Travel
Location
Montreal is located at 45°30 N / -73°36 W. It is the largest city in Quebec and the second largest in Canada, with a metropolitan population of 3,635,571. Montreal is one of two large islands in this part of the St. Lawrence River (the other, Île Jésus, includes Laval and several other communities) and its highest point, Mount Royal, is 761 ft/ 232m high.
The entire island of Montreal became a single municipality on January 1, 2002 although this was reversed January 1, 2006 in the case of 14 of the suburbs, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, of which Montreal is by far the largest, being divided into 19 boroughs (arrondissements) each of which has a borough mayor and a certain amount of autonomy.
Climate
You can check the five-day forecast and have a look at the current weather conditions.
Montreal’s climate varies a lot over the year. The city is known for its cold winters, but its summers are hot and generally sunny, with occasional muggy days. May and October are arguably the pleasantest months for outdoor activities and walking. Evenings will often remain a little chilly except on the hottest days.
Currency, taxes and tipping
The unit of currency is the Canadian dollar. Coins are in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents, and $1 (a large gold-colored coin) and $2 (a large bimetallic coin). Bills in $5 (blue), $10 (purple) and $20 (green) are in common circulation and you can get $50s (red) and $100s (brown) from banks, though not from most automatic teller machines (ATMs). Some stores are cautious about accepting bills larger than $20 because of counterfeits.
Downtown stores are usually happy to accept U.S. currency. Major travellers’ cheques are accepted in places that accept credit cards, but are not universally accepted as cash.
Most stores and restaurants accept Visa and MasterCard and often accept American Express. You usually get the most favourable exchange rate by using your credit card. Most ATMs are networked to Cirrus and Interac and accept major credit cards if you have a PIN to enter into the machine.
Getting into and out of Montreal
Download the incredibly detailed city map (pdf format) from the Montreal transit site.
The official city site has an excellent map portal.
Airports
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, 22 km west of downtown, now serves all domestic, U.S. and international passenger flights. Local folks still sometimes call it Dorval Airport.
Aerobus shuttle bus service runs from the downtown bus terminal (514-842-2281) with several stops before taking the highway. Fares are lower than taxis: $15 to or from Trudeau, $25 two-way.
It is also possible to get to Trudeau Airport by taking regular city buses: the 211 from Lionel-Groulx metro to Dorval Station then transferring to the 204 will get you there from downtown, but the 211 could be tricky with a lot of baggage at busy times of day.
Buses
Montreal has bus connections to other cities within Quebec, in the rest of Canada and in the United States. Intercity bus travel does not carry the same stigma as in the U.S. and the buses to Quebec City and Toronto, for example, are quite clean and pleasant. The main bus terminus is the Station Centrale at the corner of Berri and de Maisonneuve, tel. 514-842-2281.
Language
Montreal is a cosmopolitan city. Quebec’s language laws impose restrictions on outdoor signs in languages other than French so you will see few signs in English, but in the parts of Montreal where most travellers go, services are available in English. French is heard in all parts of the city but in many neighbourhoods other languages will also be heard. Only half of Montreal’s residents speak French at home.
Bicycles
If you’re comfortable on a bicycle it would be interesting to see Montreal en vélo. Bicycling magazine named Montreal the top bicycling city for 1999. However, keep in mind that motorists tend to be aggressive and you have to ride circumspectly. Helmets are not mandatory, but bicycles should be well equipped with reflectors if you will be riding after dark, and you should have a good lock: bicycle theft is endemic. The Maison des Cyclistes, 1251 Rachel East, 514-521-8356, rents bikes and sells maps of bike paths in and around the city. There is also bicycle rental in the Old Port (514-847-0666). You can bring a bicycle into the metro, but you must follow the rules.
In summer 2009 Montreal launched the Bixi, a system of short-term rental bicycles available in an area radiating out from downtown as far north as the Metropolitan autoroute. These beautifully designed, adjustable and comfortable three-speed aluminum bicycles have been adopted by locals and tourists alike. The fare structure is geared toward short-term use: note that after paying one’s five dollars for 24 hours of access, the bikes are free to use for under half an hour, but the rates rise pretty fast if you keep a bike longer than an hour. There are several iPhone apps that track Bixi availability at the many bike rack stations around town. Bixi racks will be removed at the end of November and will reappear in May.
Tourist information centre
The main tourist information centre – Infotouriste – in Montreal is located near the corner of Peel and Ste-Catherine at 1255 Peel, metro Peel, 514-873-2015 or 1-877-266-5687.
