Language
Located in Canada's French-speaking province, Montréal
is a dynamic, multicultural multilingual city with a touch of
European flavour. Unilingual English-speakers will have no difficulty in downtown
Montréal, where they will hear French being spoken all around but will still be
able to speak English to almost anyone they meet. Those with no knowledge of French
are advised to learn or note some basic French which they may encounter on signs,
menus, and bathroom doors. Those with basic French knowledge will almost certainly
fare well, although Québecois French is subtly different from that of France.
Currency
All Canadian banks and exchange counters will accept
US dollars to convert to Canadian dollars; most exchange counters will
accept currency from elsewhere in the world, but it is usually a good
idea to bring US or Canadian dollars anyhow.
Climate
In May, Montréal temperature will be between
8 to 18°C.
Links
Some resources to make your visit to Canada
as smooth as possible.
- A Montreal Guide With Tips for Locals, Tourists and People Relocating to Montreal http://montreal.about.com/
- US State Department's for travellers to Canada
- American's Guide to Canada
By air
Scheduled flights, international or otherwise,
fly into Trudeau International Airport (YUL - formerly known as Dorval Airport).
Getting from Dorval to downtown is a $46 cab ride, a $8 coach ride, or
a $3 city-bus-and-subway ride.
By train
Montréal is served by Canada's VIA
Rail and by Amtrak. Both of Montréal's train
stations -- Gare Centrale and Gare Windsor -- are located within a ten-minute walk of
the McGill campus.
- VIA Corridor routes to Montréal
- Amtrak Adirondack to Montréal
By car
Parking will be available on-site at around $15 (US$12) per day.
You can also park on the street for free, but space is often hard to find
and you will be fined if you do not read the signs correclty.
Yahoo! Maps can give you driving
directions here. Remember, Canada is Metric: speed limits are measured in
kilometres per hour, and fuel in litres.
Important: You cannot turn right on a red light on the island of Montréal.
By bus
Canadian and American bus lines, including
Greyhound, Coach Canada, and Voyageur, stop at the
Montréal Terminus.
There is a lot to see in Montréal, so this is just a short sample of what is out there. For a more comprehensive list of Montréal's places to see, you can visit the following webpages:
- Tourism Montreal is a great source of information, and is the official Montréal tourism agency.
- See Montréal right now from the city's network of Montrealcams
- Montréal's English entertainment weeklies, Hour and Mirror
- MontrealPlus has the usual tourist fare.
- STM is Montreal's public transit corporation. This website has very good maps of Montreal, and of course, bus, metro and train schedules.
Old Montréal
The Old Port has many attractions. Explore. Here are some more formal activities. For details and a better map, check
www.oldportofmontreal.com.
- Balade of the Old Port
Guided bus tour of the Old Port that gives history and practical orientation. Tickets can be purchased at the Pavillon Jacques Cartier. Better still, hop onto a calêche, a horse-drawn carriage, to savour this part of the city.
- Boat Rides
Different tests of seaworthiness can be faced. Le Bateau-Mouche takes you leisurely around the port. Les Dauphins du St-Laurent gets to Three Rivers and Quebec City by hydrofoil. But the true test is a whitewater exploration of the Lachine rapids by jet boat; very wet-marine gear provided (Clock Tower Pier at the eastern edge of the Old Port.
- Biking and Blading
A challenging network of bike paths can be accessed from the Old Port. One route takes you west to the tip of the island along the St. Lawrence. Rentals, maps, guides are available by the hour or day at the Conveyors' Pier, Old Port Promenade.
- Two Museums
The Chateau Ramezay museum (280 Notre-Dame E.) was the 18th century home of an early Governor of Montreal during the French regime and now houses a varied collection associated with the history of Montreal and the province of Quebec. To the west of the port is the Pointe-à-Callière (350 Place Royale, Corner of De la Commune) an impressive museum on the origins of the city that takes you literally to the city’s foundations.
Click to here enlarge.
Some Museums
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1380 Sherbrooke W.; métro Guy) houses traditional European and North American Art.
Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (185 Ste Catherine E.; 847-6226; métro Place des Arts) standing next to the Place des Arts
complex theater and music compex, the museum is devoted exclusively to contemporary art. A nice place to have lunch.
McCord Museum of Canadian History (690 Sherbrooke W; métro McGill) is dedicated to Canadian history. Wonderful building.
Canadian Centre for Architecture (1920 Baile; métro Guy-Concordia) Architect Phyllis Lambert has turned the former Shaughnessy
mansion into a museum complex devoted to architecture that is also her private home. A personal statement that is simultaneously
stunning and generous, offering music and film to the public in elegant surroundings.
Shopping
It is easy to combine sightseeing or business with shopping in Montreal. The area of Sherbrooke Street near McGill University
and the Museum of Fine Arts is interesting and the museum itself has a wonderful boutique. Other popular streets include St. Catherine street
in the downtown core, Crescent and Peel from Sherbrooke to St. Catherine. Strolling along Notre Dame Street East of the Atwater market will
bring you past many Montreal antique shops. Old Montreal is great for boutiques selling Canadian and Quebec made handcrafts. St. Denis and
St. Laurent are fun streets to stroll for restaurants and funky shops. Montreal has several open air markets including Atwater and Jean-Talon.
The world's largest underground pedestrian network shelters Montrealers from both the scorching heat of summer and the frigid winter winds.
More than 30 kilometres of passageways link the stations of Montreal's Metro and contain (at last count) 1,600 boutiques, 200 restaurants,
34 cinemas and 1,600 apartments.
Around the conference
The organizers' favorite restaurants around the conference venues.
In old Montreal
A list put together by a CIRANO colleague.
Tipping
A tip of 15% of the pre-tax bill is considered standard in restaurants and bars. A few restaurants will include a service charge on the bill,
especially if you pay as a group.
