Diversity
- Montreal has drawn on the combined strengths of its French and British roots to attract newcomers from around the world. This multicultural mix has fostered a fertile and vibrant cultural life.
- A broad range of movies, plays and shows draw large audiences, while bars, cafés and nightclubs rock until the early hours of the morning. Shopping in Montreal - a fashion capital - is another pleasure not to be missed.
Culture
- Montreal is home to some 30 museums, many of them essential stops on any visitor's itinerary. For instance, there are Canada's oldest art museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the McCord Museum of History, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Contemporary Art Museum; the latter is part of the Place des Arts complex, whose stages have been welcoming all the great names in theatre, music and dance for over 30 years, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
- Also, Montreal is increasingly an attractive city for actors, filmmakers and music celebrities: go on St. Catherine Street and maybe you will spot a star.
Attractions—Indoors and Outdoors
- Nature plays a big part in Canada’s cities, and Montrealers are particularly fortunate to have Mount Royal Park at their doorstep. Its two lookouts offer exceptional views over the city. The park is easily reached and explored via Montreal’s world-renown bicycle paths.
- Montreal ranks as one of the top 10 cities in the world for its number of parks and green spaces.
Festivals and Celebrations
- As soon as the warm weather arrives, Montreal's well-known festivals start: a dazzling fireworks competition; the Air Canada Grand-Prix, a roaring, rubber-burning part of the world Formula 1 championship; a beer and wine festival; the immensely popular International Jazz Festival, which draws over one million music-lovers; the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and the World Film Festival, popular with comedy fans and movie buffs.
Convenience
- In winter, as some strap on their skates or cross-country skis and head for the mountain, others seek their exercise below street level, in the "underground city," a subterranean network of over 30 km of office and apartment towers, major stores, hotels, restaurants, railway stations, parking garages, movie theatres, concert halls and much more, all connected by Montreal's clean, fast, and convenient metro trains.
- With the metro system, you can catch a sporting event along with 50,000 spectators at the world renowned Olympic Stadium in the afternoon, and then hop on a train and in fifteen minutes you’ll be appreciating a view of the setting sun from the top of a ferris-wheel in Jean-Drapeau Park.
- Travel outside of Montreal for a few hours, and you could find yourself paddling a canoe on one of Canada’s pristine lakes, without a soul around you. Or, you could be in another one of North America’s great destinations, such as the Quebec City region, the Tri-state area, the Toronto-Niagara region, Atlantic Canada, New England, and even Washington D.C.
Adapted from McGill's Enrolment Services website and from Tourisme Québec's Bonjour Québec website