World City Guide

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
Montreal’s highest point and most recognisable landmark is Mont Royal (Mount Royal), a landscaped park with several kilometres of jogging and skiing tracks and lookout points offering dramatic views of the city and the St Lawrence River. On its southern slope, the high-rises and modern shopping malls of downtown Montreal are interspersed with older buildings, interesting museums and notable churches. Underlying this is the Underground City, an ever-growing complex of underground pedestrian passageways connecting the métro, major hotels, shopping malls, offices and restaurants.

The first destination for most visitors is Old Montreal, with its spectacular collection of historic buildings, inviting public spaces and the riverside promenades of the adjacent Old Port. The islands opposite were the site for the Expo 67 World Fair and still offer abundant recreational opportunities under the name Parc Jean-Drapeau. The city’s other main attractions are the complex of buildings left over from the 1976 Olympics and the nearby Botanical Garden.

What really makes Montreal unique, though, are its neighbourhoods. The Plateau Mont-Royal is an urban village surrounding boulevard St-Laurent (‘the Main’), and it was the first place immigrants stopped when arriving in Montreal. The Jewish, East European and Portuguese residents have been joined or displaced by students and, most recently, yuppies. But the place has an undeniable energy. Further north, Little Italy’s cafés and restaurants surround the Jean-Talon Market. Chinatown lies at the south end of boulevard St-Laurent, adjacent to Downtown and Old Montreal.

Note that many attractions normally closed Mondays are open on holiday Mondays.

Tourist Information
Centre Infotouriste (Tourisme Québec)
1001 rue du Square-Dorchester (near rue Peel and rue Ste-Catherine West)
Tel: (514) 873 2015 or (877) BONJOUR/266 5687. Fax: (514) 864 3838.
E-mail: info@tourisme.gouv.qc.ca
Website: www.bonjourquebec.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (early Sep-May); daily 0800-1900 (Jun-early Sep).

The Centre Infotouriste provides information on the whole of the province (including Montreal), and shares its location with bureaux de change, tour operators and car hire and travel agencies.

Tourist Information Centre of Old Montreal (Tourisme Montréal)
174 rue Notre-Dame East (corner of place Jacques-Cartier)
Website: www.tourism-montreal.org
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (Apr-early Jun & early Sep-Oct); daily 0900-1900 (early Jun-early Sep); Wed-Sun 0900-1300 & 1400-1700 (Nov-Mar).

Tourisme Montréal provides information on the city of Montreal only.

Passes
The Montreal Museums Pass allows visitors free admission to 25 museums in the city on any two out of three consecutive days. These are available at both tourist offices and at participating museums. The Get an Eyeful package provides free admission to the Olympic Tower and the Botanical Garden and/or Biodôme – none of which are covered by the Museums Pass.