Montreal that offers an exciting mix of French and English history and culture
Montreal,
Quebec's largest city, offers an exciting mix of French and English
history and culture dating back to European settlement in 1642. More than
half of the population is French and all residents are bilingual, adding
a European charm to this vibrant, cosmopolitan hub.
Whether sipping a cappuccino at an outdoor café in Little Italy, gambling
at the massive Casino de Montreal complex or exploring historic Old
Montreal, you will find the energy of this urban playground contagious.
The international flavor of the city pervades all aspects of daily life,
from the award-winning cuisine to the jazz festival and music scene,
large gay community, fashionable shops and edgy arts scene.
Montreal is divided into neighborhoods, each representing a unique and
lively part of this fabulous, tourist-friendly city. A wide range of
museums, including the fantastic Museum of Fine Arts in the downtown
area. This area was formerly known as 'the Golden Square Mile', because of
the large, luxurious houses built by the wealthy Scottish and English
industrialists who helped shape the city's political and social life. It
is now also home to some spectacular modern architecture.
Veux-Montreal is the oldest part of the city, filled with Parisian-style
outdoor cafés, artists, street performers and florist stands. St Denis is
a convivial area dense with cafés, bistros, quirky boutiques and art
galleries. It has been compared to St Germain des Pres in Paris, for this
is the heart of French Montreal.
Parc du Mont-Royal, Royal Mountain, is named after the single giant peak,
more a large hill than a mountain, which affords stunning 360-degree
views of the city, surrounded by the vast St Lawrence River. Frederick
Law Olmsted, the famed American landscape artist who also created Central
Park in New York, designed the stunning park which contains skating
ponds, hiking trails, cross-country skiing paths and many spots for the
locals to just sit and enjoy the flora and fauna of what they
affectionately call 'the mountain'.
The Underground City, or la ville souterraine, is a climate-controlled
city, built below street level, beneath the major downtown building
developments. Although some buildings in this area are partially above
ground, the majority of structures remain underground, including more
than 1,600 shops, 40 banks, 200 restaurants, 30 cinemas and 10 Metro
stations connecting the vast area, which is a welcome respite against the
freezing Montreal winters.
