This was a very exciting trip for me as it was my first time
on North American soil. Montreal is a
fascinating city which perfectly captures the unique culture of francophone
Canada. I had a lot of fun here and
loved the liberal, laid-back feel of the place.
The Montréalais people could not have made me feel more welcome and I
hope this post will convince you to check this place out for yourselves. There are a load of things I loved about
Montreal, but I have managed to narrow these down to my seven favourite points.
So here goes!
Street Art
Wherever you are in Montreal, you don’t need to do much
exploring to discover fantastic displays of street art. Large, colourful murals are plastered over
the sides of buildings, often in the most unlikely spots. This is a physical memento to Montreal’s arty
reputation – the city attracts both professional and amateur artists from all
over Canada. Whilst street art is
abundant throughout the city, those with a particular interest should head to
the studenty neighbourhood of Le Plateau
(Sherbrooke and Mont Royal stations on the Métro).
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Montreal street art |
Gay Village
Montreal’s liberal atmosphere is one of the first things
which I noticed when arriving in the city.
I’ve always heard of Canada’s open-minded reputation, but seeing it for
my own eyes brought a big smile to my face.
This liberal atmosphere is most noticeable in the city’s huge gay
district, known locally as Le Village. This roughly refers to the neighbourhood
around Beudry Métro station. This
section of Rue de Sainte Catherine is vibrant and colourful, decorated with an
array of rainbow flags and pink bubbles, which stretches for more than a
mile.
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Rue Sainte Catherine |
In spite of the plentiful gay bars, this part of the town is
not only popular with the LGBT community, but instead forms a safe and vibrant party
hub where everyone is welcome.
Old Montreal
Known in French as Vieux Montréal, the oldest part of the
city is certainly the prettiest. The
area immediately behind the Old Port is made up of cobblestone streets and cute
grey stone buildings. This quirky part of town
would not be out of place in Europe. Vieux Montreal was
founded by French colonisers in the 1600s and was later influenced by British
architects. To this day, it offers an
excellent window into Québec’s colonial past.
The jewell in Old Montreal’s crown is the Notre-Dame Basilica in the
grand Place des Armes square, perhaps
the most spectacular landmark in the city.
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Notre Dame Basilica |
French Language
It would be a shame to speak about Montreal without discussing
language. French is the city’s sole
official language, along with the entire province of Québec. In fact, Montreal is the second largest
francophone city in the world after Paris.
Whilst my French language skills are lacking somewhat, I can’t help but
find the language absolutely beautiful.
It is relatively easy to get by in Montreal with English, as many people
are bilingual to a degree, but even a basic level of French will help you to
get the most out of this fantastic city.
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Iconic French signposts |
Musée des Sciences
As a lover of science, this museum was for me one of
Montreal’s must-see attractions. Nestled
upon the waterside of the Old Port, this museum is packed with all sorts of
interesting exhibitions as well as a large IMAX cinema. Exhibits and films are available in both
French and English. The Animals Inside
Out exhibition was fascinating and I loved the film about the planet. The museum is very engaging and many exhibits
include ‘hands-on’ activities, giving an enthralling insight into the world of
science.
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Animals Inside-Out exhibition |
Poutine
Poutine is made up of French fries and rich gravy, topped
with cheese curds. Popular variations
use different sauces and additional toppings.
It can be found everywhere in Montreal and several restaurants are
dedicated solely to this dish. From a
British perspective, the idea of this typical Québecois food may seem rather
unappetising, but don’t disregard it – poutine is AMAZING. Naughty, but so nice.
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Poutine |
Mont Royal
A perfect way to burn off the calories of the poutine is a walk up Mont Royal. This pretty hill
stands at 233 meters above the city and gives excellent views over all of Montreal
and the surrounding countryside. There
are a number of viewpoints on the hill, but arguably the finest panorama is from
the Chalet du Mont Royal lookout, which gives wide-reaching views over the
downtown skyscrapers and beyond to the plains of the St. Lawrence valley. There are steps to the chalet from Université
McGill.
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View of the city from Mont Royal |
Montreal earns a 'backpackability' score of 5, meaning it's a very favourable destination for backpackers and budget travellers. For a more detailed explanation of my backpackability index, see this post.
It is very difficult to sum up this great city in seven points, but I hope this post will give you an insight. Have you been to Montreal before? Would you like to go? Let me know in the comments below! Thank you for reading. I will follow this post with a review of the Canadian capital Ottawa in the next week or so. Happy travels.
It is very difficult to sum up this great city in seven points, but I hope this post will give you an insight. Have you been to Montreal before? Would you like to go? Let me know in the comments below! Thank you for reading. I will follow this post with a review of the Canadian capital Ottawa in the next week or so. Happy travels.
Elis Griffiths. x
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