Montreal (Montréal) is unique in North America, blending a brash New World urbanity with the romantic charm of its European-flavoured historic districts and a Gallic sense of joie de vivre evident in the city’s many pavement cafés and dynamic nightlife.

Although its downtown skyscrapers are a testament to the economic clout of Canada’s second largest city, visitors are more likely to be drawn by the promise of a horse-drawn calèche ride along the cobbled streets of Old Montreal near the St Lawrence River or around Mount Royal, the city’s landmark.

Montreal is situated on an island, 50km by 16km (31 miles by 10 miles), sandwiched between the Rivière des Prairies and the St Lawrence River. When Jacques Cartier first ‘discovered’ the island in 1535, it was already inhabited – the Iroquois village of Hochelaga stood at the foot of Mount Royal.

By the time Paul de Chomedey, the Sieur de Maisonneuve, arrived in May 1642 to found Ville-Marie, the first permanent European settlement, Hochelaga had been abandoned. The cross on the top of Mount Royal, which is visible from much of the city, marks the spot where de Maisonneuve planted a wooden cross in thanks for the city being spared from flooding during its first winter.

The French held onto their colony until 1760, when Montreal fell to the British, whose influence can be felt in the architecture of the beautiful 19th-century mansions and such institutions as the Museum of Fine Arts and McGill University.

French resentment at the English dominance in their economic affairs was one of the factors leading to the ‘Quiet Revolution’ of the 1950s and 60s, culminating in the October Crisis in 1970 and the referendums on sovereignty in 1980 and 1995.

As a result, French has become prevalent in the workplace and a number of Québécois companies are active in worldwide markets. Some 67% of the inhabitants claim French as a mother tongue, making Montréal the second most populous French-speaking city in the world after Paris.

But Montreal is also home to a cosmopolitan mix of immigrants from around the globe, all of whom contribute to the rich cultural heritage and lively atmosphere of the city. This is never more evident than during one of the frequent large-scale festivals celebrated in downtown Montreal, notably the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, when tens of thousands of revellers fill the streets each day.

The charming buildings of Old Montreal, which was the heart of the city until the end of the 19th century, are today filled with boutiques, bars, hotels and restaurants. Montrealers and visitors alike promenade along the adjacent Old Port.

The nearby islands in the St Lawrence River (Ile Ste-Hélène and Ile Notre-Dame) were the site of the Expo 67 World Fair, and now comprise the city’s largest park, Parc Jean-Drapeau. Another legacy of a major international event (the 1976 Summer Olympics) is the Olympic Stadium, which has the world’s tallest inclined tower and is next door to the city’s expansive Botanical Garden.

The ‘real’ Montreal, though, exists in neighbourhoods that celebrate their ethnic origins – like Little Italy and Chinatown and especially the multicultural Plateau Mont-Royal. Boulevard St-Laurent (‘The Main’), which runs through the Plateau and divides Montreal into east and west, is the city’s liveliest street, where the shops, bars and ethnic restaurants draw crowds until well into the night.

The best time to visit Montreal is in the summer, when even the nights can be sultry and the whole city seems to be partying, as the festival season moves into high gear. The cooler autumns bring out the colours in the leaves and are a great time to visit the forested Laurentians or the rolling hills of the Eastern Townships.

Even the cold and snowy winters can be enjoyable – not least for people who like ice skating. Ice skates are an integral part of every young Montrealer’s sports equipment, which is why the city authorities maintain more than 150 skating rinks in the region every winter. On sunny afternoons and picturesque wintry evenings, large skating rinks, such as those in La Fontaine Park, the Old Port, Mont-Royal Park and Maisonneuve Park, are popular meeting spots where families, friends, lovers, amateur skaters and accomplished athletes enjoy Montréal’s beautiful winter days.

© 2006 Columbus Travel Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer

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