Montréal
Canada’s second-largest city, on a 48km- (30 mile-) long island, is a sophisticated cosmopolitan metropolis with a 65 per cent francophone population. Careful central planning for Expo ’67 and the 1976 Olympic Games have produced a spacious and beautiful modern city. A series of underground shopping and recreation complexes, linked by walkways and the metro, is centred on Place Ville-Marie. The Place des Arts is the home of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and several theatres offering year-round drama, music, ballet and opera. Both the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Arts have good collections. Vieux-Montréal, the historic waterfront section, has been carefully restored. Main places of note here are: Place Jacques-Cartier, the former French governor’s residence; Château Ramezay; the city’s oldest church, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecour; and Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. Another museum of note is the Stewart Museum, which is dedicated to the exploration and discovery of the New World. It is located on the Ile Sainte-Hélène, in Montréal’s only fort. Mont-Royal Park is the city’s highest point, offering an excellent vista from the centre of Montréal. Behind-the-scenes tours of the Olympic Park, site of the 1976 games, are available. The park is also home to the world’s tallest leaning building, the Botanical Gardens and the Biodôme. The area around St-Denis is renowned for its many jazz cafes and small restaurants.
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