A must-see city during any trip to Canada, especially for culture lovers! Whether in winter or summer, Montreal really focuses on making its culture accessible to everyone.
As I am very interested in art and culture myself, I found that the city was bursting with promising new artists, with small, multi-faceted groups of artists springing up, leading to a really dynamic cultural scene!
Painting, photography, music, circus arts, sculpture: there's something for every taste in the city's 38 museums, as well as in its various art galleries, live music bars, concert halls and festivals.
In summer, Montreal's world-famous festivals have become a tradition. Montreal's entertainment district, the Quartier des Spectacles, becomes the nerve centre for the summer's cultureal activities! Especially, don't miss out on the Mont-Royal Tam Tams, a spontaneous assembly of percussion instruments that takes place each Sunday.
When I went to Canada, what I liked best about Montreal was that each of its districts feels like a different city: Old Montreal, the parks, Chinatown, the Victorian houses, the French Quarter, the Saint Lawrence riverside area, and that's before we even mention the visit to the Biodome, where you can effectively experience four different continents one after the other. Montreal really is a cosmopolitan city! I love its mixture of architectural styles.
Its underground complex is very convenient in winter. It enables you to get between the metro and the various buildings without having to put you coat back on, and you can even browse the shops along the way! In fact it felt to me as if Montreal had an almost incalculable number of shopping centres. Be careful though: the prices on display don't include tax!
When I visited Canada, I chose to begin my trip in Montreal so that I'd have the chance to acclimatise to the country and the opportunity to explore this very famous city, which though typical of North American metropolises in many respects, has managed to remain somewhat more human in scale.
The people of Montreal enjoy the little pleasures in life, such as meeting up in one of the many bars on Rue Sainte-Catherine, or going out to eat a poutine (French fries topped with melted cheese) at La Banquise, which is the best place to go for this dish!
I also liked the friendliness of the people, the fact that you can get so close to the squirrels (which you encounter everywhere!) and the widespread use of French, which means that if you speak the language you'll have no problems at all in being understood everywhere.
Montreal: a city enjoyable to explore on foot and where life is good!