Montréal, A Great Vacation Destination

"Old Montréal" during Christmas

• Montréal is only a 5 to 6 hour car ride from Boston.
• The route from Boston to Montréal is very scenic, about ½ of the trip is through Vermont, a very scenic state.
• Montréal is very cosmopolitan.
• The residents of Montréal are very friendly and welcome visitors.
• Montréal has great restaurants.
• The US Dollar has used to have a very favorable exchange rate with the Canadian Dollar, not anymore. I will continue visiting, and enjoying Montréal regardless of the exchange rate.
• Montréal is a great "party" city, something for everyone.
• Montréal hosts many festivals and special events.
• Montréal is very scenic and enjoyable:
  • Mont Royal is fantastic, beautiful views of the city and a great park in its own right.
  • Old Montréal is very European and quaint.
  • The Old Port has been restored and is a very active section of the city, used by both residents and visitors. One of the nicest restoration projects of any city.
  • A walk down St. Catherine St. on a summer night is a wonderful experience. Many Montréal residents still enjoy a nice walk downtown on a summer evening.
• Although there are a lot of similarities to home, there are many differences including:
  • Currency is the dollar, but the Canadian Dollar is a different value than the US Dollar.
  • Metric system of measurement.
  • French is the major language, but most residents speak English fluently.
  • No right turn on red at any traffic light (Montreal Island).
  • Smoked beef is very popular (try it, you'll like it.)
  • Molson Export is an excellent beer. Although Molson Ale is a popular export to the states, you usually only see Molson Export in Canada and at US stores near the border. Molson Export is not readily available in Boston. I like Molson Ale, but Molson Export is better.
• Montréal is a great walking city.
• Montréal has an excellent Metro and bus system. My car usually stays at the hotel during my entire vacation. I walk, take the Metro (subway) or public bus.
• The Underground City allows shoppers and strollers to visit hundreds of shops without going outside. A nice plus in the winter.
• The Forum (where the Canadians played before moving to the Molson/Bell Centre) has been developed into a 22 screen stadium seating movie theater, an entertainment center, and several strores including a FutureShop. A nice use for the Forum rather than tearing it down.
• Montréal has wonderful museums and an exceptional botanical garden. Also, the old Expo and Olympic sites are very enjoyable and "must see" locations.
• Montréal has a "world class" casino.
• There are many day trip locations close to Montreal. I have visited Québec City (several times), Ottawa, and the Thousand Islands. All the trips were a nice way to spend a day and very reasonably priced. I particularly enjoyed the one day trip by boat from Montréal to Québec City with a chartered bus return trip in the evening.