Going underground
Montreal has 33km of interconnected underground walkways — but they aren’t any ordinary walkways. They’re basically underground shopping malls, complete with restaurants, bars, shops, post offices, metro stations, and they connect right across the city, meaning you can wander east to west to south to north without having to see the outdoors. Which is very handy during the freezing winter months.
Drink it up
Enjoying themselves comes naturally to most Montrealers, and the city boasts dozens and dozens of great bars and clubs. Downtown is best for clubs with pumping DJs, head to the Latin Quarter for a stylish crowd, while for a more chilled-out vibe head to the Latin Quarter. But regardless of where you go, you can be assured of a decent place to have a drink or three.
Old Montreal
Cobblestone lanes and grand stone houses, quaint galleries, romantic restaurants and stylish boutiques make Old Montreal a great place for a wander. It’s eerily reminiscent of Paris – so much so that the graceful 19th century surroundings are used as the backdrop for films set in Paris.
Festival fever
Montreal loves a good festival. Just for Laughs is a world famous annual comedy festival, but the city also has annual celebrations of jazz, cycling, Africa, French culture, fireworks, gay pride, snow, and film, among others. The best thing is they almost always offer free events.
The Village
Montreal has one of the loudest, proudest and most vibrant gay communities in the world, all centred around The Village, a neighbourhood just a few blocks east of downtown. It’s a fascinating area to wander around and there are some great bars.
The Olympic Village
The stadium used for the 1976 Olympics and the giant leaning tower that holds up its roof is a bizarre sight. There are interesting tours around the complex, and you can also take a funicular up the outside of the leaning tower. At the top is a lookout with fantastic views over Montreal.
