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Montreal rendez-vous

Traveling to Montreal will give you that European charm without the European price

Courtesy of Tourisme Montreal

Montreal's architecture was recognized in 2006 by UNESCO. The city was named one of the world's three Cities of Design.

By Nancy McMullen

March 13, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST

With its beauty, history and curious cultural heritage, Europe exudes countless attractive qualities for most travelers, but vacationing there can cost an arm and a leg — not to mention a pet and your firstborn. Traveling to Montreal will give you that sort of je ne sais quoi European charm without leaving you penniless.

Montreal features a distinct western European tradition that unveils itself in its old city, Vieux Montreal, and its French-speaking inhabitants. Walking along the streets of Vieux Montreal feels like being transported to romantic 18th-century Paris, with flowers cascading from its stone facades and terraces. Travel a few miles north, and you run into a contemporary North American metropolis. Montreal boasts a large business district with many cultural regions, including Chinatown and Little Italy, that give the city an international flair.

Montreal rests on an island in southern Quebec at the intersection of the St. Lawrence River, the Ottawa River and the Rivière des Prairies. The city itself is comprised of several different neighborhoods, including downtown, Vieux Montreal and Plateau du Mont Royal, the most densely populated area in Canada. St. Laurent Boulevard, commonly known as “The Main,” divides the neighborhoods into east and west regions. Montreal’s diversity and heritage provide a variety of attractions for travelers.

Within the city, more than 30 museums with more than 4 million works of art presenting Montreal’s history beckon visitors and Montrealans alike. One of the most visited museums in Montreal, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History of Montreal, rests on the site where Montreal was founded in 1642 and houses hundreds of artifacts that paint a portrait of the city’s vast history. Also, the Musée des Beaux Arts, or Museum of Fine Arts, is a virtual petite Louvre that displays a more than 30,000-piece art collection from around the world, including works from masters such as van Gogh, Matisse and Rembrandt.

After saying au revoir to Montreal’s museums, spend an afternoon at the Montreal Botanical Garden, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. The garden encompasses more than 180 acres and displays thousands of beautiful, colorful plant varieties that send your senses into a visual and aromatic paradise. The Montreal Biodome, essentially an indoor zoo, is another famous ecological attraction in Montreal. Visiting the Biodome feels like exploring some of the most beautiful environments in the world simultaneously. The attraction recreates four ecosystems, including tropical and Canadian forests.

During your visit, don’t miss Montreal’s 20-mile underground city. Every day, more than half a million people go through the underground city, which links most of the downtown office spaces and hundreds of places to stay, eat and shop. The underground city feels like a never-ending shopping mall with escalators, shops, cafes, restaurants and movie theaters. Don’t worry about finding it, either — there are more than 150 entrances to the city, and its tunnels connect 10 metro stations.

Montreal’s culinary offerings are reason enough to visit the city. As of 2006, Montreal had the highest number of restaurants per capita in all of North America and had more than 80 types of national and ethnic cuisines to choose from — enough to satisfy anyone’s cravings. For a less expensive meal, go to Schwartz’s in the Plateau du Mont Royal area. Schwartz’s is a famous Hebrew deli and lunch spot known for its smoked meats, but don’t expect an extravagant atmosphere. The decor is ordinary with long, narrow wooden tables and newspaper clips hanging on the walls. When looking for a fancier and more upscale experience, visit Toqué!, a restaurant in downtown Montreal with regional North American market cuisine. Toqué!’s chef, Normand Laprise, is known for creating innovative cuisine that blends local produce with eclectic dishes, such as his Guinea fowl breast dish with ratatouille, young turnip, béarnaise and white wine chicken. C’est fantastique!

Springtime is one of the best times to visit Montreal, according to Patriq Chenier, a concierge at Hotel Le Germain, one of Montreal’s best luxury hotels. “In the winter, Montrealans are hibernating,” Chenier says. “In the spring, Montrealans come out and sit on their terraces having their drink of beer, and the city is blooming and growing.” Also, Montreal hosts a variety of festivals in the spring and summer, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the world’s largest festival according to the Guinness Book of World Records, which takes place June 26 to July 6. The festival had about 2.1 million visitors in 2007 and includes more than 600 performances and 300 free shows. Past performers include Harry Connick, Jr., Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis.

Getting to Montreal might be easier than you think. It takes 19 hours to drive from Columbia to Montreal, or you can fly out of St. Louis via Air Canada to Toronto and then take Air Canada from Toronto to Montreal, a four-hour trip for about $200 each way.

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