MONTREAL

Tourist Tips:

Old Port:

The Old Port is a 2.5-km-long recreational and tourist park and offers a variety of outdoor activities for every taste, from cruises to excursions, exhibitions, events and entertainment. And then there are all the indoor activities, especially at the Montréal Science Centre. In winter, you can skate on the outdoor artificial rink to really make the most of the season. The Old Port of Montréal is a window on the St. Lawrence River for the seven million visitors who come here year round for fun and relaxation or just a lovely stroll.

From concerts to Ghost trails, to boardwalks, to the artists promenade and Urban art, there is something for everyone at the Port.

With extensive redevelopment completed in 1992, Montréal's Old Port has grown into an animated parkland linking the city and the river, site of myriad artistic, heritage, recreational, nautical and sports activities. Although the area's history as a port dates back to the very founding of the city, the most tangible physical traces of that history reflect the 19th century and, especially, Montréal's emergence as a metropolis in the first half of the 20th century.

Today, the Old Port is a place for skating (not just in winter), biking, hanging out, going on a cruise, watching frothy waters flow, or just going with the flow–a place to slow down and appreciate life in. The area hosts a variety of special events in all seasons, attracting several million visitors annually.

Notre Dame Basilica:

Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica has nothing in common with Paris's except the name. It's a neogothic building dating from 1829, constructed on the site of a much older and smaller church which had been outgrown by its parishioners. Notre Dame is noted for its lavish and beautiful interior - stained glass windows, paintings, statues, gold-tipped polychrome carvings, rich altarpiece. It also has a notable Casavant organ and its largest bell, le Gros Bourdon, is the biggest on the continent.

Notre-Dame shares Place d'Armes with the Vieux Séminaire, dating from 1683, the elegant deco Aldred Building (1931), the red sandstone New York Life building (1888) - Montreal's first skyscraper - the Bank of Montreal building, and the central monument to de Maisonneuve, founder of the original settlement of Ville-Marie.

Mount Royal Lookout:

The lookout on top of Mount Royal is an excellent goal for an urban walk. It's in Mount Royal Park, laid out long ago by Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for landscaping New York's Central Park. From the beautifully appointed lookout terrace, downtown Montreal is at your feet, with a view to the river and beyond to the Monteregian Hills. Sight lines to landmarks are marked. The chalet by the lookout is open in the daytime with bathrooms and snack machines. There's no restaurant or café in the park but, in season, you can picnic - and don't forget you're never more than a few minutes from downtown Montreal and its many restaurants.

Montreal Olympic Stadium:

The Olympic Stadium was built for Montreal's 1976 Olympics and is still currently used by baseball's National League's Expos and for all kinds of other shows throughout the year. An elevator ascends the world's tallest inclined tower to a lookout on top; tickets are for sale at the base. The stadium is one of Montreal's most curious pieces of architecture and is accompanied by the Biodome (a building originally used for cycle racing during the Games). Across Sherbrooke Street is the Botanical Garden (best in summertime, but with large greenhouses worth a visit any time of year) and the Insectarium. Across Pie-IX is Château Dufresne, a grand mansion sometimes used for art exhibits.

The Biosphere:

Environment Canada's Biosphère opened in 1995 as the only museum of water in America dedicated to the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.

The Biosphere's spectacular architectural structure was designed by notorious architect Buckminster Fuller and was originally constructed for the American pavilion at Expo '67. Inaugurated in 1995 as the first Ecowatch Centre in Canada, the Biosphere continues to raise public awareness about environmental issues affecting the St Lawrence seaway and the Great Lakes ecosystems. Located on Ile-Ste-Helene, the amazing 3-D globe that houses the Biosphere remains an architectural marvel as well as an information centre on important environmental issues.

Montreal Parks:

Montreal has many delightful parks of varying character, and every neighbourhood has its favourite summer refuges, its picnic spots, its oases of green in the urban fabric.

But Montreal is also a large island among an archipelago of other islands. Its waterfront affords numerous park settings and some of the smaller islands have parks or are parks in their entirety.

In addition to the major city parks, there are nature parks which preserve waterfront, marsh, meadow and forest ecosystems so that animals and birds are afforded some sanctuary in the urban area. From the smallest, Île-de-la-Visitation, to the considerable expanse of Cap Saint-Jacques, all can provide a refreshing change of scene from the city in a matter of minutes.

The jewel of Montreal’s city parks is, without question, Mount Royal. This 101-hectare park occupies part of the mountain that lies in the midst of Montreal island, and includes the highest spot in the city (234m).

In the 1860s, mass cutting of trees on the mountain for firewood outraged the populace and led to the area’s designation as a park in 1876. It was originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for New York City’s Central Park. The western lookout was first built in 1906 and is now officially known as the Belvédère Kondiaronk, named for the Huron chief who signed a major peace accord with the French regime in 1701.

St. Lawrence River:

Québec was built on the banks of this, one of the longest rivers in the world. The St. Lawrence is known for its breadth (over 300 km / 186 mi. in the gulf) and its depth, its ecosystems, diverse flora and fauna, numerous bird-watching sites, its countless islands-each boasting a unique charm-and the natural attractions on its banks.

The St. Lawrence Rivers cuts through Québec, lapping at the shores of 14 of the province's 20 regions. As you get closer to the ocean, the river widens and its waters become salty. In the gulf, where you can barely see one bank from the other, the St. Lawrence is commonly called "la mer," or "the sea!" The estuary, where the water is somewhat salty, welcomes whales and other large marine mammals every summer. Between Lac Saint-Pierre (which is actually part of the St. Lawrence River) and Lake Ontario, the freshwater reach is usually calm. But don't be fooled! Near downtown Montréal, in Lachine, you'll find impressive rapids. As the seasons change, so does the river, from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

To discover the river by car, take one of the many panoramic routes that wind along its banks, like the King's Highway, the New France Route, the Navigators' Route, the St. Lawrence Route or the Whale Route. Stunning scenery and a host of charming ancestral villages await you! To cross from one bank to the other, simply board one of the many ferries.

Suggested Sightseeing:

• Museum of Modern Art
• Historical Museum Old Montreal
• Old Port
• Grand Prix Festival on Crescent
• Place D'Armes
• Place Jacques Cartier
• City Hall
• Bonsecours Market
• Montreal World Trade Centre
• Cirque de Soleil
• St. Lawrence River 

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