|
Montreal City Information
Population: 3.4 million
Area: 61 sq. miles
Time: Eastern Standard Time (When it is 12:00 Noon in New York City; it is 12:00 Noon in Montreal.
When to Go
Summer and fall are popular because of the mild weather and a number of festivals: the 10-day Festival International de Jazz in late June, the International Fireworks Competition in late June and July, and the World Film Festival and Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in August. For winter sports enthusiasts, December - March are the months of choice. Fierce weather is never a problem in Montreal - visitors can always retreat to the pleasant year-round climate of the Underground City! Montreal is beautiful at any time of the year.
Holidays
New Year's Day, (January 1)
Good Friday, Easter Monday,
Victoria Day (third Monday in May)
St. Jean Baptiste Day (June 24) is a provincial holiday.
Canada Day (July 1)
Labour Day (first Monday in September)
Thanksgiving (second Monday in October)
Remembrance Day (November 11)
Christmas, and Boxing Day (December 25, December 26)
Banks & Offices
Most banks in Canada are open Monday through Thursday 10-3 and Friday 10-5 or 6. Some banks are open longer hours and also on Saturday morning. All banks are closed on national holidays. Banks, shopping malls, many large hotels, and some gas stations have automated teller machines (ATMs) that are accessible around the clock.
Museums & Sights
Hours at museums vary, but most open at 10 or 11 and close in the evening. Some smaller museums close for lunch. Many museums are closed on Monday; some make up for it by staying open late on Wednesday, often waiving admission.
Churches are usually closed and locked (to prevent vandalism) except during scheduled religious services The Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montréal, however, is open daily, usually from 9-6.
Customs & Duties
Arriving in Canada
For information, contact: Revenue Canada (2265 St. Laurent Blvd. S, Ottawa, ON K1G 4K3, 204/983-3500; 800/461-9999 in Canada).
Emergencies
Ambulance, fire, police ( 911).
Hospital Emergency Rooms
Montréal General Hospital (1650 av. Cedar, 514/937-6011).
Late-Night Pharmacies
Many pharmacies are open until midnight, including Jean Coutu and Pharmaprix. Some are open around the clock, including the Pharmaprix on chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges.
Guided Tours
Boat Tours
From May through October, Amphi Tour ( 514/849-5181 or 514/386-1298) offers a unique one-hour tour of Vieux-Montréal and the Vieux-Port on both land and water in an amphibious bus.
Bateau-Mouche ( 514/849-9952) runs four harbor excursions and an evening supper cruise daily May through October. The boats are reminiscent of the ones that cruise the canals of the Netherlands : wide-beamed and low-slung, with a glassed-in passenger deck. Boats leave from the Jacques Cartier Pier at the foot of Place Jacques-Cartier in the Vieux-Port.
Bus Tours
Gray Line ( 514/934-1222) offers almost a dozen different tours of Montréal and environs from May through October, fewer the rest of the year. It has pickup service at the major hotels and at Info-Touriste (1001 Sq. Dorchester).
The double-decker buses of Imperial Tours ( 514/871-4733) follow a nine-stop circuit of the city. You can get off and on as often as you like and stay at each stop as long as you like. There's pickup service at major hotels.
Language
Although Canada has two official languages : English and French : the province of Québec has only one. French is the language you hear most often on the streets in Québec; it is also the language of government, businesses, and schools. Most French Canadians speak English as well, but it is useful to learn a few French phrases before you go. Canadian French has many distinctive words and expressions.
Money
ATMs
ATMs are widely available.
Currency
The units of currency in Canada are the Canadian dollar and the cent, in almost the same denominations as U.S. currency ($5, $10, $20, 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, etc.). The $1 and $2 bill are no longer used; they have been replaced by $1 and $2 coins (known as a "loonie" because of the picture of a loon that appears on the coin, and a "toonie," respectively).
Taxes
A goods and services tax (GST) of 7% applies on virtually every transaction in Canada except for the purchase of basic groceries.
A $15 airport tax (for capital improvements) is charged when you leave. You can pay cash or with a credit card.
You can get a refund of the GST paid on purchases taken out of the country and on short-term accommodations of less than one month, and more than two days.Rebate forms, are available from the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (Visitor Rebate Program, Summerside Tax Centre, 275 Pope Rd., Suite 104, Summerside, PE C1N 6C6, 902/432-5608; 800/668-4748 in Canada, www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca). (Be sure to use the official government form. Private firms distribute "official looking" forms, obtain the refund from the government on your behalf, and charge a commission for the service. The government charges no fees. )
Always save the original receipts from stores and hotels (not just credit-card receipts), and be sure the name and address of the establishment is shown on the receipt. Original receipts are not returned. To be eligible for a refund, receipts must total at least $200, and each individual receipt must show a minimum purchase of $50.
Telephones
The country code for Canada is 1. The area code for Montréal is 514. You do not need to dial the three-digit area code when making a call from within the same code.
Arriving & Departing
By Air
Dorval International Airport (YUL) (975 blvd. René-Vachon, Dorval, 514/394-7377), 221/2 km (14 mi) west of the city, handles all scheduled foreign and domestic flights and some charter operations.
Mirabel International Airport (YMX) (12600 rue Aérogare, Mirabel, 514/394-7377), 541/2 km (34 mi) northwest of the city, serves most charter traffic.
Passengers departing Montréal must pay a $15 airport-improvement fee before they can board their plane.
Flying time to Montréal is 11/2 hours from New York, 2 hours from Chicago, 6 hours from Los Angeles, and 61/2 hours from London.
Transfers Between the Airport and Town
By Bus
L'Aerobus ( 514/931-9002) offers shuttle service into town from Mirabel and Dorval. Shuttle service from Mirabel to the terminal next to the Gare Centrale (777 rue de la Gauchetière) is frequent
By Bus
Greyhound Canada ( 800/661-8747) has service from Toronto and points west in Canada.
All buses arrive at and depart from the city's downtown bus terminal, the Station Central d'Autobus Montréal (505 blvd. de Maisonneuve Est, 514/842-2281), which connects with the Berri-UQAM Métro station.
By Car
Montréal is accessible from the rest of Canada via the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), which enters the city from the east and west via Routes 20 and 40. The New York State Thruway (I-87) becomes Route 15 at the Canadian border, and then it's 47 km (29 mi) to the outskirts of Montréal. U.S. I-89, from New Hampshire and Vermont, becomes Route 133 at the border, eventually joining Route 10 to reach Montréal. I-91, from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, becomes Route 55 at the border and also joins up with Route10.
By Train
The Gare Centrale, on rue de la Gauchetière between rues University and Mansfield (behind Le Reine Elizabeth), is the rail terminus for all trains from the United States and from other Canadian provinces. It is connected underground to the Bonaventure Métro station.
Amtrak ( 800/872-7245) Adirondack leaves New York's Penn Station every morning for the 101/2-hour trip through scenic upstate New York to Montréal. The Vermonter, which travels between Washington, D.C., and St. Alban's, Vermont, is also connected with Montréal, via a through bus connection provided by Amtrak.
VIA Rail ( 514/989-2626; 888/842-7245; 800/361-5390 in Québec) connects Montréal with all the major cities of Canada, including Québec City, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
By Bus
Société de Transport de Montréal ( 514/288-6287), (STM), administers the buses as well as the Métro, so the same tickets and transfers (free) are valid on either service.
By Car
Car Rentals
Rental cars are readily available in Montreal.
|
|
