 (1.071) 19.8 (0.78) 35.8 (1.409) 63.9 (2.516) 76.1 (2.996) 83.1 (3.272) 91.3 (3.594) 92.7 (3.65) 92.6 (3.646) 75.4 (2.969) 71.2 (2.803) 35.1 (1.382) 763.8 (30.071) Snowfall cm (inches) 52.5 (20.67) 43.3 (17.05) 36 (14.2) 13.1 (5.16) 0.2 (0.08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2.2 (0.87) 21.9 (8.62) 48.3 (19.02) 217.5 (85.63) Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.9 13.2 13.7 12.8 13.0 13.1 12.1 12.3 12.0 13.2 15.0 16.0 163.3 Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.3 4.2 7.2 11.3 12.9 13.1 12.1 12.3 12.0 12.7 11.2 6.1 119.4 Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 15.7 11.6 9.3 3.5 0.1 0 0 0 0 1.0 6.0 13.1 60.3 Sunshine hours 101.6 123.9 158.9 173.3 229.7 245.5 274.3 240.5 174.6 140.0 86.1 80.2 2,028.6 Source: Environment Canada [52] [edit] Architecture Main article: Architecture of Montreal Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal. La Joute on Place Jean-Paul Riopelle in the Quartier international de Montréal. For over a century and a half, Montreal was the industrial and financial centre of Canada.[54] The variety of buildings included factories, elevators, warehouses, mills, and refineries which today provide a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown area and the Old Port area. Today there are also many historic buildings in Old Montreal still in their original form: Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Bonsecours Market, and the impressive 19th century headquarters of all major Canadian banks on St. James Street (French: Rue Saint Jacques). Saint Joseph's Oratory, completed in 1967, Ernest Cormier's Art Deco Université de Montréal main building, the landmark Place Ville Marie office tower, the controversial Olympic Stadium and surrounding structures, are but a few notable examples of 20th century architecture. Pavilions designed for the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, popularly known as Expo 67, featured a wide range of architectural designs. Though most pavilions were temporary structures, several remaining structures have become Montreal landmarks, including the geodesic dome US Pavilion, now the Montreal Biosphere, as well as Moshe Safdie's striking Habitat 67 apartment complex. The Montreal Metro is filled with a profusion of public artwork by some of the biggest names in Quebec culture. The design and ornamentation of each station in the Metro system is unique. In 2006 Montreal was named a UNESCO City of Design, only one of three design capitals of the world (with the others being Berlin and Buenos Aires).[18] This distinguished title recognizes Montreal's design community. Since 2005 the city has been home for the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda);[55] the International Design Alliance (IDA).[56] Montreal's Underground City (officially RÉSO or La Ville Souterraine in French) is the set of interconnected complexes (both above and below ground) in and around Downtown Montreal. Panoramic view of Place d'Armes in Old Montreal. [edit] Neighbourhoods Main article: List of neighbourhoods in Montreal A view of Saint Catherine Street in Downtown Montreal. Entrance gate to Montreal's Chinatown on Saint Laurent Boulevard. The city of Montreal is composed of 19 large boroughs which are further subdivided into smaller neighbourhoods.[57] The boroughs are Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Anjou, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Lachine, LaSalle, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Le Sud-Ouest, L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montréal-Nord, Outremont, Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Saint-Laurent, Saint Leonard, Verdun, Ville-Marie and Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension. The borough with the most neighbourhoods is Ville-Marie, which includes the city's downtown, the historical district of Old Montreal, Chinatown, the Gay Village, the Latin Quarter, the recently gentrified Quartier international and Cité Multimédia as well as the Quartier des Spectacles which is currently under development. Other neighbourhoods of interest in the borough include the affluent Golden Square Mile neighbourhood at the foot of Mount Royal and the Shaughnessy Village/Quartier Concordia area home to thousands of students at Concordia University. The borough also comprises most of Mount Royal Park, Saint Helen's Island, and Île Notre-Dame. The Plateau Mont-Royal borough has historically been a working-class francophone area. The largest neighbourhood is the Plateau (not to be confused with the whole borough), which is currently undergoing considerable gentrification, and a 2001 study deemed it as Canada's most creative neighbourhood due to the fact that 8% of its labour force is composed of artists.[58] The neighbourhood of Mile End in the northwestern part of the borough, has historically been a very multicultural area of the city, and features two of Montreal's well-known bagel establishments, St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. The McGill Ghetto is located in the extreme southwestern portion of the borough, its name being derived from the fact that it is home to thousands of McGill University students and faculty members. The Sud-Ouest borough was home to much of the city's industry during the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th century. The borough historically included Goose Village and is home to the traditionally working-class Irish neighbourhoods of Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles as well as the low-income neighbourhoods of Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy. Other notable neighbourhoods in Montreal include the multicultural areas of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Côte-des-Neiges in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, as well as Little Italy in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, home of Montreal's Olympic Stadium in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. [edit] Old Montreal Main article: Old Montreal Place Jacques-Cartier on a cold winter night. Old Montreal (French: Vieux-Montréal) is a historic area located southeast of downtown containing many different attractions such as the Old Port of Montreal, Place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal City Hall, the Bonsecours Market, Place d'Armes, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, the Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, and the Montreal Science Centre. Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored and are frequented by horse-drawn calèches carrying tourists. Old Montreal is accessible from the downtown core via the underground city and is served by several STM bus routes and metro stations, ferries to the South Shore and a network of bicycle paths. The riverside area adjacent to Old Montreal is known as the Old Port. The Old Port was the former site of the worldwide Port of Montreal, but its shipping operations have been moved further east to its current larger site, leaving the former location as a recreational and historical area maintained by Parks Canada. The new Port of Montreal is now Canada's largest container port and the largest inland port on Earth.[59] [edit] Mount Royal Main article: Mount Royal Beaver Lake on Mount Royal. The mountain is the site of Mount Royal Park (French: Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal's largest greenspaces. The park, most of which is wooded, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park, and was inaugurated in 1876.[60] The park contains two belvederes, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet, overlooking downtown Montreal. Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made lake; a short ski slope; a sculpture garden; Smith House, an interpretive centre; and a well-known monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities. The mountain is also home to two major cemeteries, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges (founded in 1854) and Mount Royal (1852). Mount Royal Cemetery is a 165 acres (67 ha) terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont. Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery is much larger, predominantly French-Canadian and officially Catholic.[61] More than 900,000 people are buried there.[62] Mount Royal Cemetery contains more than 162,000 graves and is the final resting place for a number of notable Canadians. It includes a veterans section with several soldiers who were awarded the British Empire's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross. In 1901 the Mount Royal Cemetery Company established the first crematorium in Canada.[63] The first cross on the mountain was placed there in 1643 by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of the city, in fulfilment of a vow he made to the Virgin Mary when praying to her to stop a disastrous flood.[60] Today, the mountain is crowned by a 31.4 m-high (103 ft) illuminated cross, installed in 1924 by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and now owned by the city.[60] It was converted to fibre-optic light in 1992.[60] The new system can turn the lights red, blue, or purple, the last of which is used as a sign of mourning between the death of the Pope and the election of the next.[64] A panorama of Downtown Montreal and part of its metropolitan area taken from the Chalet du Mont Royal at the top of Mount Royal [edit] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Montreal Population of Montreal, and Metropolitan Area by year Year City Island Metropolitan 1871 107,225 — 174,090[65] 1881 140,747 — 223,512[65] 1891 216,650 — 308,169[65] 1901 267,730 — 393,665[65] 1911 467,986 536,191[66] 594,812[65] 1921 618,506 724,205[66] 774,330[65] 1931 818,577[65] 1,003,868[67] 1,064,448[65] 1941 903,077[65] 1,116,800[67] 1,192,235[65] 1951 1,036,542[65] 1,320,232[67] 1,539,308[65] 1961 1,257,537[65] 1,747,696[68] 2,215,627[65] 1971 1,214,352[65] 1,959,180[68] 2,743,208[65] 1981 1,018,609[65] 1,760,122[68] 2,862,286[65] 1991 1,017,666[65] 1,775,871[68] 3,127,242[65] 2001 1,039,534 1,812,723 3,426,350[65] 2006 1,620,693 1,854,442 3,635,571[65] According to Statistics Canada, at the 2006 Canadian census the city of Montreal proper had 1,620,693 inhabitants.[1] A total of 3,635,571 lived in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) at the same 2006 census, up from 3,451,027 at the 2001 census (within 2006 CMA boundaries), which means a population growth of +1.05% per year between 2001 and 2006.[3] In the 2006 census, children under 14 years of age (621,695) constituted 17.1%, while inhabitants over 65 years of age (495,685) numbered 13.6% of the total population.[1] People of European ethnicities formed the largest cluster of ethnic groups in Montreal, mostly of French, British, Irish and Italian origins.[69] The largest reported European ethnicities in Montreal according to the 2006 census were Canadian 33.7%, French 23.0%, Italians 9.8%, Irish 5.4%, English 3.9%, Scottish 3.0%, Spanish 2.1%.[70] Some 26% of the population of Montreal and 16.5% that of Greater Montreal, are members of a visible minority (non-white) group.[71] The most numerous minorities are Blacks (7.2%), Moroccans (2.8%), Latin Americans (2.1%), South Asians (2%), and Chinese (2%).[71] Visible minorities are defined by the Canadian Employment Equity Act as "persons, other than Aboriginals, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour."[72] According to a recently published report by the city of Montreal, the island is expected to number 1,991,200 by 2012, with 3.9 million in the Greater Montreal Area, an increase of 15.8% over 2001. However, in 2009, the Greater Montreal Area is estimated to number 3.86 million people, suggesting that the area surpass the four million threshold by 2012.[73] According to StatsCan by 2030 the city is expected to number 5,275,000 with 1,722,000 being Visible minorities.[74] In terms of mother language (first language learned), the 2006 census reported that in the Greater Montreal Area, 66.5% spoke French as a first language, followed by English at 13.2%, while 0.8% spoke both as a first language.[75] The remaining 22.5% of Montreal-area residents are allophones, speaking languages including Italian (3.5%), Arabic (3.1%), Spanish (2.6%), Creole (1.3%), Chinese (1.2%), Greek (1.2%), Portuguese (0.8%), Romanian (0.7%), Vietnamese (0.7%), and Russian (0.5%).[75] In terms of additional languages spoken, a unique feature of Montreal among Canadian cities, noted by Statistics Canada, is the working knowledge of both French and English possessed by most of its residents. Italianate, 2nd Empire Homes on Saint Louis Square in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. The Greater Montreal Area is predominantly Roman Catholic; however, weekly attendance in Quebec is among the lowest in Canada.[76] Historically Montreal has been a centre of Catholicism in North America with its numerous seminaries and churches, including the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, and Saint Joseph's Oratory. Some 84.6% of the total population is Christian,[77] largely Roman Catholic (74.5%), primarily due to descendants of original French settlers, and others of Italian and Irish origins. Protestants which include Anglican, United Church, Lutheran, owing to British and German immigration, and other denominations number 7.0%, with a further 3.0% consisting mostly of Orthodox Christians, fuelled by a large Greek population. There is also a number of Russian Orthodox parishes. Islam is the largest non-Christian religious group, with 100,185 members,[77] the second-largest concentration of Muslims in Canada. The Jewish community in Montreal has a population of 92,970.[77] In cities such as Côte-Saint-Luc and Hampstead, Jewish people constitute the majority,[78][79] or a substantial part of the population. As recently as 1971 the Jewish community in Greater Montreal was as high as 109,480.[68] Political and economic uncertainties led many to leave Montreal and the province of Quebec.[80] [edit] Economy Main article: Economy of Montreal Montreal's economy is the second largest of all cities in Canada based on GDP[81] and the largest in Quebec.[82] The city is today an important centre of commerce, finance, industry, technology, culture, world affairs and was once the headquarters for the Montreal Stock Exchange. Tour de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Tower) in the Quartier international de Montréal Montreal industries include aerospace, electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, printed goods, software engineering, telecommunications, textile and apparel manufacturing, tobacco and transportation. The service sector is also strong and includes civil, mechanical and process engineering, finance, higher education, and research and development. In 2002, Montreal ranked as the 4th largest centre in North America in terms of aerospace jobs.[83] The Port of Montreal is the largest inland port in the world handling 26 million tonnes of cargo annually.[84] As one of the most important ports in Canada, it remains a trans-shipment point for grain, sugar, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods. For this reason, Montreal is the railway hub of Canada and has always been an extremely important rail city; it is home to the headquarters of the Canadian National Railway,[85] and was home to the headquarters of the Canadian Pacific Railway until 1995.[86] The headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency is located in Longueuil, southeast of Montreal.[87] Montreal also hosts the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, a United Nations body);[88] the World Anti-Doping Agency (an Olympic body);[89] the International Air Transport Association (IATA),[90] IATA Operational Safety Audit and the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC),[91] as well as some other international organizations in various fields. The Montreal World Trade Centre west entrance on Victoria Square. Montreal is also a centre of film and television production. The headquarter of Alliance Films and five studios of the Academy Award-winning documentary producer National Film Board of Canada are in the city, as well as the head offices of Telefilm Canada, the national feature-length film and television funding agency and Télévision de Radio-Canada. Given its eclectic architecture and broad availability of film services and crew members, Montreal is a popular filming location for feature-length films, and sometimes stands in for European locations.[92][93] The city is also home to many recognized cultural, film and music festivals (Just For Laughs, Just For Laughs Gags, Montreal International Jazz Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, and others), which contribute significantly to its economy. It is also home to one of the world's largest cultural enterprises, the Cirque du Soleil.[94] The video game industry is also booming in Montreal since 1997, coinciding with the opening of Ubisoft Montreal.[95] Recently, the city has attracted world leading game developers and publishers studios such as Ubisoft Montreal, EA, Eidos Interactive, Artificial Mind and Movement, Strategy First, THQ, mainly because of the quality of local specialized labor. Recently, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, announced that it would open a brand new video game studio in Montreal.[96] Relatively new to the video game industry, it will be Warner Bros. first studio opened, not purchased, and will develop games for such Warner Bros. franchises as Batman and other games from their DC Comics portfolio. The new studio will create 300 jobs for the Montreal economy. Montreal also plays an important role in the finance industry. The official legal corporate head offices of Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank of Canada, two of the five biggest banks in Canada, are still in Montreal with their operational corporate headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. The National Bank of Canada, the sixth largest bank in Canada, Laurentian Bank of Canada, Desjardins Group, the largest regional bank in Quebec, are also headquartered in Montreal. Several companies are headquartered in Greater Montreal Area including Rio Tinto Alcan,[97] Desjardins Group, Bombardier Inc.,[98] Canadian National Railway,[99] CGI Group,[100] Air Canada,[101] Air Transat,[102] CAE,[103] Saputo,[104] Cirque du Soleil, Quebecor,[105] Ultramar, Jean Coutu Group,[106][dead link] Uniprix,[107] Proxim,[108] Domtar, Le Chateau,[109] Power Corporation, Bell Canada.[110] Standard Life,[111] Hydro-Québec, AbitibiBowater, Pratt and Whitney Canada, Molson,[112] Tembec, Alimentation Couche-Tard, SNC-Lavalin,[113] MEGA Brands,[114] Aeroplan,[115] Agropur,[116] Metro Inc., Astral Media,[117] Laurentian Bank of Canada,[118] National Bank of Canada,[119] Transat A.T.,[120] VIA Rail,[121] and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Greater Montreal had a GDP of $120 billion in 2005, placing it 39th in the world.[122] It is expected to grow to almost $126 billion in 2008 and $140 billion by 2012.[123] The Montreal Oil Refining Centre is the largest refining centre in Canada with companies like Petro-Canada, Ultramar, Gulf Oil, Petromont, Ashland Canada, Parachem Petrochemical, Coastal Petrochemical, Interquisa (Cepsa) Petrochemical, Nova Chemicals and more. However, Shell has decided to close the refining centre in 2010, throwing hundreds out of work and causing an increased dependence on foreign refineries for eastern Canada. List of International Organizations based in Montreal: [124] Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)， Airports Council International (ACI) - The ICAO Bureau， Alternatives International (AlterInter)， Associated Research Centers for Urban Underground Space (ACUUS)， Association francophone internationale des directeurs d’établissements scolaires (AFIDES)， Civil Air Navigation Services (CANSO)， College of the Americas (COLAM)， Comité syndical francophone de l'éducation et de la formation (CSFEF)， Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)， Conseil des Festivals Jumelés (CFJ)， Conseil francophone de la chanson (CFC)， Cospas-Sarsat， e8， FAMILIS -World Organisation for Families (WOF)， Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST)， Foundation on Antivirals (FAV)， FRANCOPOL， Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA)， Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO)， Institute of Cultural Affairs International (ICAI)， International Academy of Law and Mental Health (IALMH)， International Air Transport Association (IATA)， International Bureau for Children's Rights (IBCR)， International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS) - Secretariat for the Americas， International Business Aviation Council (IBAC)， International Centre for Accessible Transportation (ICAT)， International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC)， International Chrysotile Association (ICA)， International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)， International Council for Aerospace Training (ICAT)， International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda)， International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid)， International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association (ICDAA)，International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA)， International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD)， International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI)， International Federation of Translators (IFT)， International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU)， International Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC)， International Institute for the Management of Major Metropolises (IIMMM)， International Institute of Integral Human Sciences (IIIHS)， International Political Science Association (IPSA)， International Secretariat for Water (ISW)， International Society for In Vitro Fertilization (ISIVF)， International Union of Psychological Science (IUPSYS)， Metropolis - World Association of Major Metropolises， Montreal International Forum (MIF)， Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol， North American Forum on Integration (NAFI)， ORBICOM - The International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communications， Public Population Project in Genetic (P3G)， Réseau mère-enfant de la francophonie (RMEF)， Rights & Democracy， Secrétariat international des infirmières et infirmiers de l’espace francophone (SIDIIEF)， Secrétariat international francophone pour l’évaluation environnementale (SIFÉE)， Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)， SITA， Société internationale d'urologie (SIU)， The transplantation Society (TTS)， UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)， Union francophone des aveugles (UFA)， World Airlines Clubs Association (WACA)， World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)， World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)， World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED)， World Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS)， World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)， World Lottery Association (WLA) [edit] Culture Main article: Culture of Montreal Place des Arts Montreal was referred to as "Canada's Cultural Capital" by Monocle magazine.[19] The city is Canada's centre for French language television productions, radio, theatre, film, multimedia and print publishing. Montreal's many cultural communities have given it a distinct local culture. As a North American city, Montreal shares many cultural characteristics with the rest of the continent. It has a tradition of producing both jazz and rock music. The city has also produced much talent in the fields of visual arts, theatre, music, and dance. Yet, being at the confluence of the French and the English traditions, Montreal has developed a unique and distinguished cultural face. Another distinctive characteristic of Montreal culture life is to be found in the animation of its downtown, particularly during summer, prompted by cultural and social events, particularly festivals. The city's largest festival is the Just for Laughs comedy festival, which is the largest in the world of its kind. Other popular festivals include the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, Nuits d'Afrique and the Montreal Fireworks Festival. Saint Joseph's Oratory is the largest church in Canada. A cultural heart of classical art and the venue for many summer festivals, the Place des Arts is a complex of different concert and theatre halls surrounding a large square in the eastern portion of downtown. Place des Arts harbours the headquarters of one of the world's foremost orchestras, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and the chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal are two other well-regarded Montreal orchestras. Also performing at Place des Arts is the Opéra de Montréal and the city's chief ballet company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Internationally recognized avant-garde dance troupes such as La La La Human Steps, O Vertigo, and the Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault have toured the world and worked with international popular artists on videos and concerts. The unique choreography of these troupes has paved the way for the success of the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. Nicknamed la ville aux cent clochers (the city of a hundred belltowers), Montreal is renowned for its churches. Indeed, as Mark Twain once noted, "This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window."[125] The city has four Roman Catholic basilicas: Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, the aforementioned Notre-Dame Basilica, St. Patrick's Basilica, and Saint Joseph's Oratory. The Oratory is the largest church in Canada, with the second largest copper dome in the world after that of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.[126] [edit] Sports Main article: Sport in Montreal The Montreal Canadiens versus the Boston Bruins. The Canadian Grand Prix circuit. The most popular sport in Montreal is ice hockey. The city's professional hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, are one of the Original Six teams of the National Hockey League (NHL), and boast an NHL-record 24 Stanley Cup championships. The New York Yankees of Major League Baseball are the only team in North American sports to have more championship titles, with 27 World Series titles. The Canadiens' most recent Stanley Cup victory came in 1993. The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) play at Molson Stadium on the campus of McGill University for their regular-season games. Late season and playoff games are played at the much larger, enclosed Olympic Stadium, which also played host to the 2008 Grey Cup. The Alouettes are the defending Grey Cup Champions, having won the championship in November 2010. The McGill Redmen, Concordia Stingers, and Université de Montréal Carabins play in the CIS university football league. Montreal also has a storied baseball history. The city was the home of the minor-league Montreal Royals of the International League until 1960. In 1946, Jackie Robinson broke the baseball colour barrier with the Royals in an emotionally difficult year; Robinson was forever grateful for the local fans' fervent support.[127] Major League Baseball came to town in the form of the Montreal Expos in 1969. They played their games at Jarry Park until moving into Olympic Stadium in 1977. After 37 years in Montreal, the team relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2005 and re-branded themselves as the Washington Nationals.[128] Olympic Stadium, home of the former Montreal Expos and the largest stadium in Canada. The Montreal Impact are the city's USSF D2 Pro League soccer team. They play at a soccer-specific stadium called Saputo Stadium. They are the defending USL First Division Champions, having won the title in October 2009. However the team changed leagues along with all the other USL First Division teams because of some disputes. The Montreal Impact will join North America's biggest soccer league, the MLS, in 2012. The Montreal games of the FIFA 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup were held at Olympic Stadium.[129] Montreal is the site of a high-profile auto racing event each year: the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One (F1) racing. This race takes place on the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame. In 2009, the race was dropped from the Formula One calendar, to the chagrin of some fans,[130] but the Canadian Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2010. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve also hosted a round of the Champ Car World Series from 2002–2007, and currently is home to the NAPA Auto Parts 200, a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, and the Montréal 200, a Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race. Uniprix Stadium, built in 1993 on the former site of Jarry Park, is used for the Rogers Cup men's and women's tennis tournaments. The men's tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour, and the women's tournament is a Premier tournament on the WTA Tour. The men's and women's tournaments alternate between Montreal and Toronto every year.[131] Montreal was the host of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. The stadium alone cost $1.5 billion;[132] with interest that figure ballooned to nearly $3 billion, and was only paid off in December 2006.[133] Montreal also hosted the first ever World Outgames in the summer of 2006, attracting over 16,000 participants engaged in 35 sporting activities. Active professional sports teams in Montreal Club League Sport Venue Established Championships Montreal Canadiens NHL Ice hockey Bell Centre 1909 24 Montreal Alouettes CFL Football Percival Molson Memorial Stadium Olympic Stadium 1946 8 Montreal Impact USSF D2 (MLS in 2012) Soccer Saputo Stadium 1993 3 Montreal Stars Canadian Women's Hockey League Ice hockey Etienne Desmarteaux 2007 1 Montreal Junior Hockey Club QMJHL Ice hockey Verdun Auditorium 2008 0 Quebec Caribou RCSL Rugby union Dollard-des-Ormeaux 1998 0 Quebec Saints OAFL Australian Rules Football Vanier College 2008 1 Montreal Blitz IWFL Football Dalbé Viau High School 2002 2 [edit] Media Main article: Media in Montreal Montreal is well served by a variety of media, including several French and English television stations, newspapers, radio stations, and magazines. There are four over-the-air English-language television stations: CBC Television, CTV, Global and CJNT which also airs multicultural programming. There are also five over-the-air French-language television stations: Radio-Canada, TVA, V, Télé-Québec, and Canal Savoir. Montreal has four daily newspapers, the English-language Montreal Gazette and the French-language La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal and Le Devoir. There are also three free French dailies, Métro, 24 Heures and Rue Frontenac. Montreal also has numerous weekly tabloids and community newspapers serving various neighbourhoods, ethnic groups and schools. [edit] Government Main articles: Montreal City Council and Mayor of Montreal Montreal City Hall The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union Montréal (English: Union Montreal). The city council is a democratically elected institution and is the final decision-making authority in the city, although much power is centralized in the executive committee. The Council consists of 73 members from all boroughs of the city.[134] The Council has jurisdiction over many matters, including public security, agreements with other governments, subsidy programs, the environment, urban planning, and a three-year capital expenditure program. The City Council is also required to supervise, standardize or approve certain decisions made by the borough councils. Reporting directly to the City Council, the executive committee exercises decision-making powers similar to that of the cabinet in a parliamentary system and is responsible for preparing various documents including budgets and by-laws, submitted to the City Council for approval. The decision-making powers of the executive committee cover, in particular, the awarding of contracts or grants, the management of human and financial resources, supplies and buildings. It may also be assigned further powers by the City Council. Standing committees are the council's prime instruments for public consultation. They are responsible for the public study of pending matters and for making the appropriate recommendations to the council. They also review the annual budget forecasts for departments under their jurisdiction. A public notice of meeting is published in both French and English daily newspapers at least seven days before each meeting. All meetings include a public question period. The standing committees, of which there are seven, have terms lasting two years. In addition, the City Council may decide to create special committees at any time. Each standing committee is made up of seven to nine members, including a chairman and a vice-chairman. The members are all elected municipal officers, with the exception of a representative of the government of Quebec on the public security committee. The city of Montreal is only one component of the larger Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal (English: Montreal Metropolitan Community or MMC), which is in charge of planning, coordinating, and financing economic development, public transportation, garbage collection and waste management, etc., across the metropolitan area of Montreal. The president of the CMM is the mayor of Montreal. The CMM covers 4,360 square kilometres (1,683 sq mi), with 3.6 million inhabitants in 2006.[135] See also: Boroughs of Montreal [edit] Education Main article: Education in Montreal McGill University, Arts Building Completed in 2009, the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University With access to nine universities and twelve junior colleges in an 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) radius, Montreal has the highest concentration of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America (4.38 students per 100 residents, followed by Boston at 4.37 students per 100 residents).[136] There are two anglophone universities in the city: McGill University is one of Canada's oldest universities, and widely recognized as a world-class institution. McGill has consistently been ranked in the top 25 universities in the world by the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for the past six years (as of 2009).[137] Concordia University was created from the merger of Sir George Williams University and Loyola College in 1974.[138] Concordia is also home to the John Molson School of Business which is recognized as one of Canada's top business schools and ranks within the top 100 worldwide.[139][140][141][142] And there are seven francophone universities located in the city of Montreal: Université de Montréal, Roger-Gaudry building. Université de Montréal (UdeM) is the second largest research university in Canada. Two separate institutions are affiliated to the university: the École Polytechnique de Montréal (School of Engineering) and HEC Montréal (School of Business). Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) is the Montreal campus of Université du Québec. UQÀM generally specializes in liberal-arts. Université du Québec also has three separately run schools in Montréal, notably the École de technologie supérieure (ETS), the École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP) and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). L'Institut de formation théologique de Montréal des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice (IFTM) specializes in Theology and Philosophy. Le Concervatoire de musique de Montréal offers a Bachelor and a Masters degrees in classical music. Additionally, two French-language universities, Université de Sherbrooke and Université Laval have campuses in the nearby suburb of Longueuil on Montreal's south shore. Also, ll'Institut de pastorale des Dominicains is Montreal's university center of Ottawa's Collège universitaire dominicain/Dominican University College. The Faculté de théologie évangélique is Nova Scotia's Acadia University Montreal based serving French Protestant community in Canada by offering a Bachelor and a Masters degrees in Theology. The education system in the province of Quebec is slightly different from other systems in North America. Between the high school and university levels, there is an additional college level called CEGEP. It is at the same time a preparatory school (preparing students for admission to university) and a technical school (offering courses which lead to technical diplomas and specializations). In Montreal, seventeen CEGEPs offer courses in French and five in English. English-language elementary and secondary public schools on Montreal Island are operated by the English Montreal School Board[143] and the Lester B. Pearson School Board.[144] French-language elementary and secondary public schools in Montreal are operated by the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM),[145] Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSMB)[146] and the Commission scolaire Pointe-de-l'Île (CSPI).[147] [edit] Transportation Main article: Transportation in Montreal Jacques Cartier Bridge at dusk Like many major cities, Montreal has a problem with vehicular traffic congestion, especially from cities in the west island such as Pointe-Claire and Beaconsfield, and off-island suburbs such as Laval on Île Jésus, and Longueuil on the south shore. The width of the Saint Lawrence River has made the construction of fixed links to the south shore expensive and difficult. There are only four road bridges along with one road tunnel, two railway bridges, and a metro line. The far narrower Rivière des Prairies, separating Montreal from Laval, is spanned by eight road bridges (six to Laval and two directly to the north shore) and a metro line. The island of Montreal is a hub for the Quebec Autoroute system, and is served by Quebec Autoroutes A-10 (known as the Bonaventure Expressway on the island of Montreal), A-15 (aka the Decarie Expressway south of the A-40 and the Laurentian Autoroute to the north of it), A-13 (aka Chomedey Autoroute), A-20, A-25, A-40 (part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, and known as "The Metropolitan" or simply "The Met" in its elevated mid-town section), A-520, and A-720 (aka the Ville-Marie Autoroute). Many of these Autoroutes are frequently congested at rush hour.[148] However, in recent years, the government has acknowledged this problem and is working on long-term solutions to alleviate the congestion. One such example is the extension of Quebec Autoroute 30 on Montreal's south shore, which will serve as a bypass.[149] [edit] Société de transport de Montréal (STM) Metro Train at Berri-UQAM station A STM Novabus operating on Route 33. Public local transport is served by a network of buses, subways, and commuter trains that extend across and off the island. The subway and bus system is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). The STM bus network consists of 197 daytime and 20 nighttime service routes that provide a vast number of routes for the city of Montreal proper. STM bus routes serve an average of 1,347,900 daily passengers on an average weekday in 2010 [150]. It also provides adapted transport and wheelchair-accessible buses.[151] The STM won the award of Outstanding Public Transit System in North America by the APTA in 2010. It was the first time a Canadian company won this prize. Montreal's Metro was inaugurated in 1966 and today has 68 stations spread out along its four lines.[152] Today, the metro system is currently Canada's busiest subway system in total daily passenger usage, serving an average of 1,050,800 daily passengers on an average weekday (as of Q1 2010) [150]. Each station was designed by different architects with individual themes and features original artwork, and the trains themselves run on rubber tires, making the system quieter than most.[153] The project was initiated by Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, who would later bring the Summer Olympic Games to Montreal in 1976. The metro system has long had a station on the South Shore in Longueuil, and has only recently been extended to the city of Laval, north of Montreal with 3 new stations.[154] The commuter rail system is managed and operated by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, and reaches the outlying areas of Greater Montreal. Montreal's commuter rail network had 15.7 million passengers in 2007, making it the sixth busiest in North America following New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto.[155] Lionel-Groulx Metro station [edit] Air Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Montreal has two international airports, one for passenger flights only, and the other for cargo. Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (also known as Dorval Airport) in the City of Dorval serves all commercial passenger traffic and is the headquarters for Air Canada[156] and Air Transat.[157] To the north of the city is Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, which was envisioned as Montreal's primary airport but which now serves cargo flights along with MEDEVACs and general aviation as well as some passenger services.[158][159][160][161][162] In 2009, Montreal-Trudeau was the third busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic and fourth by aircraft movements, behind Toronto Pearson, and Vancouver . In 2009 the airport handled 12.2 million passengers,[163][164] and 211,999 aircraft movements.[165] With 60.8% of its passengers being on non-domestic flights it has the largest percentage of international flights of any Canadian airport.[166] Trudeau airport is served by 40 carriers to over 100 destinations worldwide.[167] Airlines servicing Trudeau offer flights to Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, the United States, Mexico and other destinations within Canada. It is the only Canadian airport that offers non-stop service to Africa and it also contains the largest duty free shop in North America.[168] [edit] Rail The Agence métropolitaine de transport runs commuter trains serving Greater Montreal such as this one on the Deux-Montagnes Line. Montreal-based VIA Rail, provides rail service to other cities in Canada, particularly to Quebec City and Toronto along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger rail system, also provides service to Montreal, operating its Adirondack daily between Montreal and New York City. All intercity trains and most commuter trains operate out of Central Station. Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), which is now headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, was founded here in 1881.[169] Its corporate headquarters occupied Windsor Station at 910 Peel Street until 1995.[86] With the Port of Montreal kept open year round by icebreakers, lines to Eastern Canada became surplus, and now Montreal is the railway's eastern and intermodal freight terminus.[170] CPR connects at Montreal with the Port of Montreal, the Delaware & Hudson Railway to New York, the Quebec-Gatineau Railway to Quebec City and Buckingham, the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic to Halifax, and CN Rail. The CPR's flagship train, The Canadian, once ran daily from Windsor Station to Vancouver, all passenger services have since been transferred to VIA Rail Canada. Montreal-based Canadian National Railways (CN) was formed during in 1919 by the Canadian Government following a series of country-wide rail bankruptcies. CN was formed from the lines of the Grand Trunk, Midland and Canadian Northern Railways, and has risen to become CPR's chief rival in freight carriage in Canada.[171] Like the CPR, CN has divested itself of passenger services in favour of VIA Rail Canada.[172] [edit] Sister cities Montreal has a number of sister cities: Algiers, Algeria – 1999[173] Amsterdam, Netherlands Boston, United States Brussels, Belgium Bucharest, Romania Busan, South Korea – 2000[174] Hiroshima, Japan – 1998[175] Hanoi, Vietnam - 1997[176] Lima, Peru Lucknow, India – 2000[177] Lyon, France – 1979[178] Manila, Philippines – 2005[179] Managua, Nicaragua Milan, Italy - 1996 Paris, France – 2006[180] Port-au-Prince, Haiti - 1995[176] Rome, Italy San Salvador, El Salvador - 2001[176] Shanghai, China – 1985[181] Yerevan, Armenia – 1998[182] [edit] See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Postcards of Montreal Montreal portal Largest cities in the Americas List of bridges to the Island of Montreal List of communities in Quebec List of mayors of Montreal List of metropolitan areas in the Americas by population List of Montreal Metro stations List of Montreal music venues List of people from Montreal List of regions of Quebec List of shopping malls in Montreal List of tallest buildings in Montreal List of technology companies in Montreal List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada Toronto-Montreal rivalry Underground City, Montreal [edit] References ^ a b c d "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data". Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. 2007-03-13. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=302&SR=1&S=3&O=D&RPP=25&PR=24. Retrieved 2007-03-13.  ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts, for urban areas, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data". Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. 2007-03-13. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=801&PR=0&SR=1&S=3&O=D. Retrieved 2007-03-13.  ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data". Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. 2007-03-13. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=201&S=3&O=D&RPP=150. Retrieved 2007-03-13.  ^ It is most common to omit the acute accent in English-language usage (Montreal), unless one is using a proper name where the context requires the use of the accent (e.g. Le Journal de Montréal, as compared to the Montreal Gazette), and to keep the accent in French-language usage (Montréal). This is also the approach favoured by The Canadian Press Style Book (ISBN 0-920009-32-8, at p. 234) and The Globe and Mail Style Book (ISBN 0-7710-5685-0, at p. 249). According to The Canadian Style (ISBN 1-55002-276-8, at pp. 263–4), the official style guide of the Government of Canada, the name of the city is to be written with an accent in all government materials. ^ /ˌmʌntriˈɑːl/ is the local English pronunciation. Elsewhere it tends to be /ˌmʌntriˈʌl/ or /ˌmɒntriˈɔːl/. ^ "Old Montréal / Centuries of History". 2000-04. http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/histoire/eng/v_mara.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-26.  ^ "Mount Royal Park - Montreal's Mount Royal Park or Parc du Mont-Royal". 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The City of Hiroshima. 2001. http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/kokusai/shimai/montreal-e.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25.  ^ a b c "Liste - Protocoles et Ententes Internationales Impliquant La Ville de Montréal". http://www11.ville.montreal.qc.ca/sherlock2/servlet/template/sherlock%2CAfficherDocumentInternet.vm/nodocument/20146;jsessionid=24C10045060CDD0AA23BD919B260FD0F.  ^ mastindia.com. "Little India Montreal!". http://www.mastindia.com/montreal/m_sep2k_events.html. Retrieved 2008-02-17.  ^ "Partner cities of Lyon and Greater Lyon". Ville de Lyon. http://www.lyon.fr/vdl/sections/en/villes_partenaires/villes_partenaires_2/?aIndex=1. Retrieved 2008-06-25.  ^ "Manila-Montreal Sister City Agreement Holds Potential for Better Cooperation". The Republic of the Philippines. June 24, 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-12-05. http://www.webcitation.org/5lnDvv2sF. Retrieved 2009-10-02.  ^ Mairie de Paris. "Les pactes d'amitié et de coopération". http://www.paris.fr/portail/accueil/Portal.lut?page_id=6587&document_type_id=5&document_id=16468&portlet_id=14974. Retrieved 2007-10-14.  ^ "Window of Shanghai". Humanities and Social Sciences Library. McGill University. 2008. http://www.mcgill.ca/hssl/collections/special/shanghai/. Retrieved 2008-06-25.  ^ "Sister Towns — MONTREAL". International Cooperation. Yerevan Municipality. http://yerevan.am/index.php?page=monreal&lang=eng. Retrieved 2008-06-25.  [edit] Further reading Listen to this article (info/dl) This audio file was created from a revision of Montreal dated 2005-04-26, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help) More spoken articles "2006 Census of Canada". Statistics Canada. 2008. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census/index.cfm. Retrieved 2008-05-28.  "Montreal". 2006 Census of Canada: Community Profiles. Statistics Canada. 2008. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=2466&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Montreal&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2008-05-28.  Natural Resources Canada (2005). Canadian Geographical Names: Island of Montreal. Retrieved August 29, 2005. Michael Sletcher, 'Montréal', in James Ciment, ed., Colonial America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History, (5 vols., N.Y., 2005). [edit] External links Find more about Montreal on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Official portal of Montreal Official Tourism Montreal Website Montreal travel guide from Wikitravel Rivière des Prairies, Laval Rivière des Prairies, Laval Rivière des Prairies, Repentigny West Island Saint Lawrence River, Boucherville, Varennes    Montreal     Saint Lawrence River, La Prairie, Candiac Saint Lawrence River, Saint-Lambert, Brossard Saint Lawrence River, Longueuil v • d • e Montreal Features Coat of arms · Demographics · Flag · Name · Notable Montrealers · Sister cities History Expo 67 · Hochelaga · Mayors · Montreal Urban Community · October Crisis · Oldest buildings and structures · Reorganization of Montreal · 1976 Summer Olympics · Timeline Geography Downtown · Greater Montreal · Hochelaga Archipelago · Landmarks · Mount Royal · Neighbourhoods · Old Port · Parks · Rivière des Prairies · Saint Lawrence River · West Island Economy Board of Trade · Montreal Exchange · René Lévesque Boulevard · Saint Jacques Street · Skyscrapers Politics Boroughs · City Council · Elections · Mayor · Municipal government · Opposition leaders · Political parties Public Services Corporation d'Urgences-Santé de Montréal-Laval · Fire · Hospitals · Police Education Commission scolaire de Montréal · Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys · Concordia University · English Montreal School Board · Jewish Public Library · Lester B. Pearson School Board · List of schools and libraries · McGill University · Montreal Public Libraries Network · Université de Montréal · Université du Québec à Montréal Culture Architecture · Cuisine · Festivals and parades · Films · Media · Music groups · Shopping malls · Sport · Toronto-Montreal rivalry · Tourism Transportation Aéroports de Montréal · Agence métropolitaine de transport · Bridges · Central Station · Gare d'autocars de Montreal · Metro · Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport · Port of Montreal · Roads · Société de transport de Montréal Category:Montreal  · Portal:Montreal  · WikiProject:Montreal v • d • e Landmarks of Montreal Museums Château Ramezay · Just for Laughs Museum · Biodome · Maison Saint-Gabriel Museum · Biosphère · Canadian Centre for Architecture · McCord Museum · Montreal Museum of Fine Arts · Musée d'art contemporain · Pointe-à-Callière Museum · Redpath Museum  · The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site · Montreal Science Centre Churches Christ Church Cathedral · Church of St. Michael and St. Anthony · Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral · Notre-Dame Basilica · Saint James United Church · Saint Joseph's Oratory Skyscrapers 1000 de La Gauchetière · 1250 René-Lévesque · 1501 McGill College · Tour de la Bourse · Place Ville-Marie · Tour CIBC · Sun Life Building · Complexe Desjardins · Westmount Square Other structures Atwater Market · Bell Centre · Bonsecours Market · Casino de Montréal · Grande Bibliothèque · Habitat 67 · Jean-Talon Market · Montreal City Hall · Montreal Clock Tower · Montreal Forum · Mount Royal Cross · Olympic Stadium · Palais des congrès de Montréal · Place Bonaventure · Place des Arts · Windsor Station · Montreal World Trade Centre · Underground City · Nature and parks Cap-Saint-Jacques Nature Park · Jarry Park · Lachine Canal · Maisonneuve Park · Montreal Botanical Garden · Mount Royal · Old Port · Oxford Park · Parc Jean-Drapeau · Parc Lafontaine Squares Cabot Square · Champ de Mars · Dorchester Square  · Phillips Square · Place d'Armes · Place du Canada · Place Émilie-Gamelin · Place Jacques-Cartier · Place d'Youville  · Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle · Victoria Square Islands Île Bizard · Île de la Visitation · Island of Montreal · Île Notre-Dame · Nuns' Island · Saint Helen's Island Transportation Agence métropolitaine de transport · Central Station · Montreal Metro · Société de transport de Montréal · Gare d'autocars de Montreal · Trudeau Airport Events Divers/Cité · Fantasia Festival · Festival du Nouveau Cinéma · Les FrancoFolies · Just for Laughs · L'International des Feux Loto-Québec · Montreal International Jazz Festival · Montreal World Film Festival Category:Montreal  · Portal:Montreal  · WikiProject:Montreal v • d • e Roads, bridges, and tunnels in Montreal North-south streets Greene Avenue · Atwater Avenue · Côte-des-Neiges Road · Guy Street · Mackay Street · Bishop Street · Crescent Street · Mountain Street · Drummond Street · Stanley Street · Peel Street · Metcalfe Street · Mansfield Street  · McGill College Avenue · McTavish Street · University Street · McGill Street · Park Avenue · Saint Urbain Street · Saint Laurent Boulevard · Saint Denis Street · Berri Street · Saint Hubert Street  · Christophe Colomb Avenue · Papineau Avenue · De Lorimier Avenue · Pie-IX Boulevard · Saint Michel Boulevard East-west streets Gouin Boulevard · Henri Bourassa Boulevard · Jarry Street · Jean-Talon Street  · Saint Joseph Boulevard · Queen Mary Road  · Mount Royal Avenue · Pine Avenue · Doctor Penfield Avenue · Sherbrooke Street · Ontario Street · De Maisonneuve Boulevard · Saint Catherine Street · René Lévesque Boulevard · De la Gauchetière Street · Saint Antoine Street · Saint Jacques Street · Notre-Dame Street · Rue Saint-Paul · Wellington Street  · Laurier Avenue Expressways 10 (Bonaventure Expressway) · 13 (Chomedey Expressway) · 15 (Laurentides Expressway) · 19 (Papineau Expressway) · 20 · 25 (Louis-H-Lafontaine Expressway) · 40 (Metropolitan Expressway) · 520 (Côte-de-liesse Expressway) · 720 (Ville-Marie Expressway) Routes Route 112 (Bridge & Mountain) · Route 117 (Laurentian & Marcel Laurin) · Route 125 (Pie-IX) · Route 138 (Sherbrooke Street) · Route 335 (St. Denis) Bridges and tunnels List of bridges in Montreal · Champlain Bridge · Charles de Gaulle Bridge · Galipeault Bridge · Honoré Mercier Bridge · Jacques Cartier Bridge · Île aux Tourtes Bridge · Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge-Tunnel · Louis Bisson Bridge · Médéric Martin Bridge · Papineau-Leblanc Bridge · Pie IX Bridge · Pierre Le Gardeur Bridge · Viau Bridge · Victoria Bridge · Tunnel de la mort Category:Montreal  · Portal:Montreal  · WikiProject:Montreal v • d • e Urban agglomeration of Montreal Greater Montreal Municipalities Côte Saint-Luc · Hampstead · Montreal · Montréal-Est · Montreal West · Mount Royal · Westmount West Island municipalities Baie-d'Urfé · Beaconsfield · Dollard-des-Ormeaux · Dorval · Kirkland - L'Île-Dorval · Pointe-Claire · Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue · Senneville Boroughs of Montreal Ahuntsic-Cartierville · Anjou · Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce · L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève · Lachine · LaSalle · Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve · Montréal-Nord · Outremont · Pierrefonds-Roxboro · Le Plateau-Mont-Royal · Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles · Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie · Le Sud-Ouest · Saint-Laurent · Saint-Léonard · Verdun · Ville-Marie · Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension Neighbourhoods of Montreal Ahuntsic · Bois-Franc · Bordeaux-Cartierville · Centre-Sud · Chinatown · Cité du Havre · Cité Multimédia · Côte-des-Neiges · Côte-Saint-Paul · Downtown · Garment District · Gay Village · Glenmount · Golden Square Mile · Goose Village · Greektown · Griffintown · Historic Jewish Quarter · Hochelaga-Maisonneuve · La Petite-Patrie · L'Île-Bizard · Little Burgundy · Little Italy · Little Maghreb · Little Portugal · Longue-Pointe · McGill Ghetto · Mercier · Mile End · Monkland Village · Notre-Dame-de-Grâce · Nouveau Bordeaux · Nuns' Island · Old Montreal · Overdale · Park Extension · Pierrefonds · Pointe Saint-Charles · Pointe-aux-Trembles · Quartier Bonaventure · Quartier Concordia · Quartier International · Quartier Latin · Quartier du Musée · Quartier des Spectacles · Red Light District · Rivière-des-Prairies · Rosemont · Roxboro · Technoparc · Saint-Henri · Sainte-Marie · Saint-Michel · Sainte-Geneviève · Saraguay · Sault-au-Récollet · Shaughnessy Village · Snowdon · Tétreaultville · Viauville · Ville-Émard · Ville Saint-Pierre · Villeray Administrative subdivisions of Quebec • Urban agglomerations of Quebec • Municipal reorganization in Quebec v • d • e Municipalities of the MMC/Montreal CMA Urban agglomeration of Montreal • Urban agglomeration of Longueuil • Laval North Shore Blainville • Bois-des-Filion • Boisbriand • Charlemagne • Deux-Montagnes • Gore¹ • Kanesatake¹ • L'Assomption • L'Épiphanie (P)¹ • L'Épiphanie (V)¹ • Lavaltrie¹ • Lorraine • Mascouche • Mirabel • Oka • Pointe-Calumet • Repentigny • Rosemère • Saint-Colomban¹ • Saint-Eustache • Saint-Placide¹ • Saint-Joseph-du-Lac • Saint-Sulpice • Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines • Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac • Sainte-Thérèse • Terrebonne South Shore Beauharnois² • Beloeil² • Calixa-Lavallée² • Candiac • Carignan • Chambly • Châteauguay² • Contrecoeur² • Coteau-du-Lac¹ • Delson • Hudson • Kahnawake¹ • L'Île-Cadieux • L'Île-Perrot • La Prairie • Léry² • Les Cèdres • Les Coteaux¹ • McMasterville² • Mercier² • Mont-Saint-Hilaire² • Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot • Otterburn Park² • Pincourt • Pointe-des-Cascades • Richelieu • Saint-Amable • Saint-Basile-le-Grand • Saint-Constant • Saint-Isidore • Saint-Jean-Baptiste² • Saint-Lazare • Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu • Saint-Mathieu • Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil • Saint-Philippe • Saint-Zotique¹ • Sainte-Catherine • Sainte-Julie • Terrasse-Vaudreuil • Varennes² • Vaudreuil-Dorion • Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac • Verchères ¹Does not belong to the CMM — ²Does not belong to the Montreal CMA v • d • e  Administrative divisions of Quebec Subdivisions Administrative regions · Regional county municipalities · Montreal Metropolitan Community (Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal) · Communauté métropolitaine de Québec · Kativik Regional Government Communities All municipalities · Types of municipalities · Parish municipalities · Townships · United townships · Indian reserves · Boroughs · Urban agglomerations Major cities Montreal · Quebec · Laval · Gatineau · Longueuil · Sherbrooke · Saguenay · Lévis · Trois-Rivières Other cities Alma · Amos · Baie-Comeau · Beloeil · Châteauguay · Cowansville · Dolbeau-Mistassini · Drummondville · Granby · Joliette · La Tuque · Lachute · Matane · Mont-Laurier · Rimouski · Rivière-du-Loup · Rivière-Rouge · Rouyn-Noranda · Saint-Georges · Saint-Hyacinthe · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu · Saint-Jérôme · Salaberry-de-Valleyfield · Sept-Îles · Shawinigan · Sorel-Tracy · Thetford Mines · Val-d'Or · Varennes · Victoriaville Subdivisions of Montréal Regional county municipalities and equivalent territories(*): Montréal* Municipalities: Baie-d'Urfé - Beaconsfield - Côte-Saint-Luc - Dollard-Des Ormeaux - Dorval - Hampstead - Kirkland - L'Île-Dorval - Montreal - Montréal-Est - Montreal West - Mount Royal - Pointe-Claire - Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue - Senneville - Westmount v • d • e Summer Olympic Games host cities 1896: Athens • 1900: Paris • 1904: St. Louis • 1908: London • 1912: Stockholm • 1920: Antwerp • 1924: Paris • 1928: Amsterdam • 1932: Los Angeles • 1936: Berlin • 1948: London • 1952: Helsinki • 1956: Melbourne • 1960: Rome • 1964: Tokyo • 1968: Mexico City • 1972: Munich • 1976: Montreal • 1980: Moscow • 1984: Los Angeles • 1988: Seoul • 1992: Barcelona • 1996: Atlanta • 2000: Sydney • 2004: Athens • 2008: Beijing • 2012: London • 2016: Rio de Janeiro v • d • e World Book Capitals 2001: Madrid · 2002: Alexandria · 2003: New Delhi · 2004: Antwerp · 2005: Montreal · 2006: Turin · 2007: Bogotá · 2008: Amsterdam · 2009: Beirut · 2010: Ljubljana  · 2011: Buenos Aires  · 2012: Yerevan v • d • e Montreal skyscrapers 200m + 1000 de La Gauchetière 150m to 199m 1250 René-Lévesque · Tour de la Bourse · Place Ville-Marie · Tour CIBC · 1501 McGill College · Complexe Desjardins - South tower 125m to 149m Tour KPMG · Tour Telus · Château Champlain · 500 Place D'Armes · Complexe Desjardins - East tower · Tour Scotia · Tour de la Banque Nationale · Tour Bell · Maison Astral · Tour Terminal 100m to 124m Le Port-Royal · 1000 Sherbrooke · Tour de la Banque Royale · 400 Sherbrooke Ouest · E-Commerce Place 1 · Centre Sheraton · Place du Canada · Édifice Hydro Québec · Complexe Desjardins - North tower · Le Chatel · Delta Centre-Ville Hotel · 500 Boulvard René-Lévesque Ouest · Maison Radio-Canada · Hôtel Omni Montréal · Place Sherbrooke 2020 University · Édifice La Laurentienne · Place Alexis Nihon III · Hôtel des Gouverneurs · Intercontinental Montreal Hotel · Place Alexis Nihon II · Sun Life Building Coordinates: 45°30′32″N 73°33′15″W / 45.50889°N 73.55417°W / 45.50889; -73.55417 Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal" Categories: Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games | Montreal | 1832 establishments | Former capitals of Canada | Hudson's Bay Company trading posts | Orthodox Jewish communities | Populated places established in 1642 | Populated places on the Saint Lawrence River | Port settlements in Quebec | Quebec communities with significant anglophone populationsHidden categories: All articles with dead external links | Articles with dead external links from January 2010 | Articles with dead external links from November 2010 | Articles with dead external links from September 2010 | Articles with dead external links from March 2009 | Articles with dead external links from July 2010 | Articles containing French language text | Articles with dead external links from November 2009 | Articles containing explicitly cited English language text | Spoken articles | Articles with hAudio microformats | Good articles Personal tools Log in / create account Namespaces Article Discussion Variants Views Read Edit View history Actions Search Navigation Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact Wikipedia Toolbox What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Cite this page Print/export Create a bookDownload as PDFPrintable version Languages Afrikaans Alemannisch Ænglisc العربية Aragonés Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân-lâm-gú Беларуская Bosanski Brezhoneg Български Català Cebuano Česky Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ/inuktitut Иронау Íslenska Italiano עברית Kalaallisut ქართული Kernewek Kiswahili Kreyòl ayisyen Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Lingála Lumbaart Magyar Македонски Malagasy मराठी Nederlands 日本語 Nnapulitano ‪Norsk (bokmål)‬ ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Papiamentu Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Sardu Scots Shqip Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / Srpski Srpskohrvatski / Српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча/Tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche‎ Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray ייִדיש 粵語 Žemaitėška 中文 This page was last modified on 23 December 2010 at 21:16. 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Montreal travel guide - Wikitravel Help Wikitravel grow by contributing to an article. Learn how. Montreal From Wikitravel North America : Canada : Quebec : Southwestern Quebec : Montreal Jump to: navigation, search Contents [+] Districts [+] Central Montreal Ville-Marie borough Plateau Mont-Royal district Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns Elsewhere on the island [+] Understand Orientation Gay Montreal Climate Visitor information [+] Get in By plane By car By train By bus [+] By bicycle From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport From Ontario From the United States [+] Get around On foot By car By bike By metro or bus By train Map See [+] Do Cross-country skiing Ice skating Water sports Bike Parks [+] Festivals Music Festivals Film festivals Sports to watch [+] Learn Language classes Universities Work [+] Buy General Luxury Furniture and antiques Newspapers [+] Eat Markets Restaurants Desserts Brunch/breakfast restaurants Kosher [+] Drink Bars Dance clubs After-hours clubs Karaoke Gay and lesbian Sleep [+] Contact Phone Internet Mail [+] Stay safe Weather Hospital [+] Cope Consulates Respect Get out Montreal is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — consider printing them all. Detail of Basilique Notre-Dame Montreal [1] (French: Montréal) the metropolis of the province of Quebec. Quebec City is the political capital but Montreal is the cultural and economic capital of Quebec and the main entry point to the province. The second largest city in Canada, it is a city rich in culture and history, has an inordinate number of attractive, fashionably dressed people, and a well-deserved reputation as one of the liveliest cities in North America. Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, behind Paris. The population of Montreal is approximately 3.8 million. [edit] Districts [edit] Central Montreal Montreal boroughs [edit] Ville-Marie borough From West to East neighbourhoods: Montreal/Mount Royal — Mountain central park Downtown — Sky scrapers, shopping, and museums. Montreal/cité International — International organizations in downtown Montreal Montreal/Cité multimédia — Multimédia company area Montreal/Quartier des Spectacles — Place of festival, theatre, etc. Montreal/Chinatown — Chinese neighbourhood Old Montreal — The historic and (dare we say it) quaint riverfront Old Town and Old Port. Quartier Latin — Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, pubs. Gay Village — Clubs, clothes, and culture. Sainte-Marie — Typical downtown working class neighbourhood. Parc Jean-Drapeau — The islands of Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame and the Montreal Casino. [edit] Plateau Mont-Royal district The Plateau — Covering McGill Ghetto, upper St-Laurent, St-Denis, and Mont Royal Ave. Don't forget Mile-End. Saint Joseph's Oratory at sunset [edit] Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie — Little Italy and Jean-Talon market. Westmount — Upscale anglophone neighbourhood. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve — Olympic Park, Botanical Gardens. Côtes-des-Neiges — Multicultural neighbourhood northwest of the mountain. Outremont — Restaurants and bistros. South West — Including Lachine canal, Atwater Market (a must!), St. Henri, and the emerging culinary hot-spot, Petite-Bourgogne. Mile End —Bagels, restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques. [edit] Elsewhere on the island West Island East End North Island [edit] Understand Old Montreal, on the foreground of Downtown Montreal Situated on an island in the St. Laurent River at the historically highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving Mohawk town called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. A hundred years later, in 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Sulpician mission by Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It soon became a centre of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained (until the 1970s) the most important city in Canada and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s. Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s made Montreal a mecca for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy, yet playful, industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centred around Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system and a number of attractive urban parks and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. Over 50 million visitors gathered to Montreal during this memorable summer. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements. St Lawrence river gateway The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much lauded as an economic boom, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railroads and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable Seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec Sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto. Following an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s, Montreal became more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a centre of culture, arts, computer technology, aerospace, the biotech industry, and media for all of Canada and for the French-speaking world. [edit] Orientation As the world sees Montreal - Assuming north is up As we see ourselves - Assuming north is up It has been said that Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun "rises in the south." Montrealers use an unconventional compass, using the river and the mountain as cardinal points. When you are downtown, the St Lawrence River is “south” and Mount Royal is “north”; making the West Island and the East End correct in both their names and orientations. This tends to confuse visitors because the “East” End is really north and the “West” Island is south, and the St Lawrence River runs almost north-south at this location. Most local maps use this convention as do the highways around the city. For example, Autoroute 15 north actually runs northwest and Autoroute 40 east runs northeast. [edit] Gay Montreal Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists and it is arguably the most gay-friendly city in North America. Canada's contributions to gay rights have recently become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions (although Toronto was the first municipality in Canada to do so). Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage license, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence) as well as in the rest of Canada. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses. Montreal itself is a very safe, open, and inviting city. The métro station in the Gay Village, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. Montreal's pride celebration, Divers/Cité[2](last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in Canada after Toronto's. [edit] Climate Climate Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Daily highs (°C) -5 -4 2 11 19 24 27 25 19 12 5 -2 Nightly lows (°C) -12 -11 -5 3 10 15 18 17 12 6 0 -9 Precipitation (cm) 7.4 7.1 8.0 7.7 8.7 8.8 10.6 10.1 10.1 8.4 9.4 10.2 See the Montreal 7 day forecast at Environment Canada [edit] Visitor information Centre Infotouriste de Montréal, 1255 rue Peel, bureau 100 (at Sainte-Catherine; Metro: Peel), ☎ +1 514 873-2015 (toll free: +1 877 266-5687), [3]. 1 Mar-20 Jun: 9AM-6PM daily. 21 Jun-31 Aug: 8:30AM-7PM daily. 1 Sep-31 Oct: 9AM-6PM daily. 1 Nov-28 Feb: 9AM-5PM daily (closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan).  edit [edit] Get in [edit] By plane Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport [4] (IATA: YUL) (formerly Dorval Airport) is west of the city centre on Expressway (Autoroute) 20. Note that travel time to the airport from the city centre can be as much as an hour, depending on traffic. The airport is served by all major Canadian and U.S. airlines and is a major hub for Air Canada [5], Air Transat [6], and WestJet [7]. There are multiple daily trans-Atlantic flights to and from (amongst others) London, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Athens, Frankfurt, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, Munich, and Casablanca. The taxi fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $38 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; if you are going from or to places outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare). STM Airport Express bus 747 [8] offers service between the airport and downtown Montreal 24 hours a day. A single fare will cost $7 (exact change in coins only) including unlimited use of the STM bus and metro network for the following 24 hours. It will call at Lionel-Groux station and a number of downtown stops. It is possible to go downtown by the cheaper regular public transit system. Late at night, it is all right, but in the daytime, you need lots of transfers with usually very crowded vehicles so it is best to do so only if you are on a very low budget and/or have very light baggage. Between 5:00 AM and 1:00 AM, take bus 204 east (est) (STM [9]) leaves from outside arrivals every 30 min to Gare Dorval (Dorval Train Station). Check that the driver is not going west (ouest) as both ways are served from almost the same place, and the sign does not say. You can also that the 209. Also, make sure to keep the ticket that the driver will give you as it is a transfer which you will need later. From Gare Dorval, use your transfer ticket to catch bus 211 or 221 to Lionel-Groulx station. Make sure it is going east as the same routes go west too. Your transfer then let you into the metro. This costs only $2.75, but exact change in coins only must be provided to the first driver. Take the Montmorency orange line or the Honoré-Beaugrand green line to downtown on the metro. Between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, for the same price ($2.75, exact change in coins only), take bus 356 (again, check that the driver is going east, not west) that will take you to Atwater station at the west end of downtown, from where you can use your transfer to change buses to go to other places if necessary (the metro will be closed at this time). For example, the 360 will take you to the rest of downtown. [edit] By car From Toronto, take Highway 401 east about 5 h until it becomes Autoroute (Expressway) 20 on the Quebec side of the border. It will then take about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Autoroute 720 (Autoroute 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore). Rideshare Save money with a rideshare. There are daily rides from Toronto to Montreal and back for $30-50, which is cheaper than any other means of transportation between the two cities. A good website for ridesharing in Canada and the USA is Craigslist [10]. Dedicated rideshare sites include LiftSurfer [11] and eRideShare [12] From Ottawa, it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes Autoroute 40 in Quebec) to Montreal. From Quebec City, it's about 3 hours west on either Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20. From New York City, take Interstate Highway 87 north through Albany and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near Plattsburgh, the freeway becomes Autoroute 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain, the most beautiful approach to the city. The drive time from Plattsburgh to downtown Montreal is approximately one hour. From Boston, take Interstate Highway 93 to Highway 91 north in St. Johnsbury, Vermont to the border crossing, where it turns into Highway 55, which Autoroute 10, which leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes 6-7 hours. [edit] By train Montreal Central Station (Gare Centrale) is at 895 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University, and is served by the Bonaventure metro (subway) station. Note that prices are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. VIA Rail Canada [13] operates fast and comfortable passenger trains from Montreal along the busy Quebec-Ontario corridor and to destinations in northern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. All fares below are five-day advance booking prices for one-way travel in "Comfort" (coach / economy) class, expect to pay almost 50% more if you book on the day of travel. Check the VIA website for "express deals" [14], which are posted every Thursday. Highly discounted tickets are available, typically for long distance train routes or short distance trips at non-peak hours. Express deals on short distance trips (e.g. Montreal-Toronto) are typically offered only for the upcoming weeks, whereas long distance deals (e.g. Montreal to Winnipeg) may be available several weeks in advance. "VIA-1" (first / business) class is available for a premium and includes a meal, alcoholic refreshments, snacks, and pay-per-use wireless internet in both station lounges and on board the train. An ISIC student card can obtain a discount on all services (both VIA and Amtrak). Five trains a day operate to and from Ottawa (two hours, from $35). Six trains a day operate to and from Toronto (four and a half hours, from $85). Five trains a day operate to and from Quebec City (three hours, from $47). Six evenings a week, VIA's "Ocean" service departs for the overnight journey to New Brunswick (fifteen and a half hours, from $110 coach, $162 upper berth, $219 bedroom) and Nova Scotia (twenty hours, from $133 coach, $187 upper berth, $245 bedroom). The choice of sleeping accommodation varies according to the season. Along with trains between Montreal and Quebec, the Ocean is now almost exclusively operated by modern Renaissance trains that were originally built for the aborted Channel Tunnel sleeper services between Great Britain and France. Three evenings a week, the Ocean also pulls the "Chaleur" train as far as Matapedia. The train divides in the early morning and the Chaleur follows the southern shore of the Gaspé peninsular as far as Gaspe (17.5 h, from $106 coach, $165 upper berth, $215 bedroom). VIA also offers three weekly round trips to Senneterre, in Abitibi (eleven and a half hours, from $81), and Jonquière in the Saguenay (nine hours, from $55). Both trains operate as wilderness services: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. Amtrak's [15] 'Adirondack' service to New York (11 hours, from $61 US) departs daily, with connections in Schenectady to (but not from) Chicago (24 h, $114 US) and in New York to Philadelphia (14 h, $97 US) and Washington, DC (16 h, $120 US). The train also passes through much of upstate New York and hugs Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip. South of Albany, the route follows the Hudson River and passes a number of historic sites. Reliability of the service has improved greatly since an extra hour was added to the previous 10 h schedule, but one should still factor in the frequent possibility of arriving an hour later than scheduled. The journey to New York is cheaper but slower than by bus (see below), which takes 7-9 h, but the superior comfort, extra legroom and ability to walk around the train and visit the cafe car for food and drink at your leisure, as well as the good view from the train of the Lake Champlain and Hudson River scenery, make up for this. While the bus is superior in terms of speed for a direct journey to New York, where getting for A to B is most important, the extra time on the train is more pleasantly spent in terms of comfort and scenery. Catch-A-Train offers road connection from Montreal to St. Albans, Vermont, and the Vermonter service, and with it the opportunity to link to Boston by rail. Train passengers leaving from Boston may take the Regional Service to Penn Station, New York, and transfer to the Adirondack line to Montreal, but this method requires significant layover times in New York. [edit] By bus There are extensive services to Montreal from cities in Ontario, Quebec, New York, Vermont, and Maine. Buses arrive and depart from the Station Centrale d'autobus (not to be confused with the Gare Centrale or central train station) at 505 boulevard de Maisonneuve est, (directly above the Berri-UQAM metro station]. Call 514-842-2281 for schedules and prices. Intercity bus services to Montreal are offered by Megabus [16], Coach Canada [17], Adirondack Trailways [18], Greyhound Canada [19], Greyhound Lines [20], Voyageur [21], and Orléans Express [22]. Orléans Express is the principal bus carrier in the St. Lawrence Valley, including the Montreal—Quebec City route. Its sister company Acadian Lines [23] provides connections from eastern Quebec to destinations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Voyageur, a subsidiary of Greyhound Canada, provides service to Ottawa, connecting with other bus routes to points in western Canada. Coach Canada provides service to Toronto, connecting with other bus routes to western New York, southern Ontario, Michigan and Illinois. Other regions of Quebec are served by various companies. A map of the intercity routes and carriers in Quebec can be found on Intercar's site [24]. Greyhound Lines offers three daily direct services and Adirondack Trailways offers two daily direct services, from New York, with additional trips operated on weekends and in summer (8 h, from $76.50 US). Vermont Transit, a subsidiary of Greyhound Lines, offers four daily direct services from Boston, though Vermont Transit is now operating under the name of Greyhound Lines (seven hours, from $72 US). Note that there is no student discount on the Montreal-New York service. TheLuxBus also offers service from New York. The train is slower but significantly cheaper; around $62 CA compared to about $75 CA for the bus. However, for about $15 CA extra, the bus makes for a much quicker journey with a much quicker passage through customs; so for speed, the bus is far superior; but for comfort and scenery, the longer train journey is more pleasantly spent. [edit] By bicycle Montreal is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, accessible only by bridge. Not all bridges are bike accessible, however, several are including the breathtaking Jacques Cartier bridge. Prominent bike lanes exist throughout the city, most notably along the Lachine Canal, Rue Rachel and most recently along boulevard de Maisonneuve. However, bike theft is rampant, especially in the Plateau. Most locals can recall at least one time of observing a bike theft; many have seen rows of bikes pilfered at a time. It is not uncommon to have somebody offer you a stolen bike for sale on the street. Be equally aware of the peripheral articles of your bicycle; seats, baskets, and wheels can often be easily detached if not properly secured to the bike's frame. [edit] From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport The airport [25] is on the western part of the island. From the main terminal, exit onto the main access road and turn right. Wind along the access road until the first major interchange and turn right. You will reach Albert de Niverville Boulevard and be forced to turn left (south) towards the main highway (Autoroute 20). At the end of this Boulevard, turn right on Cardinal Avenue. To your right, you will come to a pedestrian underpass that takes you under the railway tracks and leads to the Dorval Circle, a very busy traffic circle. This looks intimidating, but the traffic lights will allow you to ride safely under Autoroute 20 to Dorval Boulevard (Boulevard Dorval). Continue south down Dorval Boulevard until the end. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive (Chemin Lakeshore) towards the city. This road turns into Boulevard St. Joseph. You will eventually come to a bike path to your right that winds along the shores of Lac-Saint Louis (part of the Saint Lawrence river) through the town of Lachine. Continue down this path until you reach the entrance of the Lachine Canal. Cross the canal and continue down the Lachine Canal Bike Path (Piste Cyclable Canal Lachine) and follow the signs to the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). The Lachine Canal Bike Path can be quite busy on weekends and holidays, so be ready to take your time. It is paved over its entire length. [edit] From Ontario Cyclist approaching Montreal from the west should take secondary highways to Dorion, where Autoroute 20, inaccessible to bicycles over most of of its length, becomes accessible as it crosses bridges first to Île Perrot (Perrot Island) and then to the Island of Montreal (at Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue). Bicycles should use the sidewalk on these bridges as traffic is usually heavy. From here, cyclists may take Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal Bike Path (see Airport section above) to Old Montreal and the downtown core. The Isle-aux-Tourtes Bridge on Autoroute 40 is not accessible by bicycle. [edit] From the United States Cyclists approaching Montreal from the South Shore to the south and east of Montreal may access the Island of Montreal a number of ways (See map: [26]). The surest (but not foolproof) way is using the sidewalk Jacques Cartier Bridge. When it is not closed for repairs, it is open year round and all day. A paved bike path along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River provides the most scenic approach to the bridge. An equally popular route is from the Saint Lambert Locks (Ecluses Saint-Lambert) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway near the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria) east of Montreal. The bike drawbridge may be blocked by the entertaining spectacle of a ship passing through the seaway. From here, cyclists take the Grand Prix racing track (Gilles-Villeneuve circuit) on Île Notre Dame to the Concord Bridge to Montreal. This route is closed sometimes for car racing events [27]. In this case, cyclists can take a circuitous detour down a gravel causeway dividing the seaway and river to the Estacade, an ice boom that crosses the river parallel to the Champlain Bridge to Nun's Island and eventually Montreal. A lesser known crossing involves one at the Sainte Catherine Locks (Ecluses Sainte-Catherine) at Saint Catherine south of Montreal. These bridges cross the seaway to the same causeway as the Saint Lambert locks. In this case, the road to the Estacade ice boom is paved. These bike links from the South Shore are open from 15 April to 15 November, from 6:30AM to 10:00PM. [28]. The Champlain Bridge, Mercier bridge, and Lafontaine Tunnel are definitely inaccessible to bicycles. These can be dangerous, even in a car. [edit] Get around Montreal has historically been divided into east and west by boulevard Saint-Laurent. Numbered addresses on streets that cross Saint-Laurent start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue ____ Ouest" (west) or "rue ____ Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure. Note that in Montreal street names, "east" and "west" refer to the direction parallel to the St. Lawrence River, and "north" and "south" refer to the direction perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River. Because the St. Lawrence River runs almost north-south near downtown Montreal, "east", "west", "north", and "south" are actually northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast respectively. Confusingly, most maps displayed in the city have "Montral" north on top which can be confusing with a satnav that uses pole north. Also, don't try to navigate by looking at the sun! [edit] On foot Walking is a favoured way to get around the densely packed downtown and the narrow streets of Old Montreal, especially during the warmer months. However, beware winter months, as sidewalks can be icy and extremely hazardous after winter snow and ice storms. Winter boots with good grip are essential for surviving pavements that have not been cleared. Beware also (as much as you can) of thawing ice falling from overhanging balconies and roofs. But you can always take the stairs down to Montreal's famous "Underground City" (Montréal souterrain), called RÉSO [29], a network of pedestrian corridors connecting Métro (subway) [30]stations, shopping centres, and office complexes. Jaywalking is widespread and rarely punished. However, be aware that drivers will usually not stop or even slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them, even at marked crosswalks. At an intersection, however, a pedestrian will have right of passage before turning traffic and most drivers respect this. Despite Montreal drivers' poor reputation for aggressiveness, they generally respect pedestrians. Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montreal's main commercial artery and busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. The "Underground City" and the Green Line (or line 1) of Montreal's Metro is easily accessible from all the major office complexes, shopping malls, department stores, and theatre complexes that line it. Smaller chain stores and restaurants also vie for valuable commercial space. Well-kept historic churches with green space provide quiet oasis and contrast with the giant neon signs of strip clubs. Major hotels generally can be found one or two blocks north and south of Saint Catherine in the downtown core. Bars, restaurants, and dance clubs cluster within a block of Sainte-Catherine around Crescent and Bishop, catering to a mostly English-speaking clientele. Rue Saint-Denis, farther east, and the Gay Village between Berri and de Lormier, even more to the east, are mostly French-speaking. McGill College Boulevard in the downtown core from Saine-Catherine offers an open view of Mount Royal to the north and an impressive view of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper to the south. Keep your head up and beware of following the flow of the crowd on this street: throngs of pedestrians often walk across cross streets against red lights, risking life and limb. Rue Prince-Arthur, east of Saint-Laurent, is for pedestrians only. Another pedestrian-only locale is Montreal's Chinatown, situated on Rue de la Gauchtière Est between Saint-Urbain and Saint-Laurent. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets slope up toward Mount Royal, which is just north of downtown and easy to see from most locations. The districts surrounding downtown Montreal are especially delightful on foot. To the south is Old Montreal (Le Vieux-Montréal) [31] (its narrow streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries really can make you feel like you're in Old Europe) and the Old Port (Le Vieux-Port) [32], a waterfront strolling park with exhibits and boat tours, is very popular with the locals. To the north, the Golden Square Mile and the McGill University Campus is wedged between Mount Royal and Sherbrooke Street on the southern slope of the mountain. Old Victorian mansions and townhouses can be found along the sloping streets, many now housing McGill University's offices and libraries. Just west of downtown is affluent Westmount, a perfect example of 19th-century English-style homes and gardens (inhabited to a great extent by English-speaking people) climbing the slopes of Mount Royal's western part (the higher you climb, the larger the old mansions). Just east and northeast of downtown are the mostly French-speaking Gay Village (Le Village Gai) and Plateau (Plateau Mont-Royal) districts. Street after street displays turn-of-the-19th-century row duplexes and triplexes, replete with famous Montreal outdoor staircases, overflowing front gardens (or snow-covered gables, depending on the time of year), and tiny shops tucked into every nook and cranny. For people who like to see a culture where it lives, Le Plateau is the place to wander about in. Mount Royal (Mont-Royal) is also accessible from the urban core on foot. [33]. Fit pedestrians can climb Rue Peel to the southern edge of the park. A series of renovated staircases will take you directly to the Chalet near the top of the mountain, with its classic view of the downtown core. A more leisurely climb to the top awaits those on Olmsted Road (6.5 km), a wide, gently sloping bike and foot path accessible from the Plateau in Parc Jeanne-Mance (also known as Fletcher's Field). Smaller foot paths serendipitously branch off from this road. A cross-country ski path also winds to the top in the wintertime. Mount Royal's park was designed by Frederick Olmsted, an architect who lived from 1822 to 1903 and was also responsible for the design of Central Park in New York City [34] and the Emerald Necklace in Boston. [edit] By car Driving (SAAQ [35]) in Montreal can be a challenge for many North American motorists. Although turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted), right turns on red are strictly prohibited on the island of Montreal. The stop lights at most of downtown intersections are located on the far end of the intersection, not at the actual stop line as in some of Europe. The use of salt to provide grip during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense. Street parking can be difficult. Parking meters are in use seven days a week (9am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 12pm-5pm Sun), including statutory Holidays. Parking tickets may be appealed in court only by the owner of the car that was subject to the infraction, so if a rented car is ticketed, the person who rented may be unable to contest the charge. Car parking downtown is expensive at around $3 an hour at parking meters or $25 per day at commercial parking lots. There are also many private and public parking lots, and their prices vary a lot. There may even be $15-$20 differences between two parking lots just a few blocks from each other. Sign Language North — Nord East — Est South — Sud West — Ouest Exit — Sortie Bridge — Pont During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, an intensively-prepared "déneigement" (snow removal) process begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. If you leave your car parked on a street, pay close attention to any orange signs that might appear on the banks of snow on the sidewalk, and listen for horn sirens. This is the announcement that a street is about to be cleared and that all parked cars should be moved. If you do not move your car, it will likely be towed to the nearest street with space (with a $100 fine) or it could be impounded. It is best to use indoor or underground parking if snow clearing is likely. Many downtown streets are one way, which can complicate getting around. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to go. Most left turns are prohibited, although a flashing green light indicates a left-turn priority. Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States. [edit] By bike Cycling and in-line skating are very popular once the cold winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660km of well-maintained cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the island of Montreal. By far the nicest path is the Lachine Canal path that stretches from Lachine, along Lac St-Louis, down to Old Montreal along the canal. You can cross over to the South Shore either on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Notre-Dame, or via the Estacade ice bridge from Île des Sœurs. Even if you are on a bike path, beware of drivers as they are not always aware that there are bikes around. Some downtown bike paths are separated from the road by parked cars, which decreases your visibility. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. While wearing a helmet is not required under the law, it is highly recommended. The Bixi system rents communal bikes. Major credit cards are accepted. For a flat $5 fee, you can use Bixi bikes as much as you like for 24 hours provided you don't use a bixi for more than 30 minutes at a time. There are some 200 Bixi stations around: the tourist information centre has maps of the stations. You probably want to bring a helmet, and you may also want to bring a lock so you can leave your Bixi to go into a shop if there is no station around, though returning the Bixi to the nearest stand is always the safest and most cost-effective choice. Be aware that stations fill up and empty quickly; you may have to bike around a bit to find an empty stand. Skate and bike hire shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Maison des Cyclistes (the cyclists's house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths) [edit] By metro or bus Fanfare for Copland The sounds produced by electrical equipment when a Montreal Metro train is departing are actually the first three notes of Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland, although this is really just a coincidence. Montreal Metro train at Place-des-Arts station The public transit system, run by Société de transport de Montréal (STM) [36], is safe, efficient, and pleasant to use. Tickets have been replaced by cards with magnetic stripe containing one trip, called an à la carte ticket. These are valid for one trip (including unlimited transfers in the same way for 90 min) on the metro and buses, costing $2.75 each (exact fare in coins is required on the buses but not on the metro) but are also available for less when you purchase six for $13.25 either from the metro agent or the automatic fare vending machine located in metro stations. Note that metro tickets are not valid in Laval and Longueuil, and you will need to pay the same $2.75 at the agents there. You need to keep your payment card as it is both your transfer and your proof of payment (correspondance); fare inspectors may give you a large fine if you are unable to show it when they request it. If you are using cash to pay your fare on the bus, it is important to have the exact fare since the driver does not give change; you will receive an à la carte ticket, your proof of payment and your transfer. Pictures and specific instructions can be found here. [37] Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day ($7) or three days ($14) and are well worth it to avoid fumbling for change, checking transfer times and restrictions, and worrying about getting off at the wrong stop and having to repay. They are available from most downtown metro stations during the summer but only at Berri-UQAM, Peel, and Bonaventure stations off-season. Weekly ($20.50 regular, $11.50 for students under 18; valid from the nearest Sunday of purchase) and monthly ($70 regular, $38.75 for students under 25) passes are also available; unlike one day and three day passes, weekly and monthly passes must be loaded onto an OPUS card (see below) and are not available in paper ticket form. Only students studying at a recognized academic institution in Montréal may benefit from student fares, and a special card must be obtained from the STM. The OPUS card is a smart card with a chip that contains your fare and transfer information. The OPUS card can be purchased at all metro stations and transit fare points of sale. As of December 2010, the card costs $6. You can find your nearest seller here. [38] OPUS cards can be refilled at metro stations using the automated machines or at the ticket booth. The STM website offers an online trip-planner service. [39] Trip planning can also be done using Google Maps. Free bus and Metro system maps are available from the ticket booth at most metro stations. These are useful to find where you are on the island. [40] At each subway station, directions are not indicated by compass directions, such as westbound or eastbound. Instead, trains go in the direction of a subway line's terminus. The green line runs from Angrignon in the west to Honoré-Beaugrand in the east. If you were to travel eastbound, for example, you would look for Honoré-Beaugrand on the platform. If you were to travel westbound, you would look for Angrignon. There are four interchange stations at which commuters can change subway lines without extra charge: Snowdon (blue/orange), Lionel-Groulx (orange/green), Berri-UQAM (green/yellow/orange), and Jean-Talon (orange/blue). [edit] By train Montreal has a commuter train system run by the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) [41] with termini at the Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien-L'Allier (both are accessible from the metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. Commuter train stations are divided into six zones that radiate out from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are traveling to or from, whichever is farther (for example, a trip from Zone 1 to Zone 3 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket). Trips in zones 1 and 2 can be reduced in price if you have an STM transfer from the city bus or metro. You must then purchase the tarif combiné ticket at a lower cost. Prepurchased tickets must be validated in the stamping machines at the entrance to the platform. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travelers, but if you are staying in the area, ask an employee for more details as the rules are complicated, but you can get good savings. There are no ticket machines on the train and ticket inspections are random. Incorrect tickets sometimes go unnoticed because inspectors check only occasionally. However, it is best to avoid taking chances as if the ticket is not valid, the customer can get a fine of $400. Note that instructions on the ticket machine are clearly displayed in French only, even if some areas served are mostly English-speaking. [edit] Map MapArt produces an excellent map in book-form of downtown Montreal and environs, including Vieux Montréal, Mount Royal, the Plateau as well as areas as far north as the University of Montreal and as far south as Parc Jean-Drapeau. That form is handy as you can avoid always folding a map of the whole island. Below is a basic map of the primary areas of interest to visitors. [edit][add listing] See The dome of the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal Old Montréal contains the vast majority of historical buildings, most dating from the 17th - 19th century, and many museums. At night several of the buildings are beautifully lit up. A Tourist Office brochure lays out a walking map. Consider following it once during the day, and again at night. Le Plateau combines scenic residential streets with hip shopping and dining. Downtown Skyscrapers, McGill campus, churches, and museums. Several blocks are connected by 30 Km of underground arcades and malls, allowing comfortable walking and shopping when the weather is foul. Parc Jean-Drapeau, site of the 1967 World's Fair, now devoted to green spaces and a large outdoor concert venue. The Gilles Villeneuve racing circuit, home of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix. An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also located on or around the park. The Biosphere, a geodesic sphere on the grounds of the 1967 World's Fair A few kilometres Metro ride to the north, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve offers the Olympic Stadium, Insectarium, Jardin Botanique, and Biodôme. Allow four hours to see all four. [edit][add listing] Do Casino de Montréal, 1, avenue du Casino (metro Jean-Drapeau). [42] La Ronde, (member of the Six Flags family) 22, chemin Macdonald (metro Jean-Drapeau). [43] $33.99, $25.99 without rides, 11- pay $20.99; Season pass for individual $85 or family $199. Discounts are readily available: A Coca-Cola tin is worth a $5 discount on any rides ticket. Amazing Race Montreal, [44]. 24 hours. Ever wanted to be on "The Amazing Race"? Visit Montreal in a unique way by booking one of Amazing Race Montreal's self-guided tours. Solve clues to make your way around Montreal's most interesting sites.  edit [edit] Cross-country skiing During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths. Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation — Ski rental available. Parc du Mont-Royal [45] — Ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions. Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique — No ski rental. [edit] Ice skating Year-round ice-skating, 1000, rue De La Gauchetière (metro Bonaventure). Free skating, Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake), in the Parc Mont-Royal. Free skating, Connected ponds of Lafontaine Park, in Plateau Mont-Royal. Winter skating, in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) in front of the Bonsecours Market and many parks. Montreal Island's Grands Parcs The greater Montreal area offers a number of large parks for year-round outdoor recreation. The most accessible are Parc du Mont Royal and Parc Lafontaine in the Plateau, Parc Jean-Drapeau offers the closest beach park, and Parc Maisonneuve, next to the Olympic Sports complex and Botanical Gardens. Further afield, Parc des Rapids and Parc Angrignon are in Le Sud-Ouest and Parc Rene-Levesque further West, with miles of bike paths and access to river surfing. [edit] Water sports River surfing — Although the Saint Lawrence River is frozen nearly solid for four to five months out of the year, the waterway has become a magnet for aficionados of this new sport. Unlike their oceanic brethren, river surfers ride the standing waves in fresh waterways. The Saint Lawrence has two main hot spots for the sport: Habitat 67 is close to the bridge between Montreal and Ile des soeurs, the site of the 1967 expo and the Montreal Casino. (This wave is also know as Expo 67). The Surf 66 Boardshop at the 1952 rue Cabot offers lessons. Kayaking — Just off the shore of the park in Lasalle are the Lachine Rapids. Huge waves, fast water, and loads of fun for Kayaks. Lessons are available on site in the huge eddy formed by the peninsula. Annual surf (rodeo) competitions at "Big Joe" (formerly called and sometimes still referred to as "Beneath the Wheel" by old schoolers). Other famous play waves on this set of rapids on the St. Lawrence river are, Istambul and Constantinople, Pyramid, Slice and Dice, Black and Decker, as well as HMF on the other side of the islands. For those seeking less of an adrenaline rush, there is always the Bunny Wave (La Vague a Guy) upstream near the bike path at Park Rene Lesvesque. Rafting these same rapids is also a fun option. [edit] Bike An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the Vélo Québec website.[46] Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include: Parc Maisonneuve — A large park with smooth paths. Parc Jean-Drapeau — Particularly the Île Notre-Dame on the Formula One race track: a fantastic view across the water to downtown Montreal. Lachine Canal — Bike paths west of the Old Port. Riviere-des-Prairies — You can ride across Montreal Island from west to east along the river on the north of Montreal. Many sites have incredible views. A stop at Perry Island is a must. [edit] Parks Square Saint-Louis, corner of rue Saint-Denis and rue Prince-Arthur, slightly north of rue Sherbrooke (metro Sherbrooke). A charming little park with majestic trees and a lovely fountain, lined with charming houses on three sides (the Institute of Hotel Techniques of Quebec hotel school is the fourth side). This was the site of the first water reservoir in Montreal. Parc Jean Drapeau — The former Expo 67 fairgrounds, Parc Jean Drapeau is spread across two islands (Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre Dame) in the Saint Lawrence River. On Sundays in the summer, join thousands of Montrealers reveling in the sunshine and music outdoors at Piknik Électronique. People enjoy riding a bicycle around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track on Ile Notre Dame. La Ronde and the Montreal Biosphere are located here. (metro Parc Jean Drapeau) Parc Lafontaine, from avenue Papineau to avenue du Parc Lafontaine and from rue Rachel to rue Sherbrooke. Ice skating on the lake in the winter, baseball, boules, and outdoor theatre in the summer. (metro Sherbrooke) Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier. Parc du Mont-Royal Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique de Montreal, [47] from rue Sherbrooke to boulevard Rosemont and from boulevard Pie-IX to avenue Viau (metro Pie-IX or Viau). The Jardin Botanique is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and features the First Nations Garden, the Insectarium, and the Tree House, as well as 16 different themed gardens and greenhouses. Parc du Mont-Royal, North of avenue des Pins, between avenue du Parc and chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, 514-843-8240 (info@lemontroyal.qc.ca). This beautiful, immense urban park tops the "mountain" (at 232 metres, it's more like a hill) that overlooks all of Montreal and lends the city its name. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, the park is elegant and accessible, and has hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. A broad and gradual five mile bike and pedestrian path begins at the Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier (on Avenue du Parc, opposite the western end of rue Rachel, where the bike path continues), winding its way around the mountain and culminating at the Belvédère (lookout) and Chalet Mont-Royal, with incredible views of downtown, the St. Lawrence river, and the Eastern Townships. The Belevedere and Chalet are also accessible from downtown by the newly restored staircase, access via the path at the top of rue Peel. Numerous smaller paths and trails crisscross the park. For lazy visitors, or those with limited mobility, you can enjoy a wonderful view from the mountain by taking bus route 11, which stops at the lookout on Chemin Remembrance, as well as Beaver Lake. Every Sunday during the summer, thousands of people get together at the monument on Avenue du Parc to enjoy the big tam-tam jam. Parc Jeanne-Mance, bordered by avenue du Parc, avenue Duluth (with a small extention south as far as avenue des Pins), rue de l'Esplanade and avenue Mont-Royal, directly across from Parc du Mont-Royal. Includes tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a soccer/football pitch, beach volleyball courts, a skating rink in winter. Also a very popular dog-walking venue. Parc de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation, rue d'Iberville and boulevard Gouin, (514) 280-6733 (metro Henri-Bourassa, Bus 69 east). This regional park is along the Riviere-des-Prairies. Quiet and enjoyable place to bring a lunch and relax for an afternoon. Good starting point for a cycling tour along the river. [edit] Festivals Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones: Just For Laughs Festival[48] — Comedy festival with three main components: indoor paid shows (usually stand-up, but not always), free street theatre/comedy, and a mini film festival called Comedia. July. Shakespeare-in-the-Park[49] — During the summer in parks around Montreal, Repercussion Theatre puts on outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays free of charge. Festival du Monde Arabe — In November, an annual festival celebrating the music and culture of the Arab world takes place in Montreal. Many Arab performers, traditional and modern, take the stage. Festival Mondiale de la bière[50] — Annually, in early June: Five days of tasting beers, ciders, and other beverages from all over Quebec, Canada and further afield. 2004's event boasted over 340 different beers from 130 countries. There is no admission fee (but you can buy a souvenir sampling mug for about $8) and samples typically sell for three to four tickets ($1 a ticket) for a 150-200 ml sample. There are also scheduled musical performances and food kiosks. The festival can get very busy at peak times (Friday and Saturday evening of the event), so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid possible long queues. Montréal en lumière[51] — A relatively new wintertime affair, attempting to transplant the city's festival magic to the cold season. Includes three main categories of activities: food and wine, performing arts, and free activities both indoor and outdoor. February. Montreal International Fireworks Competition, in La Ronde amusement park (in Parc Jean-Drapeau), 514-397-2000, info@internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com [52]. This fantastic festival features full-length fireworks displays, accompanied by orchestral music, by national teams from about a dozen countries around the world. Although the hot seats are inside the La Ronde theme park, the fireworks are visible from pretty much any clear space or rooftop in the centre of the city. Pedestrians can watch from Jacques Cartier Bridge, which is closed from 8PM on fireworks nights. Another good spot is the promenade west of the Old Port. $35-45 (seats in La Ronde, free everywhere else). Saturdays 10PM from mid-June to late July, plus Wednesdays 10PM from mid-July on. Fete de St-Jean-Baptiste — June 24th is Quebec's national holiday (Fête nationale). During the evening, a huge show takes place at Maisonneuve park. This is the show to go to hear Made-in-Quebec music. Free. Street parties can also be found all over the city. International Festival of Film on Art - organization devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. A ten-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artis and artisans from the art and film communities, as well as for art and cinema enthusiast. [edit] Music Festivals Montreal International Jazz Festival[53] — The world's largest jazz festival, this festival is a major international event, attracting many big name artists. Many streets in downtown Montreal are closed off to traffic for two weeks and several concert stages are set up. There are numerous free outdoor shows and indoor concerts (paid). Late June - early July. POP Montréal International Music Festival 514-842-1919 [54] — A massive feast of up-and-coming bands in a variety of popular genres. In early fall, host to more than 80 events, 300+ artists, a conference, an arts fair, and more! POP Montreal showcases emerging and innovative artists alongside rising international stars and is committed to encouraging vibrant indie communities. Francofolies[55] — A festival celebrating French music. Similarly to the jazz festival, many free outdoor concerts are offered in a section of downtown that is closed off to traffic for a week. June. MUTEK[56] — An annual gathering, held in Montreal, during the first week of June. The MUTEK festival showcases emerging forms of electronic music and the latest trends in sound creation. Heavy MTL[57] — Is billed as a two-day heavy music festival taking place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2010 edition will take place 24-25 July. Confirmed artists as of February 2010 include Megadeth, Slayer, and Testament on 24 July and Korn, Rob Zombie, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Hatebreed, Chimera, 3 Inches of Blood, Winds of Plague, Atreyu, In this Moment, and Norma Jean on 25 July. Osheaga Music and Arts Festival[58] — Is a two-day indie & alternative rock festival held annually in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2010 edition is scheduled for July 31st and August 1st. Additionally, the Osheaga in the City concert series will take place from July 28th to July 30th [edit] Film festivals World Film Festival[59] — The Festival is open to all cinema trends. The eclectic aspect of its programming makes the Festival exciting for the growing number of participants from the five continents. Every year, films from more than 70 countries, including well-known and first-time filmmakers alike, are selected. There are usually free outdoor projections every night. Late August to early September. Fantasia (Asian and fantasy) [60], July. Image + Nation (gay and lesbian) [61], September. Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal (new filmmakers, well-known auteurs, new media) [62], October. Cinémania (French cinema with English subtitles) [63], November. Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (documentaries) [64], November. Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois (Quebec cinema) [65], February. [edit] Sports to watch Canadiens, Ice hockey, Canada's national winter sport: Bell Centre, 1260 rue De La Gauchetière (metro Lucien-L'Allier or Bonaventure), [66]. One of the greatest institutions in Quebec culture. If you want to see a game, it helps to know someone with tickets, as they generally sell out within minutes of going on sale. They are widely available through unofficial channels and scalpers, but be prepared to shell out as they don't come cheap! You can also get cheaper tickets if you're a resident of the HI youth hostel. You can also stay in front of the hostel and ask a resident to buy a ticket for you if you aren't staying at the hostel! Alouettes, Football (Canadian Football League), Percival Molson Stadium, avenue des Pins at University (playoffs: Olympic Stadium), [67]. A dominant team in recent regular seasons, the Als have won the Grey Cup twice since being reborn in 1996, including the recent 2009 championship. Molson Stadium is an excellent place to see a game, but tickets can be hard to come by. The team has sold out every game in the facility since moving there in 1998. Impact, Association football (soccer), Saputo Stadium located at 4750 Sherbrooke street East and Viau in the Olympic Park (metro Viau), [68]. Consistent contenders, first in the USL First Division and its current league, the USSF Division 2 Pro League (both at the U.S./Canada second level). In 2012, the Impact will become the third Canadian team in Major League Soccer. Tennis — Montreal hosts Master's ATP series event (men) every two years. The other year, Montreal hosts a WTA event (women),[69]. Formula 1 Grand Prix — Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hosts a race of so called 'pinnacle of the motorsport' almost ever year. The best drivers of the world compete during a three days event which gathers about 100,000 spectators and is considered one on of the classics of this discipline, [70]. [edit] Learn [edit] Language classes Montreal is a popular destination for language-immersion programs in French and English. Many schools arrange accommodations — either in dorms or with a family and provide cultural programs with trips around the city and beyond. Prices are usually higher for non-Quebecois and higher-still for non-Canadians. Most are located in Downtown and the Old City. Intensive, non-resident programs are also offered by the YMCA and Quebec government. [edit] Universities Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, McGill University. Concordia University is the city's other English-language university, the largest East of Toronto, and has over 40,000 students. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it still holds many graduate-level courses at night. The Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM) and the Université de Montréal cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in Paris and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada. The Université de Montréal has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal (engineering), and HEC Montréal (business school) that offer undergraduate and graduate studies. Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke also have campuses in the Montreal area. Every university, with the exception of Laval, lends its name to a subway stop to indicate the university's approximate location. For example, the Guy-Concordia subway station, located at the intersection of Rue Guy and boulevard de la Maisonneuve ouest, is no more than two minutes away from its namesake university (Concordia). [edit] Work As Montreal is in the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration policies, persons wishing to work in Montreal will have to go through two processes, once with the Quebec government, then finally with the Canadian government. If you are employed with a foreign company which has a Montreal office, you can seek a transfer. You can also seek a job with a Montreal employer and they can sponsor you for a temporary work visa. If you are a skilled worker (see CIC website) you can immigrate based on your own skills. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows skilled U.S. and Mexican professionals to obtain Canadian work visa provided they are qualified in certain professions. The American Consular Services website [71] provides an up-to-date list of qualifying professions. If you are an U.S. Citizen aged 18-30 and a full-time student, you can obtain a Canadian work visa valid for six months through BUNAC [72]. Students from France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia can also benefit from BUNAC work programs. As well, if you obtain a degree from a Canadian university, you are eligible to remain in Montreal and work for up to one year. For anyone else, the Immigration Canada (CIC) website [73] explains a number of ways foreigners can legally work in Canada. Student jobs include babysitting, painting during the summer, and moving furniture in June. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects and so are Montreal's many biotech firms. Montreal also has many call centres, which constantly seek to hire new employees and offer flexible working hours. [edit][add listing] Buy Maple syrup in Old Montreal. Although Montreal's economy has been booming in recent years, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. Shopping in Montreal ranges from eclectic budget stores to high-end fashion, with a wide spectrum in between. [edit] General Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has many of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue Saint-Denis and a mixed bag of neighbourhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between Boulevard St-Laurent and Avenue du Parc. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and Mount Royal, anything and everything Italian between Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon). Rue Sherbrooke ouest, west of the Autoroute Décarie, boasts an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses. Jean-talon market, located near the intersection of Jean-talon and St-Laurent boasts a wide variety of local produce and food products (maple syrup, cheese, etc.) at very good prices. [edit] Luxury Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal est, as well as rue Saint-Laurent (continuing as far north as Bernard). The latter is in the process of becoming more upscale, so the range of shopping is highly variable and lower in density as one goes north of Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke itself has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a short strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Avenue in Westmount, which boasts a short, but luxurious retail strip. Rue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there. [edit] Furniture and antiques On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores has grown up in recent years. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between rue Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser, but still interesting stores as far north as rue Saint Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame est, when you head east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers. [edit] Newspapers The Gazette is the city's English-language daily. Hour and Montreal Mirror are the English-language alternative weeklies. [edit][add listing] Eat Wing's Chinese Noodles, Chinatown Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to haute cuisine. The city was recently ranked 2nd best dining city in North America after San Francisco and ahead of New York. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) (Schwartz's is undisputably the most authentic smoked meat restaurant) and small, crusty bagels (the undisputed classic bagel places are St-Viateur's and Fairmount Bagels). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Quebecois favorites like split pea soup and poutine. Poutine No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine (possibly from a French word meaning "mess"). This unique dish is a plate of French fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables, or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (poutine italienne). Every Montrealer has their favourite poutine restaurant where it says that you can get "the real stuff" but La Banquise, on the Plateau at 994 rue Rachel est, usually tops the list. Many Montreal restaurants are "apportez votre vin" (bring your own wine). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a dépanneur (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter where it is. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip so make sure to ask. If you are driving from the United States, you may find Canadian liquor prices quite frightening. Even the duty-free shops along the border are rarely cheaper than an American liquor store (although these are still cheaper than the SAQ). Visitors can bring in a 40oz of hard alcohol, 1.5L of wine, or a 24-pack of beer. Separate bills (l'addition in French) are common and you may be asked ensemble ou séparément? (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15% and is not included. Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame". [edit] Markets To buy your own food or regional products, the public market at Jean-Talon, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, the market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce. Even though they're not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat, and just about anything edible. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavored and feature a number of excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, as well as good selections of cheese, fish, and produce. Located on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame estonel-Groulx station [edit] Restaurants Montreal claims to have the most restaurants per capita in North America. With delis and bakeries and diners galore, Montreal offers great budget dining. Venues are scattered all over the city, but the largest concentration of restaurants is along rues Saint-Laurent, Saint-Denis and Mont-Royal est he Plateau. Tasty and cheap ethnic food, ots of India buffets,can be found around the Jean-Talon market. Two Montreal classics, poutine and the smoked meat sandwich, can make a filling meal for under $10. Pizza-by-the-slice can be had for a loonie, and there's always the option of rolling your own picnic with fresh produce from Marché Atwater or Jean Talon Market. Several kosher restaurants can be found within a few blocks of each other on Queen Mary road not far from the Snowdon Métro station and boul Décarie near Villa-Maria-des-Neiges]]. The other greatest concentration of kosher food in along Bernard in Outremont. Smoked-meat and sausage poutine aside, Montreal is vegetarian-friendly with several veggie and vegan restaurants and veggie options on most menus. The best way to find a restaurant, outside of asking Montrealers, is to search through those websites: Chowhound [74] Restomontreal [75] Guide Voir Restos (French) [76] Montreal is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city. [edit] Desserts Montreal has a number of excellent ice cream parlours, many of which make their own ice cream. Plus que Parfait 60 rue Fairmount ouest. (Gelato) Havre aux Glaces 7070, rue Henri-Julien (Gelato; situated in the Jean Talon market) Meu Meu 4458 rue Saint-Denis (Gelato) Ripples 3880 St-Laurent (Gelato) Bilboquet 1311 rue Bernard ouest (Ben and Jerry's-style ice cream - sweet, with chunky bits) Montreal also has restaurants dedicated to desserts. Juliette et chocolat Various locations, try the one at 1615 rue Saint-Denis (all chocolate deserts, you can even have shots of chocolate!) Rockaberry Various locations, try the one at rue Saint-Denis (huge cakes, great cheesecake) [edit] Brunch/breakfast restaurants In Montreal, certain restaurants' specialty is breakfast/brunch. L'Avenue 922 rue Mont-Royal est (famous for their eggs Benedict, also serves lunch and dinner) Chez Cora Various locations, see http://www.chezcora.com/ (anything you want, very diversified menu) "Chez Jose" 173 Avenue Duluth Est (amazing sandwiches and pastries. the almond croissant is amazing) [edit] Kosher Kosher Kosher refers to Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with Jewish law is termed kosher in English, meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law). Morty's Steakhouse 5395 Queen Mary Yakimono sushi bar 4210 Boulevard Décarie Exception II 5039 Queen Mary Chez Benny 5071 Queen Mary Chez Benny Express 2075 rue St-Louis Pizza pita 6415 Décarie Casalinga 5625 Décarie Famous Pizza 2145 rue St Louis Yoel's Dizenogff grill 3460 Stanley, 2nd Floor Tatty's Pizza 6540 Darlington Paradise Kosher 11608 De Salaberry Milk 'N Honey 5756 Avenue Du Parc Ristorante Maestro 6136 Cote Saint Luc Rd Pizza Maestro 5800 Cavendish (This is in a mall, located in the food court near McDonalds) Jerusalem express 5800 Cavendish (This is in a mall; it is next to Subway) Le Grill 6445 Décarie (In the Quality Hotel Midtown) Ernie And Ellie’s 6900 Décarie (In a mall called Décarie Square but is a business-casual type place) Café Dizengoff 5500 Westbury (in the Jewish YMCA) (it has two separate kitchens so mornings are the dairy menu and afternoons are the meat menu) [edit][add listing] Drink The legal age to purchase alcohol in Québec is 18 and the Quebecois are usually not very rigid in enforcing this age limit. All retail alcohol sales stop at 11 p.m. and bars and clubs stop serving at 3 a.m. Quality wine and liquor (but only a small selection of imported beers) can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 6p.m. Sunday to Wednesdays and 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. on other days; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11AM to 10PM. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores. Some supermarkets have partnered with the SAQ to offer a few selection bottles, so if you are caught outside business hours or are in a hurry, places like IGA Extra and MÉTRO generally offer a better variety of wine than the local dépanneur. The selection of beer to be found in grocery stores and even the humble corner store have exploded in the last decade in and around greater Montreal. Two micro-breweries in particular are world-class: McAuslan (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and Unibroue (Belgian-style ales such as Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, as well as simpler, more affordable U lagers). Boréale makes a good, if unspectacular range of brews, while Rickard's and Alexander Keith's domestics are gaining popularity among locals. Most stores also sell a few major imports such as Stella Artois, Sapporo, Guinness, Leffe and of course, Heineken. [edit] Bars Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. Rue Crescent, in the western part of downtown, caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. On the edge of the bar-heavy Plateau, Boulevard Saint-Laurent gets extremely busy when McGill and Concordia students are back in town for a new session. Between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins you'll find trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent, it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. Rue Saint-Denis, between rue Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve, is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips. You should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually an unlimited choice. [edit] Dance clubs Dance clubs can be found all over the downtown area, with hotspots on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Crescent. Saphir, 3699 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Goth and punk nights on two floors. L'Opéra, 32 rue Sainte-Catherine ouest. New club, formerly called Le Dôme. Biggest one in the city(closed). La Boom, 1254 rue Stanley. One of the trendiest club in Montreal. Be well-dressed and have a well-dressed wallet. Cafe Campus, 57 rue Prince-Arthur est. Best known for its Tuesday night $7 pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories. Club Tokyo, 3709 St-Laurent. Dress to impress. Offers various rooms with comfortable couches and an outdoor terrasse. Plays a mix of club music/retro/hip hop that will keep you dancing all night long. Altitude 737, 1 boulevard Rene-Lévesque. Expensive lounge club and restaurant located in the penthouse of Place Ville-Marie (the skyscraper with the rotating beacon whose lights are viewable 50 km around); offers a unique view of the city's skyline. Has a large rooftop terrace. Muzique 3781 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Montreal's new high-end destination, 2 rooms and a rooftop patio overlooking Mount Royal [edit] After-hours clubs After-hours clubs, for those who aren't tired out by 3 a.m., are open a.m.-10a.m.. Note that they do not, by law, serve alcohol at this time. Stereo, 858 rue Sainte-Catherine est[77]. Mainly plays house music and occasionally trance/techno. Stereo was once voted #5 of the top 10 clubs in the world by Muzik magazine, as it has welcomed several of the top DJs from around the world. The venue is known to have one of the best sound systems in North America. The crowd is mostly gay/lesbian depending on the night, the age ranges between 20-35, and is often at full capacity. A great place to end the night if you're still not tired after 2AM. Circus, 915 rue Sainte-Catherine est[78]. Electronica and hip-hop. The most recent and most luxuriously decorated after-hour in Montreal. Lots of space and hidden corners. The crowd is a bit younger (18-25), and doesn't always pack to full capacity. The venue had welcomed a number of big DJs such as Tiesto in 2005. [edit] Karaoke Pang Pang Karaoke Bar, 1226 rue Mackay. 514-938-8886. Very comfy rooms in a range of sizes can be hired by the hour. [edit] Gay and lesbian Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco and every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the "Black and Blue" circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men. Most popular gay bars can be found in the city's Gay Village, located on the eastern stretch of Ste-Catherine and easily accessible by the Beaudry metro, between Amherst and Papineau. Unity, Parking, and Sky are the dance club favourites, while Cabaret Mado offers excellent drag performances. There are also numerous pubs, male strippers, restuarants, saunas, and karaoke in the area. The four main strippers bars are Stock, Campus, Taboo, and Adonis. The most popular sauna is Oasis. A good place to start any search is with this gay owned and operated link [79] for Montreal, Quebec, Canada with gay travel info in easy-to-use listings as a directory. [edit][add listing] Sleep For the budget traveler, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms as well as budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The cheapest central hostel and restaurants are in the Eastern part of Ville-Marie district of Montreal/Sainte-Marie. The densest collection of budget hotels are in the Latin Quarter, in the streets East of Berri-UQAM metro and the long distance bus station. The Old Town has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there. Mid-range options include Downtown chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the Plateau. On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in the Old City and Downtown. Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months. [edit] Contact [edit] Phone Montreal has four area codes: the long-standing 514, the newer 438, and 450 as well as now 579 for surrounding, off-island areas. The area code must be used for all calls: even if it's the same one you're calling from and even if calling next door. For example, calling a 514 number from within 514, use "514-123-4567". Dialing the same number from outside 514 area would be 1-514-123-4567. [edit] Internet Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations. There are also long-standing cyber/internet cafés (minus the café part) such as Battelnet 24 at many locations in Montreal including one at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. Of course, free internet access is the best kind of internet. The organization Île Sans Fil [80] provides free wireless internet in cafes and other locations throughout the city. Look for the sticker outside participating venues. The Eaton Centre downtown offers free wireless access in the food court. Also, the Grande Bibliothèque (Great Library) has many freeinternet terminals: you can get a library card (free to Quebec residents with proof of address) to use it there. [edit] Mail Red Canada Post mailboxes are found along most main streets. Post offices are often located inside pharmacies: look for the Canada Post logo. [edit] Stay safe For emergencies call 9-1-1. Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city, it shares Canada's low violent crime rates making it relatively safe. However, property crimes, including car theft, are remarkably high: make sure to lock your doors and keep your valuables with you. Take extra care if you want to visit Montréal-Nord, Saint-Michel, or other eastern parts of the island as well as near Henri-Borassa station. These neighbourhoods are the worst of the city and shootings are heard of in these areas. There is, however, little for tourists to do and they are unlikely to enter by accident. Part of Montreal's Sainte-Catherine downtown corridor is arguably the grittiest part of the city, especially east of Place des Arts. There are homeless people panhandling during the summer and fall. Although most of them are polite, there are some that are more aggressive. Avoid individuals wandering on the streets that appear intoxicated. The street is at its most dangerous around 3:00 a.m. when closing clubs and bars empty their drunkcrowds into the street. You may also come across occasional pockets of street prostitution, especially around strip clubs. In Montreal, pickpockets are not very common, but keep an eye on things when watching street performances in the Old City or in other crowds. If you are concerned about safety on the metro, use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system, which is generally safe. While written instructions are in both English and French, most announcements (usually about delays) are in French only so if you think you heard something in the announcement that may affect you, just try asking a fellow passenger for a translation. Pedestrians and bike-riders should be especially careful. Crosswalks are rarely respected. Motorists have a general contempt for pedestrians, especially when they are trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Wasps are a considerable menace during the height of summer. Consider carrying vinegar on your person in case of stings to help neutralize the sting. Otherwise, see below if you are allergic for the nearest English-speaking hospital. [edit] Weather Montreal is often icy and cold in winter, be careful by dressing appropriately for the conditions and be mindful of ice or snow anytime you are driving or walking. Street clearing of snow is generally effective. Summers are warm to hot and can be quite humid. Being surrounded by rivers adds to this effect. [edit] Hospital The closest hospital to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport Imnternational airport is the Lakeshore General Hospital located at 160 avenue Stillvie in Pointe-Claire. (514-630-2225) The Montreal General Hospital is located at 1650 avenue Ceader. (514-934-1934) The Royal Victoria Hospital is located at 687 avenue des Pins ouest. (514-843-1650) If you do not have Quebec Health Insurance, be prepared to pay by credit card at the door as it does not accept traveller's insurance (but you will be reimbursed when you return home). (514-630-2225) [edit] Cope [edit] Consulates United States, 1155 rue Saint-Alexandre, ☎ +1 514 398-9695 (fax: +1 514 398-0973), [81].  edit GoAbroad.com [82]Has a mostly comprehensive list of all consulates in Canada listed by country indicating which cities have a consulate. The consulate's contact information, address, phone, fax e-mail and web page, is included. [edit] Respect As in the rest of Quebec, language politics and Quebec sovereignty are contentious issues in Montreal. Don't make the assumption that all French Canadians are in favor of Quebec's separation of Canada as many are against it. If you really want to discuss those topics with locals, be sure you are well-informed. It is still safer to avoid the subject, It is still a very emotional issue. Use common sense and be respectful. The first language in Quebec is French. Making an attempt to use the language is a great way to show respect for locals, whether or not they can speak English, even if you can manage only a few words with a very strong accent. However, it should be noted that Montreal is considered to be one of the world's most bilingual cities with many residents whose primary language is English. In case of doubt, you may want to open with a warm "Bonjour!" (Good day) and see what language is used in response. Most likely you will be answered in English, if your French accent does not sound local. Try not to be offended if you are trying to speak French and locals respond to you in English. Since most Montrealers speak both French and English, they are simply trying to make things easier for you. Many people working in the tourist and service industries are completely bilingual without accents. But don't make jokes about French people (especially since francophones in Montreal are mostly Québécois with a few Acadiens and Franco-Ontariens, all of which consider themselves different from the French from France and from one another). Also, do not assume that all Québécois are francophones. Montreal has a significant English-speaking community with a long history in Quebec and many immigrants whose first language is neither English nor French. See also Quebec#Talk, Quebec#Respect and the French phrasebook. [edit] Get out Montreal makes an excellent entryway for visiting other cities and destinations in Quebec and northern United States. Remember that you will have to pass the border control if you go to the US, and arm yourself with the appropriate Visas and papers. Add at least one extra hour for the border control. Quebec City, about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip. You'll want to stay over, anyway. Mont Tremblant lies less than two hours north in the Laurentides. The Eastern Townships are two to three hours straight east. Explore the Monteregie townships, a short drive east of Montreal. Ottawa is two hours west by car. Toronto is more distant, but still a doable six hour drive (or a faster 4.5-hour train trip). Adirondacks is a two and a half hour drive to the south. Adirondacks is the largest park in the contiguous United States and offers outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and skiing. Boston is a five and a half hour drive to the southeast. The Chateau Montebello, located an hour and a half west in Montebello, makes for a romantic getaway or stop on the trip to Ottawa. Between December and March there is good downhill skiing in the Laurentians and in the Eastern Townships. There are some very good night-skiing centres such as Ski Bromont and Mont-St-Sauveur. Tadoussac, about six hours away by car, has great whale-watching New York City is only a six and a half hour drive directly south. Routes through Montreal END ←  W  E  → Brossard → Sherbrooke Boisbriand ← Laval ←  N  S  → END Mont-Tremblant ← Laval ←  N  S  → Brossard → Albany Kingston ← Cornwall ← Becomes ←  W  E  → Brossard → Quebec City Ottawa ← Hudson ←  W  E  → Yamachiche → Quebec City This is a guide article. It has a variety of good, quality information including hotels, restaurants, attractions, arrival and departure info. Plunge forward and help us make it a star! 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