Montreal

The capital of French-speaking North America, with cobblestone Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Basilica, bagels and smoked meat sandwiches, and a nonstop summer festival season.

Montreal is in southern Quebec, Canada, on Montreal Island in the St. Lawrence River. It is Canada's second-largest city and the world's second-largest French-speaking city. French is the official language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas, and a common greeting is "Bonjour-Hi." The city is centered on Mount Royal: to the southeast along the river lie Old Montreal and the Old Port, founded in 1642, where cobblestone streets, Notre-Dame Basilica and the Pointe-à-Callière Museum are concentrated; to the west, downtown has the Museum of Fine Arts, McGill University and Sainte-Catherine Street, with a roughly 32 km Underground City linking shopping malls and the metro; to the north, the Plateau, Mile End and Little Italy are known for their colorful outdoor staircases, old-school bagel shops and the Jean-Talon Market; to the east are Olympic Park, the Biodome and the Botanical Garden, legacies of the 1976 Olympics; and in the river, Parc Jean-Drapeau, the site of the 1967 World's Fair, has the Biosphere, the Formula 1 circuit and La Ronde amusement park.

Seasons: June–August is warm, with the Jazz Festival, the fireworks competition and the comedy festival following one another; late September to mid-October has the best foliage, and you can add a trip to Mont-Tremblant, about 130 km away; December–March is bitterly cold and snowy, often below −15°C, with outdoor skating and a festival of lights; in March–April, head to a sugar shack in the countryside for a maple feast.

Getting there: Trudeau Airport (YUL) has a 24-hour 747 airport bus to downtown. The city's four metro lines cover the main attractions, and in summer you can ride BIXI shared bikes. Quebec City is about 3 hours away by VIA Rail. We recommend 3–4 days.

Notes: Chinese passport holders need a Canadian visa; listed prices exclude roughly 15% sales tax, and restaurant tips are 15–20%; in winter, bring non-slip boots and cold-weather gear.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries