Population: City: 1.620.693

Culture of the city

Montreal, or Montréal in French, is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-largest city in Canada. Montreal was the largest city in Canada up until the 1970s, when it was surpassed in size by Toronto.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine ranked Montreal as the 10th cleanest city in the world. In the June 19th, 2008 edition of London based Monocle Magazine, Montreal was ranked 16th in a list of the world's 25 most liveable cities.

The city of Montreal is one of Canada's most unique and lively cities, offering a perfect blend of the old and new.. Culturally, there are few cities that beat it. Among its internationally renowned festivals are the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, a comedy show that attracts thousands every year, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, which features around 400 different shows and attracts jazz greats from around the world. The number of museums located in and around the city number is huge. Other historically significant sites around Montreal include the Notre-Dame Basilica, one of the largest cathedrals in North America. Shoppers will swoon at the sight of Montreal's downtown core, which has over 3,000 shops and services, most of which are conveniently centered around Ste-Catharine Street.

Languages

The official language of Montreal is French. It is among the five largest French-speaking cities in the world. Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America, and second in the world after Paris. French is the language most spoken at home by 70.5% of the population (as of 2006 census). but don't worry over half the population also speaks English

Climate / Weather

Winter brings the snow and the cold, but Montrealers have adapted with a number of great activities. Mount Royal located in the centre of the city, hosts sledding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. 

A short 45-90 minute drive north, east or south of the city has several dozen ski resorts, including many small ones, but also Mt Tremblant, and St. Sauveur

In the spring, the snow melts and Mount Royal is a great place to take a walk or run especially around Beaver Lake.  It is not unusual to see the early kayakers out on the river and the cycling clubs on the street and the Lachine Canal path to Old Montreal.  Expect weather to be 20c to -5c (65f to 20f).

Summer is festival and event time with the Jazz Festival, Canadian F1 Grand Prix, Just for Laughs, and several other internationally known events coming one after another.  Great dining and people watching at night on St. Laurent or St. Denis Street and the European flair of the city brings many back over and over again.  The lakes regions in almost all directions make for great get-aways.  Temps are warmer, 25c to 7c (80f to 45f).

Fall brings the leaves changing colors all over the city, as well as the retreat back indoors, where Montreal hospitality shines.  Late in the season (and in early winter) come the Cabane a Sucre (sugar shacks) where you get to try the purest maple syrup and traditional French Canadian fare.  The underground city connects a number of shopping, dining and entertainment areas where you can spend seemingly weeks without having to see the light of day.  Enjoy the museums, restaurants and all the indoor activities.  Put on your coat for the 20c to -2c (70f to 30f) weather as the season wears on.

Montreal Weather and Climate Chart – Montreal Quebec

MONTH	MAXIMUM	MINIMUM
January	-6.0ºC	-15ºC
February	-4ºC	-13ºC
March	2ºC	-6ºC
April	11ºC	1ºC
May	18ºC	7ºC
June	23ºC	12ºC
July	26ºC	16ºC
August	24ºC	14ºC
September	19ºC	19ºC
October	13ºC	3ºC
November	5ºC	-2ºC
December	-3ºC	-10ºC

Currency

The primary currency used in the city of Calgary is Canadian dollars, however many restaurants and retail stores accept American dollars and the daily exchange rate..

Holidays

There are 10 statutory holidays and one civic holiday celebrated annually in Alberta. Generally, banks and some businesses remain closed. Theatres, restaurants, and corner grocery stores remain open for business as usual. In some centres most shops remain open.

HOLIDAYS	2008	2009	2010
New Year´s Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Good Friday	March 21	April 10	April 2
Easter Monday	March 24	April 13	April 15
Victoria Day	May 19	May 18	May 24
Canada Day	July 1	July 1	July 1
Civic Holiday	August 4	August 2	August 2
Labour Day	September 1	September 7	September 6
Thanksgiving Day	October 8	October 12	October 11
Remembrance Day	November 11	November 11	November 11
Christmas Day	December 25	December 25	December 25
Boxing Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

Tourism office information

Address: Infotouriste Centre 1255 Peel Street Suite 100 Montreal Quebec

Local Phone: 514 873-2015

Accomodations

Montreal has a wide variety of accommodations for every type of traveler.  For most of our students schools provide the safe environment of a home stay family which can be organized through one of our Education Consultants.

• Hotels
• Self Catering Apartments
• Bed and Breakfasts
• Serviced Apartments

Traveling to Montreal Trudeau Airport

Please watch the following videos on the arriving at Montreal Trudeau airport
montreal.airportwayfinder.com

Things to do

Montreal Botanical Gardens: Located near Olympic Park, Montreal's huge botanical garden contains over 20,000 different plant species in 31 specialized gardens, including the largest Chinese Garden outside Asia and a Japanese Garden with a tearoom and fabulous bonsai collection. The Insectarium hosts an "Insect Tasting" in November and December.

Notre-Dame Basilica: Montreal's oldest Catholic church, built in 1656, is known for its intricately designed interior, which includes stained glass chronicling the history of the city.

Old Montreal: Vieux-Montreal  is one of the most beautiful,  well preserved  and living "old town"  this side of Europe. It is a major component in making Montreal, "the a truly different North American city". Old Montreal has some of the best restaurants and historical building in the city. Skating on the canal in old Montreal is one of the favourite things to do on the weekend.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: One of Canada's most famous museums, this popular institution houses a wide collection of international contemporary and Canadian exhibits, and straddles two buildings, the 1912 original and its 1991 across-the-street annex with underground galleries that connect the two sites.

Montreal Museum of Anthropology : Discover the history of Montreal in an unusual way at this fascinating museum located on the actual site of the original colony in 1642. Following a multimedia presentation, you take a self-guided tour through the underground crypt where artifacts unearthed in archaeological digs are on display in their original locations.

Mont Royal: Referred to as "the mountain" by locals, this 764-foot mountain provides excellent view of the city and is a popular recreation spot. Every Sunday enjoy the TAM TAMs in Mont Royal park where many meet to listen to music and enjoy the summer sun.

St Josephs Oratory: This basilica, built to honor St. Joseph, Canada's patron saint, is known for its copper dome.

Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art: This large museum of modern artistic work, with an emphasis on artists native to Quebec, includes both a permanent collection and a series of rotating international exhibits.

Biodome de Montreal: Housed in a former stadium used in the 1976 Olympics, the educational and entertaining Biodome consists of four different ecological habitats - rain forest, polar, marine and forest - where visitors can see the plants and animals native to each ecosystem. The polar penguins and puffins and the tropical monkeys and parrots will enthrall children and adults alike.

Underground city: Montreal's answer to the region's harsh winters, Underground City refers to the extensive web of train stations, restaurants, department stores and hotels all connected underground

Montreal Jazz festival: It is held annually in Montreal, Quebec during the summer season (usually at the end of June and the beginning of July) and gathers artists from around the world. It is typically attended by over 2 million people who are attracted by the electric atmosphere, diversity of shows and by the city itself.

Bell Center: This civic center is home to the Montreal Canadians and serves as a venue for rock concerts and other large events.

NHL Hockey:  The Montreal Canadians are part of the National Hockey League which is considered the fastest team sport in the world. Located in the heart of  Montreal’s downtown, The Bell Centre is an exciting place to watch the local team take on all challengers. The Montreal Canadians are one of the most historic teams in the NHL and have been Stanley Cup Champions more times then any other team. They have also won more Championships then any other professional team in the world.

Transit

Link to the Transit system website: www3.ttc.ca.

Toronto's transit system is the third-busiest in North America, after New York and Mexico City.  The Toronto Transit Commission is more commonly known as the TTC.

The TTC is usually the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around central Toronto, making it ideal for travellers.  Most downtown routes have very frequent service, some run 24 hours. The TTC provides Bus, Street Car, and Subway services to local residence and visitors to the city.

FARES	RATES
CASH FARES
Adult	$ 2.75
Senior / Student	$ 1.85
Child	$ 0.70
DAY PASS
Adults	$ 9
WEEKLY PASS
Adult	$ 32.25
Student	$ 25.50
METRO PASS
Adult	$ 100
Senior / Student	$ 84
TRANSFERS
Your cash fare, ticket, or token allows you to travel to any destination in the city of Toronto; you can connect to other route(s) for free.  However, if you make a stopover or a return journey, you have to pay a new fare.