A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO
MONTREAL
SALUT. BONJOUR. BIENVENUE.
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT
MONTREAL IT’S CONVENIENT
IT’S HISTORIC
An international destination of choice, Montréal is easily accessed by land, water and air. Downtown is a mere 20 minutes from the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport, which handles some 600 flights daily. Public transit is not only affordable, it’s also a great way to get around the city. Quick, safe and clean, the metro connects downtown to major tourism attractions, as well as to numerous bus stops and train stations. In addition, cycling enthusiasts enjoy 450 kilometres of bicycle paths, many of which lead to major tourist areas.
The story of Montreal begins in 1535 with Jacques Cartier, who sailed from France in search of a route to Asia and discovered an island in the St Lawrence River. An Iroquois village called Hochelaga lay at the base of a 233-metre mountain which rose majestically from the middle of the island. From the summit of the mountain, which he named “Mont-Royal,” Cartier could see miles of fertile plain through which the St Lawrence flowed. To his disappointment, however, the river was barred to the southwest by impassable rapids.
IT’S EXCITING In the picturesque metropolis known as Montreal you’re able to find a city that combines the best parts of both Europe and North American culture and lifestyle. What is unique though is that Montreal is the second largest French speaking metropolis in the world. Montreal is Canada’s most unique city by a long shot due to all the fine dining, interesting bars and clubs and incredible amounts of events and festivals.
Today, Montreal, the second largest French-speaking city in the world, is truly the heart of the province of Quebec. A city of great history by North American standards, its skyscrapers also remind us that it looks ever towards the future. Visitors to Montreal are delighted by the opportunity to experience a taste of Europe in North America. Montreal’s fans are fiercely devoted, and their interests range from film to food, from hockey to jazz, from technological research to shopping. But more than anything it is a city of warmth, a warmth that permeates even the chill of the Canadian winter.
THE MUST SEE PLACES IN MONTREAL
NOTRE DAME BASILLICA
GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR SPIRITUALITY Plans for the Notre Dame Basilica were created in 1824. The architect chosen Basilique Notre-Dame for the job was an Irish-American named James O’Donnell, who also happened to be a Protestant. O’Donnell had just completed Christ Church in Manhattan and First Presbyterian of Rochester, NY. According to records, it took two years to erect the walls of the basilica and the façade up to the base of the towers. By 1827, the wooden framework was completed and the vaulting and original interior were finished two years later. O’Donnell was a leader in the neo-Gothic movement and the basilica certainly reflects his preferences. The building is rectangular in shape, including the towers, which is contrary to the custom which usually kept the towers separate from the façade. before completing his masterpiece,
O’Donnell was so overwhelmed by his creation that he converted to Catholicism on his deathbed and was granted the privilege of being buried in the crypt , the only person ever to receive this honor One of the most famous names ever to work on the interior of the basilica was the architect Victor Bourgeau. From 1872 to 1879, he tended to the church’s main altar, The Basilica at night which was carved from linden wood. The altar was later replaced by a 32-panel altar cast in bronze and fashioned by another Montréal architect, Charles Daudelin. The amazing stained-glass windows in the Basilique Notre-Dame depict the history of Ville-Marie (the original name for Montréal) and were imported from Limoges, France.
BOTANICAL GARDENS
GET BACK TO YOUR ROOTS The Botanical Garden is known as one of the world’s finest, with some thirty thematic gardens, 10 exhibition greenhouses and a vast arboretum. Its gardens form a delightful oasis of peace at any time of year, right in the heart of Montréal. The Montréal Botanical Garden, one of the city’s jewels, is recognized as one of the world’s greatest botanical gardens. It offers a colourful program of events, exhibitions and activities all year long.
With its collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, 10 exhibition greenhouses, Tree House, and some 30 thematic gardens spread out over 75 hectares, it’s also a perfect place to enjoy fresh air and natural beauty. Located just minutes from downtown Montréal, right near the Biodôme and Olympic Park.
MONTREAL BIOSPHERE
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE Biosphere is an architectural masterpiece and a museum of environmental issues, located in Montreal, Canada. It is also the symbol of Expo 67. The museum features interactive exhibitions, which have the purpose to enhance the knowledge of important environmental issues. Visitors are welcome to take part in animated activities and special events, which take place all year round, and learn more about the environment.
Architect Richard Buckminster Fuller was responsible for the creation of the geodesic dome. This gigantic steel framed dome is 61 m (200ft) high and is 76m (250ft) in diameter. The building was originally an enclosed structure made of steel. The internal temperature was controlled by a system of shades. The interior exhibition space was designed by architects from Golden Metak Productions.
After the Expo the US donated the dome to the city of Montreal. The acrylic bubble of the building was destroyed in fire during structural renovations in 1976. The site was purchased by Environment Canada in 1990 and turned into an interactive museum dedicated to studying the water eco system in the great lakes and the Saint Lawrence River.
OLD MONTREAL
A BIT OF HISTORY Old Montreal is a part of downtown Montreal that has been preserved in much of its original state, with the oldest buildings dating back to the 1600’s. This historic neighborhood is a safe and vibrant community and tourist attraction, with hotels, restaurants, shops, residences and commercial spaces. Like Quebec City, Old Montreal is European in character.
Cobblestone streets, a cafĂŠ culture and historic 17th and 18th century architecture all contribute to the quaint charm that is unique amongst cities in North America. The best way to get around once there is most definitely on foot.
JEAN TALON MARKET
FOOD AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE Jean-Talon Market (French: Marché Jean-Talon) is a farmer’s market in Montreal. Located in the Little Italy district, the market is bordered by Jean-Talon Street to the north, Mozart Ave. to the south, Casgrain Ave. to the west and Henri-Julien Ave. to the east. It contains two city-maintained streets both called Place du Marché du Nord. The market is located between the Jean-Talon and De Castelnau metro stations. The market was opened to the public in 1933 while Camillien Houde was the city mayor. Before that, the space the market now occupies was a lacrosse field for the “Shamrock Lacrosse Grounds” club. The market’s single building (the chalet) quickly become the focal point for development of the area around it. From the opening until 1961, the chalet
was used as a terminal for buses heading to the neighbouring city of Laval. Between 1961 and 1970 a municipal library and a social services centre replaced the bus station. Since then, the space was occupied by administrative offices. Major renovations were undertaken in 2004 to handle the crowds that populate the market during the summer months. An underground parking lot was constructed, and an above ground structure was built over the underground parking area. The market is open year-round, even during Montreal’s severe winters, although during this time walls are placed around the entire market area. During the peak summer period, between June and October, its open-air arcades are occupied by about 300 vendors, mostly farmers from the countryside around Montreal.
LA RONDE
ROLL WITH THE CHANGES La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, owned and operated by Six Flags. It is the largest in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada’s Wonderland La Ronde was opened in 1967 as the midway of the Expo 67 World’s Fair. The park opens from mid-May to late October, with peak admissions in July. La Ronde closes its season the last weekend of October. To celebrate Halloween, in the late couple weeks of October, the park hosts
its annual La Ronde’s Halloween Fright Fest. The festival includes an extravagant haunted house and dozens of horrifically-costumed performers, who roam the park looking for new victims to thrill and scare. Today, the park features 40 rides, including ten roller coasters; among them is Le Monstre, a 40-metre (131 ft) high wooden double-tracked roller coaster which currently holds the record for highest double-tracked roller coaster in the world. La Ronde was owned and administered by the City of
Montreal until it was sold to Six Flags, an American theme park chain, in a deal completed on May 4, 2001. They acquired all of the assets of the park for 20 million USD and have a long-term contract to lease the land from the city. Before the announcement of the Six Flags purchase, the city had considered offers from other bidders including Paramount Parks, Cedar Fair, and Parc Astérix. Since then Six Flags has invested around 90 million dollars in new rides and improvements such as Le Vampire, Splash, Le Goliath and Ednör L’Attaque as well as a new main entrance.
MOUNT ROYALE
THE NAMESAKE Mount Royal is a hill in the city of Montreal, immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name. It is often called a mountain, as there are no actual mountains in the Montéregie region. The mountain is the site of Mount Royal Park (in French: Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal’s
largest greenspaces. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also co-designed New York’s Central Park, and inaugurated in 1876, although not completed to his design. There are two cemeteries in the area: Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery, Mount Royal Cemetery running out of space.
OLYMPIC STADIUM
GAME ON The Olympic Stadiumis a multipurpose stadium in the HochelagaMaisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. The stadium is nicknamed “The Big O”, a reference to both its name and to the doughnutshape of the permanent component of the stadium’s roof; “The Big Owe” name has also been used to reference the astronomical cost of the stadium and the 1976 Olympics as a whole. The stadium is the largest by seating capacity in Canada. The stadium was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert to
be a very elaborate facility featuring a retractable roof, the design of the stadium resembles to the Osaka 1970 World Expo Australian pavilion. The Olympic swimming pool is located under this tower. An Olympic velodrome (since converted to the Montreal Biodome, an indoor nature museum) was situated at the base of the tower in a building similar in design to the swimming pool. The building was built as the main stadium for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. The stadium was host to various events including the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, football finals, and the team jumping equestrian events.
BELL CENTRE
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien. French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens (or Le Canadien), Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, La Sainte-Flanelle, Le Tricolore, Les Glorieux (or Nos Glorieux), Les Habitants, Le CH and Le Grand Club. In English, the team’s main
nickname is the Habs, an abbreviation of “Les Habitants.” Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL, as well as one of the oldest North American sports franchises. The franchise is one of the “Original Six” teams, a description used for the teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. The team’s championship season in 1992–93 was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.
The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other franchise. They have won 24 championships, 22 of them since 1927, when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Stanley Cup. On a percentage basis, as of 2010, the franchise has won 25% of all Stanley Cup championships contested after the Challenge Cup era, making it one of the most successful professional sports teams of the traditional four major sports of Canada and the United States
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
GET GULTRURED The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is Montreal’s largest museum and is amongst the most prominent in Canada. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a member of the International Group of Organizers of Large-scale Exhibitions, also known as the Bizot Group, a forum which allows the leaders of the largest museums in the world to exchange works and exhibitions. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile
stretch of Sherbrooke Street. The original ‘reading room’ of the Art Association of Montreal was the precursor of the current library of the museum. It is the oldest library in Canada dedicated to art. On September 4, 1972, the museum was the site of the largest art theft in Canadian history, when armed thieves made off with jewellery, figurines and 18 paintings worth a total of $2 million at the time (approximately $10.9
million today), including works by Delacroix, Gainsborough and a rare Rembrandt landscape (“Landscape with Cottages”). The works have never been recovered. In 2003, the Globe and Mail estimated that the Rembrandt alone would be worth $1 million.
CABARET MADO
LIFE IS A CABARET The glint of the sequins can be blinding! Inspired by 1920s cabaret theater, this determinedly trendy place in the Village has nightly performances and a dance floor, and is considered a premiere venue these days. Friday and Saturday feature festive drag shows, which, on a given night, may honor the likes of ‘Tina Turner’ or ‘Celine Dion.’ Look for the pink-haired drag queen on the retro marquee. 1115 rue Ste-Catherine est (near rue Amherst). tel. 514/525-7566. www.mado.qc.ca. Cover C$5-C$10.
THE UNDEGROUND CITY
BENEATH THE SURFACE Montreal’s Underground City is the largest of its kind in the world, a mostly subterranean pedestrian network spanning 33 kilometres (20.5 miles) of the downtown core. Linking shopping malls, metro stations, apartments, condos, hotels, universities, office buildings and an amphitheatre, it’s also a confusing, albeit charming, disjointed mess, in part due to its construction being
devoid of a master plan and concerted coordination, a hard thing to do considering the underground city saw its first tunnel project take shape as early as 1962, setting the stage for a network to grow over the course of five decades at the hands of developers completing individual commercial projects at different times.
LA BANQUISE
SERVING UP JOY La Banquise, a small dairy in its infancy, was born in May 1968. Its founder, Pierre Barsalou, a firefighter in the area, turned it into snacks open 24 hours in the fall 1968. You could then enjoy excellent hot dogs and fries succulent. poutine appeared in the early 80s with the classic poutine and Italian. To the popular success, and repeated request of several customers, choice of poutine multiply. There are now no less than 28 different poutine. The Ice is still a family business. The younger Mr. Barsalou, daughter Annie, took over in the 90s, with Marc Latendresse’s spouse. They all continue to perpetuate the tradition of quality and reputation of
Restaurant Ice. During the summer of 2006, The Ice made extensive renovations and greatly expanded its dining room. Forty years later, The Ice has become more than just a snack or a “place to poutine.” There is also a warm and friendly place where you can enjoy microbrewery beers, a menu full day and an excellent lunch.
WHAT IS POUTINE? First of all, shame on you for your ignornance. Poutine is the closest thing to heaven on earth. One of the un-missable features of Quebec is poutine. This wonderful meal is basically made of fries, cheese, and gravy. The perfect poutine is one that contains fresh cheese with hot sauce that can melt it, and crispy fries.
McLEAN’S PUB
CAN YOU HANDLE THE PUB GRUB TOWER OF BEER? Built in 1910 by R.J. Inglis, the building at 1210 Peel Street became the Rymark Tavern in the early 30’s. Since the early 90’s McLean’s Pub has been continuing the tradition by serving great food and excessive ammounts of beer.
a good reputation for
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION The design of the Metro was heavily influenced by Montreal’s winter conditions. Unlike other cities’ metros, nearly all station entrances in Montreal are completely enclosed; usually they are in small, separate buildings with swivelling doors meant to mitigate the wind caused
by train movements that can make doors difficult to open. Several metro entrances are also located within building facades. Only three stations have open entrances, which are prevalent in other cities. Montreal’s metro is renowned for its architecture and public art.
Under the direction of Drapeau, a competition among Canadian architects was held to decide the design of each station, ensuring that every station was built in a different style by a different architect. Several stations, such as BerriUQAM, are important examples of
modernist architecture, and various system-wide design choices were informed by the International Style. Some of the most important works in the Metro include the stainedglass window at Champ-de-Mars station, the masterpiece of major Quebec artist Marcelle Ferron.
THE METRO
WHERE YOU WANT TO BE
MONTREAL
PLAN YOUR TRIP TODAY! WHERE YOU ARE GOING
SALUT. ADIEU. AU REVIOR.