Family Trip to Montreal
Montreal is one of the most diverse cities in North America. It combines old with new, European culture with American culture, sports with concerts. The official language of the city (and of the entire province of Quebec) is French, but residents speak fluent English. Montreal, located on an island, is considered the most romantic city in Canada. It is the largest city in Quebec (the second largest in all of Canada) and is considered the second largest French-speaking city in the world. Montreal is also a port city and an important financial center for Canada. Thanks to the Expo 67 exhibition and the 1976 Olympics held in the city, it developed tremendously, and tourist areas were meticulously planned, contributing to the growth of a spacious, pleasant, and modern city. Due to the severe winter weather prevailing there, an enormous underground city grew beneath the city, featuring shopping centers, entertainment, and cultural centers connected to one another as well as to the city's subway stations. Universities, the exhibition center, the Olympic Village, hotels, office buildings, and some of Montreal's museums are also connected to the underground passage network, which spans a total length of about 30 km. Montreal is also a city of festivals; almost every day there is a reason to celebrate. The city attracts lovers of jazz, movies, dance, theater, food, and sports, and is also extremely suitable for family trips.
♦ Recommended Places to Stay in Montreal:
Accommodation in Montreal is relatively inexpensive compared to other major cities, such as New York, Paris, or Rome:
Auberge du Vieux Port
A small, high-quality four-star hotel in Old Montreal overlooking the Port of Montreal and the river. The hotel features a French restaurant and free Wi-Fi.
LHotel
A historic four-star hotel in a 19th-century building in Old Montreal in a convenient and central location. The hotel features a bar, fitness room, art gallery, and free Wi-Fi.
Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Centre-Ville
Four-star hotel, guest rooms are decorated in a contemporary style and include cable TV with HBO, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker. Desk and chair. Free Wi-Fi.
Weather
The weather in Montreal is very pleasant in summer (similar to spring in Israel), but freezing in winter. On particularly severe winter days, the temperature can even reach minus forty degrees! Therefore, the recommended months to visit the city are between May and September (unless you are a fan of snow and cold).
Guided Tours and Excursions in and Around Montreal
Book on GetYourGuide.com:
Guided tours available for booking on Viator:
♦ Guided bike tour in Montreal: Non Touristy Pink Bike Tour by Spade & Palacio
♦ Montreal food tour by Secret Food Tours: Montreal walking tasting tour with Secret Food Tours
♦ Food tour in Montreal's Jewish Quarter: Jewish Neighborhood Food Tour
♦ Small-group guided tour of Montreal's attractions (3 hours) including hotel pickup:
Small-Group Sightseeing Tour of Montreal
Discover Montreal's famous underground city The RESO on a guided tour:
The MTL Detours Montreal Underground City + Downtown Tour
♦ Small-group guided walking tour of Old Montreal:
Explore Old Montreal Small Group Walking Tour by MTL Detours
♦ Guided mural art tour in Montreal: The Original Montreal Mural Arts Tour by Spade & Palacio
♦ Helicopter flight over Montreal: Helicopter Tour Over Montreal
♦ Bagel making and baking workshop in Montreal: The Bagel Class presents : Montreal Bagel Making Workshop!
♦ Guided vehicle tour of breweries around Montreal with tastings of many beer varieties:
Shopping and Attractions
Montreal's main shopping centers, as well as important galleries, are located downtown, mainly on Sherbrooke and Saint Catherine streets. Downtown has a Latin Quarter filled with colorful French-style cafes and small restaurants. It is especially recommended to walk around, particularly in the afternoon, along CRESCENT Street, which is filled with cafes featuring street-facing balconies.
South of downtown lies Old Montreal, home to restored buildings from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The quarter features the impressive NOTRE-DAME BASILICA. This Neo-Gothic church, built in 1829, with paintings, sculptures, decorations, and beautiful stained-glass windows, has no relation to the famous church in Paris. Inside the church, an impressive sound and light show called "AND THERE WAS LIGHT" takes place (for a fee); for more details call: 514-790-1245.
Not far from there, you can visit a charming small Chinatown, purchase Chinese souvenirs, and enjoy a good, inexpensive Chinese meal.
The pleasantest area to stroll in Montreal, especially on a sunny day, is the Old Port area, LE VIEUX-PORT DE MONTREAL, adjacent to Old Montreal. It is a lovely place with long bike paths along the waterfront (you can rent bicycles, motorized scooters, rollerblades, or simply wander around on foot), a science museum, an IMAX theater, shops, restaurants, boats, and nice attractions such as special trampolines, remote-controlled sailboat sailing, a maze, and more. The port offers a fine view of Old Montreal and the two nearby islands, Notre Dame Island and Saint Helen's Island.
One of the coolest attractions for families (not with toddlers) is an ultra-soaking boat ride through the rapids by a company named SAUTE-MOUTONS SUR LES RAPIDES ET JET ST-LAURENT, whose boats depart from the port dock near the Clock Tower. It is a unique experience (a similar ride is also offered in the whirlpool area of the Niagara River near the falls), navigating through rough waters and whirlpools in a high-speed motorboat. Despite wearing many layers of raincoats and sweaters, you will get soaked to the bone. The cruise lasts about an hour and a quarter. The company also organizes rafting on the turbulent river.
In the Olympic Stadium area, LE PARC OLYMPIQUE DE MONTREAL, there are several great attractions:
First, it is certainly worth taking the inclined elevator to the top of the leaning tower above the stadium for an impressive scenic view of the entire city. Additionally, it is worth taking a guided tour of the Olympic facilities: the pools, various sports venues, and the stadium (for an additional fee). Sports fans are recommended to watch a baseball game held at Montreal's Olympic Stadium (games are usually held in the evening, and ticket costs are quite low).
Ice hockey games take place in another, modern and impressive venue called the Molson Centre. Ice hockey is Canadians' favorite sport, and joining them to watch their beloved players is a special experience.
In a building adjacent to the stadium is LE BIODOME DE MONTREAL. This was also an Olympic venue (velodrome) that was converted into an indoor zoo with four distinct climate environments: tropical rainforest, Laurentian forest (LAURENTIAN FOREST), Saint Lawrence River, and the polar region. Each environment features its typical weather (temperature, humidity, etc.), characteristic vegetation, and representative animals. Thus, you can tour a hot, humid forest and just a few minutes later freeze in the polar region alongside crowds of active penguins. It is recommended to watch a short film on site about the construction of the Biodome, which includes interesting and unique information about life inside it.
Across the street lie Montreal's Botanical Gardens, LE JARDIN BOTANIQUE. These are large, impressive gardens. A small train runs through them, connecting different parts of the park and the greenhouses. One of the attractions in the gardens is the insect museum, the INSECTARIUM. Some of the insects on display are preserved, but some are very much alive... not quite appetite-inducing... It is also recommended to tour the tropical vegetation greenhouses and the Japanese and Chinese gardens, www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin
Montreal is a completely flat city, except for a low mountain called Mount Royal, which rises slightly above the city skyline. At the top of the mountain lies MONT ROYAL PARK, offering a wonderful view of Montreal. You can reach the park via PEEL Street.
For those short on time who want to see the city's main sights in a pleasant and entertaining way, a tour on an amphibious bus—which travels on both river and land—is recommended. Called the AMPHI-BUS, it departs for one-hour tours from the Old Port of Montreal.
As fits any major city, Montreal has a large amusement park filled with roller coasters and many other rides, ranging from gentle, friendly rides for the little ones to thrilling and terrifying ones for the daring. The place is called LA RONDE, and it belongs to the Six Flags network, which has many branches throughout the US. The park also hosts various shows, such as jazz performances, magic shows, and children's plays. www.laronde.com The amusement park is located on Saint Helen's Island, on the site of the Man and His World international fair, Expo 67.
LA BIOSPHERE is located in the American Pavilion of the Expo exhibition, a hollow metal sphere. It is an environmental museum dealing with water management in general and the St. Lawrence River in particular. It features multimedia displays and activities aimed at educating and teaching the population to protect the world's most vital natural resource: water.
Where the French Pavilion used to stand, the city's large, grand casino, CASINO DE MONTREAL, was built about ten years ago, featuring 8 floors of gaming tables and slot machines. The building is very impressive, especially after dark when it is completely illuminated, and even non-gamblers are invited to visit and admire its unique, modern architecture. The casino hosts shows and musicals, and tickets combining a show and dinner are available. www.casinos-quebec.com.
Other nice places for family entertainment in central Montreal include:
A large ice-skating rink in a building named L'ATRIUM located downtown at LE 1000 DE LA GAUCHETIERE.
FORUM PEPSI center, featuring movie theaters, bowling, a climbing wall, arcade games, bars, restaurants, and shows.
Montreal also has several art museums and an impressive planetarium where you can watch movies and laser shows projected onto a large dome.