Simply Montreal - What Sets Montreal Apart

This unique multicultural city that combines the best of European charm and North American vitality is a one of a kind experience.  With over 80 ethnic communities that give it life, this truly bilingual city of approximately 4.2 million inhabitants beats at a different rhythm than any other metropolis in North America.

While Montreal may be the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris, it is also very special because it is situated within predominantly English speaking North America.  So while essentially being French, a large number of its inhabitants speak both English and French, making Montreal probably one of the most truly bilingual cities in the world.

The city was established almost 380 years ago and is one of North America’s oldest and best-preserved historical cities.  With its large collection of 18th and 19th-century grey stone buildings, Montreal manages to successfully blend the old with the new.  Old Victorian manors, century-old churches, and modern new skyscrapers manage to co-exist in harmony.  What is truly incredible is how such a large city can actually seems inviting and cozy.  It is probably because Montreal is made up of numerous bustling and diverse neighborhoods that give it its charm and warmth.

What truly makes Montreal special are its people and their joie de vivre.  There must be something in the water since Montrealers truly enjoy life and love to experience what their city has to offer.  Unlike the typical North American work-based mentality, Montrealers instead work to enjoy life and its many pleasures.  Montrealers love to eat and drink, love to be entertained, and especially love to celebrate life.  And because Montreal loves to celebrate, it has become a city of dazzling world-class festivals.

CITY OF FESTIVALS

While Paris may be the city of lights and New York the city that doesn’t sleep, Montreal has truly become the City of Festivals.  Recognized for how smoothly we throw a party and how efficiently we run our festivals, Montreal is known for hosting the largest and most attended festivals in the world.  A few of the more popular ones include:

?   Montreal International Jazz Festival

?   Just for Laughs Comedy Festival

?   Les FrancoFolies de Montreal

?   Festival International Nuits d’Afrique

?   Montreal High Lights Festival

?   Montreal World Film Festival

?   Fête des Neiges

?   Divers/Cité Festival

?   Festival Black & Blue

?   Montreal International Tango Festival

?   Saint Patrick’s Day Parade

?   International Fireworks Festival

GASTRONOMICAL FEAST

Due to the large number of cultures that make up this city as well as the French and European influences present, Montreal has a disproportionate number of wonderful eating establishments to choose from. With thousands of restaurants, Montreal is known the world over as being one of the most affordable and gastronomically pleasing cities around.  With more restaurants per capita than any other comparable city in the world, Montreal truly enjoys and knows its food.

CITY OF SHOPPING

Where to start? With the juxtaposition between the European fashion centers of Paris and Milan and with New York at its doorsteps, Montreal takes the best from both European and North American design and shows it off in a way that is special.  Montreal has a savoir fair and design sensibility that can be traced back to its European roots.  Slightly more refined and avant-garde than most other North American cities, Montreal is truly unique.  

With major department stores and countless boutiques around every corner, here are a sampling of some of Montreal’s finest: Centre Eaton, Cours Mont-Royal, Place Ville Marie, Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, Simons, The Bay, l’Uomo Montreal, Harry Rosen, Parasuco, just to name a few.  There is also Rue Notre Dame with shop after shop of wonderful antique stores to satisfy both the collector and the casual browser?  Art galleries can be found all over town, but a large selection is located in Old Montreal and on Crescent Street, Sherbrooke Street, avenue Laurier, and on rue St. Denis.

CITY OF ATTRACTIONS

It is truly unfair that one city has so much to offer.  Once again, Montreal has been blessed with a large number of world-class attractions and activities for the entire family.  The Casino de Montreal, the Old Port, Old Montreal, Montreal’s Botanical Gardens (3rd largest in the world), the Biodome, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (oldest museum in Canada), McCord Museum of Canadian History, Canadian Centre for Architecture (one of North America’s only museum dedicated to architecture), Six Flags LaRonde Amusement Park, Pointe-a-Calliere Museum (award-winning archeology museum), the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, the Montreal Science Centre and IMAX Theatre, the Biosphere, the Insectarium, Atrium Le 1000 (indoor year-round skating rink), the Olympic Park (Montreal was host to the 1976 Olympics) and much much more.

CITY OF CULTURE

Montreal has a diverse arts and cultural scene that is the envy of most major metropolises.  From classical music to jazz, from ballet and modern dance to experimental theater, and from comedy to world-class musicals, there is never a shortage of events to assist in.  A few of the cultural institutions that makes Montreal so special include the Cirque du Soleil, The National Circus School and la TOHU, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (with Artistic Director Rafael Payare), the Orchestre Métropolitain (with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin), L’Opera de Montreal, I Musici de Montreal, Les Grand Ballets Canadiens, Theatre du Rideau Vert, Theatre St-Denis, the Centaur Theatre and Place des Arts (our very own Lincoln Centre type facility with six halls and nearly 8,000 seats).  And in September 2011 the all-new OSM Concert Hall (Maison Symphonique de Montreal) was inaugurated… 

CITY OF CHURCHES

With some of the most beautiful churches on this side of the Atlantic, Montreal is home to an impressive number of places of worship.  A few of the more noteworthy examples are Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal, Saint Joseph’s Oratory (one of the most visited shrines in the world with a huge dome that is second only in height to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome), and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral as well as St. Patrick’s Basilica in downtown Montreal.

CITY OF NEIGHBOURHOODS

The beauty that is Montreal is the diversity and uniqueness of its many wonderful neighborhoods.  A visit to Montreal is not complete unless you explore a few of the unique districts that make Montreal so special.

?   Quartier des Spectacles – Place des Arts

?   Quartier International de Montreal

?   Chinatown

?   Little Italy

?   Griffintown / Le Sud-Ouest

?   Quartier Latin

?   Old Montreal and the Old Port of Montreal

?   Plateau Mont-Royal

?   Prince Arthur Street & Square Saint-Louis

?   Laurier Avenue

?   Bernard Avenue

?   Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

?   The Village

?   Park Jean-Drapeau (Ile Ste-Helene & Ile Notre-Dame)

?   Lachine Canal National Historic Site

CITY OF HISTORY

Old Montreal and the Old Port of Montreal will take you back in time to the place where the city was founded in 1642.  With its 18th and 19th century architecture, the beauty of this historic area gives it a timeless appeal for all those who visit, locals and tourists alike.  The Old Port’s 2.5 km of walkways is Montreal’s window on the St. Lawrence River.  The Old Port attracts over seven million visitors annually to its parks, walkways, cruises, exhibitions, and just for pure relaxation.

THE VILLAGE

Gay-friendly doesn’t begin to describe Montréal, a city founded on diversity and where different lifestyles are not only accepted, but nurtured.  Naturally, Montréal is home to one of the largest and most extroverted gay communities in the world. And visitors here will always feel safe and respected. The vivid nightlife is complemented by a high level of daytime energy, when the streets of the Village hustle and bustle with employees from nearby radio and TV production houses. 

TRAVEL MADE EASY

While rather compact, the downtown core and many of its special neighborhoods are great places to explore on foot.  With an efficient and safe subway (Metro) and mass transit system, Montreal is one easy city to travel within.  The downtown core also has two major train stations and a couple of bus terminals.  And with our international airport (Trudeau International) only 20 minutes from downtown, Montreal is easy to travel to.

WORLD CLASS SPORT CITY

The city is home to the F1 Grand Prix du Canada (Formula 1), Rogers Cup - Tennis ATP World Tour Event, the famous Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club (proud winner of 24 Stanley Cups) who play at the Bell Centre, CFL’s Montreal Alouettes who call McGill’s Percival Molson Stadium home, and the Club de Foot Montréal, or simply CF Montréal (Previously known as the Montreal Impact, our local professional soccer team) who joined the MLS in 2012 at the newly expanded Saputo Stadium.  In 1976, Montreal hosted the Olympics at the Olympic Park.

THE UNDERGROUND

The underground pedestrian network is made up of over 32 kilometers (20 miles) of passageways, linking more than 1,700 boutiques, hotels, restaurants, universities, dozens of office buildings and attractions.  This vast network of pedestrian walkways below the city provides more than 500,000 people each and every day the ability to move around town and explore the numerous downtown attractions away from the elements.

MOUNT ROYAL PARK

Referred to by Montrealers as the Mountain, this sanctuary to both locals and visitors alike boasts a spectacular park in the middle of the city designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York’s Central Park.  This is an ideal site to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to admire nature, taking a leisurely walk or bike ride, and simply to enjoy summer and winter activities or to take in a spectacular view of downtown Montreal, the St. Lawrence River and the city.

BICYCLE HAVEN

Montreal is proud of its reputation as one of the largest bicycle friendly cities in the world with over 400 miles (660 km’s) of bicycle paths and Montreal’s own self-service public bike-sharing system (BIXI). Bicycling Magazine has named Montreal the number one cycling city (among cities of over one million inhabitants) in North America. Why not rent a bike for a few hours and explore the city in a way that is not only healthy but extremely fun to do?