About Montreal
Fans of festivals, sports and fine dining will discover a lot to love about Montreal because it has it all, and then some. The city hosts some 90 festivals yearly, most notably the International Jazz Festival, the Just for Laughs/Juste pour Rire comedy fest and the World Film Festival. All that gaiety is complemented by a full range of musical and theatrical performances, for an average of more than 20 shows every night of the year.
Sports can mean spectator events such as hockey or football games, or the Grand Prix of Canada. Also, the city that sits in the St. Lawrence offers choice opportunities to play on or in the water; in addition, winter sports — tobogganing, ice skating or cross-country skiing — are available without leaving the island. Above all, Montreal is the most prominent of the Francophone destinations in the New World, with all that that means in the way of culture, style and the world-renowned French way with food. The French connection is also preserved visually in a fine historic district, Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal). In addition, Montreal is noted for its more than 300 churches. U.S. humorist Mark Twain is quoted as saying you “couldn’t throw a brick without breaking a church window.”

Americans applaud Montreal as a safe and clean destination, with a safe and convenient subway system. Americans also visit because the city is close by — an hour’s drive from crossings into New York or Vermont and roughly an hour by air from key cities in the Northeast. Winters are cold, which is why most visitors choose other seasons. But Montrealers have their underground city, with close to 20 miles of pedestrian walkways linking buildings, indoor parking and the public transportation system.

Practice your rock climbing skills or entertain the whole family at the Horizon Roc Climbing Centre, which with more than 27,000 square feet of climbing surface, claims to be the world’s largest climbing center.

Montreal is built around a mountain (Mount Royal, whence the city’s name). Go cross-country skiing or tobogganing on this mountain. Or, ice skate there.

Go jetboating on the Lachine Rapids, which are a series of rapids in the St. Lawrence between the island of Montreal and the river’s south shore.

Work on the relevant skills at Jeux Arnold Paint Ball.

Rent a kayak, or electric boat, for a water-born sightseeing excursion along the city’s historic Lachine Canal, a waterway through Montreal built to bypass the Lachine Rapids.

Get a taste of New France (meaning, effectively, colonial Quebec) at Le Cabaret du Roy. Dinner includes Amerindian dishes, Quebec produce and grilled game.

Cycle the 70-km (43-mile) West Island Heritage Bicycle Trail as a way to see the sights in a number of villages: Pointe-Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Sainte-Genevieve, Beaconsfield, Baie-d'Urfe, Dorval and Ile-Bizard. See a map at www.sdspoi.ca/en/circuit.asp.

Bike or rollerblade along pathways that line the St. Lawrence.

Shove off into the St. Lawrence in an inflatable raft for a good look at beluga and blue whales.

Try sailing or kayaking on the St. Lawrence. Or, make that scuba diving.

Ice skate on the outdoor artificial rink at the Old Port of Montreal. Year-round ice skating also is on offer at the Atrium Le 1000.

Bring your own bicycle to the city that claims, with reason, to be the best cycling city in North America. Montreal boasts 217.5 miles of bike paths, which are in turn linked to some 2,500 miles of cycling routes throughout the province of Quebec.
Also, drop in at La Maison des Cyclistes, where you will find the Bicicletta cafe and, next door, a boutique selling guidebooks and maps for cyclists.

Take French lessons. This is the world’s second-largest French-speaking city, after Paris.

Dine with ghosts at Montreal’s Haunted House, a Victorian mansion made spooky by entertaining theatrics.

Test yourself at the Shed 16 Labyrinth. It is your challenge to find your way through this themed adventure.

Take a guided sightseeing tour of Montreal by bicycle. Or take a sightseeing cruise around the city.

Join a “ghost hunt,” which means spending your evening, with maps and lanterns in hand, searching for clues and shades of characters from the city’s past. Or, sign on for a traditional guided ghost walk.

Participate in the eight-day Montreal Bike Fest, open to cyclists with varying levels of expertise. Consider joining the nighttime Tour la Nuit.

Have dinner at the Robin des Bois (i.e., Robin Hood), where most employees are volunteers and profits go to charity.

Have a picnic in the Parc Jean-Drapeau, site of Expo ’67.

Before or after your gaming time, attend the cabaret dinner show at the Casino de Montreal.

Attend the International Jazz Festival.

Laugh till your sides hurt at the summer Just for Laughs/Juste pour Rire comedy festival.

Hit the links. There are scores of golf courses in and around Montreal.

Sign on for a sightseeing tour led by a costumed historic personage.

Seek out fine dining opportunities.

See Montreal’s Botanical Garden, the second largest in the world. It includes Chinese and Japanese gardens, plus the Insectarium.

Join a dinner cruise.

Take in a sports event. Choices include the Canadiens of the National Hockey League, the Expos baseball team and, for football, the Alouettes.

For more information, consult Tourisme Montreal at www.tourisme-montreal.org

back to top