FRANCES O'ROURKE, who grew up in Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec, returns to find a buzzing city full of joie de vivre
MY TRIP DOWN memory lane starts at the small Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, in Old Montreal. It’s by the harbour on the St Lawrence River, on the site of the 17th-century French colony of Ville-Marie, the birthplace of this Canadian city.
It was our family’s favourite tourist spot, as newly arrived immigrants to the city. Downstairs is a museum to delight a child: doll-sized figures in glass cases told the story of the city’s birth, depicting nuns, priests and traders from France arriving to settle untamed wilderness and convert the natives. (In those days people didn’t tell the story from the point of view of the conquered.)
After that it was time to climb the steps to the church’s rooftop lookout over the St Lawrence River, the place evoked by Leonard Cohen’s song Suzanne, who “takes you down to her place near the river . . . and the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbour”.
Bonsecours, the chapel and restored stone market building next door, in the heart of Old Montreal, is a good a place to begin a holiday in this mostly French but culturally incredibly diverse city. In the 475 years since Jacques Cartier first landed on this island in the St Lawrence, Montreal has grown into a major North American city of three and a half million people. It is officially French-speaking, but English is widely spoken (as are many other languages).
Being French and North American at the same time is what gives it its unique flavour. But other parts of its heritage – British, Irish, Scottish, Jewish, Italian and more – give Montreal a special energy. All the same, it is the relaxed Quebec joie de vivre that makes it a fun place to be. It’s a party city as well as a city for people who love the outdoors; a young city (it has four large universities) and a creative city, with a thriving arts scene (its jazz, film and comedy festivals are just part of its story). And it’s an excellent place for foodies, with restaurants of every kind: Québecois, like the French, have always taken their food seriously.
The tourist sites say that it is a city for all seasons, and it’s true that Montreal has done everything it can to make it a fun place to be in winter. An extensive metro and interlinked underground shops, bars and restaurants mean you could stay below ground for much of your visit in a season when temperatures can hit lows of minus 15 degrees; you could also venture out to Mount Royal, the mountain that gives the city its name, to skate or toboggan or go cross-country skiing.
But the city really comes into its own in spring, autumn and, especially, summer, when everyone’s out on the street having a good time. Montreal is a city of neighbourhoods, and first-time tourists could focus their visit on two, Old Montreal (classy, historic) and the Plateau (edgy, young), as well as heading for either Mount Royal park or the city’s harbour area for an outdoor break, especially in high summer, when temperatures soar.
It’s easy to get around: the metro is excellent, and you can sign up for the Bixi bike scheme (bixi.com), which, like Dublinbikes, lets you rent a bicycle, then drop it when you get to where you’re going.
Mount Royal, the park in the centre of the city created by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York, has jogging and walking trails, picnic areas, a lake, loads of summer events and – when you’ve made the fairly steep climb to the top – fantastic views over the city.
From here you can see right down to the harbour and the St Lawrence. Hop on a metro at the foot of the mountain and head for the river and Parc Jean-Drapeau, a major recreational site for Montrealers. Built on two small islands that were the site of Montreal’s Expo world fair, back in 1967, it has an aquatic park with three pools, plus an amusement park, and it hosts outdoor concerts and, on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve each summer, the Canadian Grand Prix. The circuit is open to visitors between races for walking, running, biking, in-line skating and so on.
Head back on the metro to Old Montreal, where historic buildings, galleries, ateliers, wine bars, coffee shops, boutiques and restaurants line the cobbled streets. It feels quite European, and there are plenty of terrace wine bars and cafes to stop at while sightseeing. Spots to see include Place Jacques-Cartier, Place d’Armes, Pointe-à-Callière archaeological museum and the handsome Gothic Revival basilica of Notre Dame (where the funeral of the Montrealer Kate McGarrigle was held recently).
The old port of Montreal has been restored now that the main port has moved eastwards: stroll or cycle by the waterfront, take a boat trip and look out for the Imax cinema and science centre. Head for the Lachine Canal, at the west end of the port: the canalside has also been refurbished for walkers and cyclists, and there are cruises up the canal. (Lachine is a Montreal suburb originally named by French explorers who dreamed of a route across the continent that would lead them to China.)
Every two years the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil launches a new show from the quays in the old port: Cirque 2010, directed by Robert Lepage, opens just after Easter.
Heading back to the city centre, you’ll find the Plateau slightly northeast of downtown Montreal: stroll along Boulevard St Denis, check out outdoor terraces, explore retro shops and hip boutiques, look for La Fontaine Park. It’s a bohemian neighbourhood where people hang out – in cafes, restaurants and bars and on balconies of the city’s traditional stone duplexes and triplexes, overlooking streets that in summer buzz with action day and night.
The Village, a mainly gay neighbourhood in a city and province that are especially gay-friendly – Quebec was the first Canadian province to allow gay marriage – is nearby.
A little bit farther north is Little Italy, bastion of the city’s Italian community since the 19th century, where there’s tango in the park in summer, and Montreal’s best open-air market, the Jean-Talon market.
While you’re in the area, look out for St-Viateur and Fairmount bagel shops (on streets of those names): many people, not just Montrealers, claim these are the best bagels in North America.
Stroll westwards to Boulevard St Laurent, and along Prince Arthur Street, and you’ll find yourself at McGill University and the more English-speaking end of the city. The Anglo-French divide of earlier years (described famously by one writer as “the two solitudes”) hasn’t entirely disappeared: walk along Sherbrooke Street, go to leafy Westmount and you’ll be in the heart of what was English-speaking Montreal. A little farther west is NDG – or Notre Dame de Grâce – home to many of the city’s Irish immigrants.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in an area tourist sites call the Golden Mile, is well worth a visit. Nearby are lots of upscale boutiques and galleries, and, off Sherbrooke, more clubs and restaurants. The homesick can hunt out McKibbin’s, a long-popular Irish pub.
For regular clothes shopping, department stores (the Bay is one of the best), bookstores, pharmacies and the like, there’s Rue Ste Catherine, which runs 10km from east to west through the heart of the city – but try to ignore the lapdancing clubs and sex shops, which look tacky and incongruous.
Canada has some wonderful, exciting cities, like Vancouver and Toronto. But Montreal? It’s in Quebec, and that’s somewhere completely different.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go in the city:
Le St-James. 355 Rue Saint- Jacques, 00-1-514-8413111, hotellestjames.com. Luxury boutique hotel in a 19th-century bank building in Old Montreal. There's afternoon tea with a harpist, rooms are filled with fine art and Forbes magazine rates it "refined, with a warm welcome". Celebrity guests include The Rolling Stones.
Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. 900 West Rene Levesque Boulevard, 00-1-514-8613511, fairmont.com/queenelizabeth. The landmark Queen E, as it's known to Montrealers, opened its doors in 1958 and became the place for visiting dignitaries and celebs from early on: the most famous were John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who held a bed-in there in 1969 to protest against the Vietnam War – Lennon wrote and recorded Give Peace a Chance there. Luxury rates.
Opus Hotel. 10 Sherbrooke Ouest, 00-1-514-8436000, opushotel.com. On the corner of Sherbrooke Street and St Laurent Boulevard, this is right on the edge of the bohemian Plateau district, close to downtown Montreal, with its hip bars, restaurants and eclectic shops. From about 149 Canadian dollars (€110) a night.
Sofitel. 1155 Sherbrooke Ouest, 00-1-514-2859000, sofitel.com. Rates from 104 Canadian dollars (€76) in a hotel conveniently located at corner of Rue Stanley and Sherbrooke, less than a block from Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, luxury shops and a short (if steep) stroll up to Mount Royal, the mountain/city park that gives Montreal its name.
Auberge Alternative. 358 Rue St Pierre, 00-1-514- 2828069, auberge-alternative. qc.ca. Colourful artsy hostel with friendly youthful staff in prime location in Old Montreal. Doubles 75 Canadian dollars (€55) a night.
5 places to eat
Olive + Gourmando. 351 Saint- Paul West, 00-1-514- 3501083, oliveetgourmando. com. Open from 8am to 6pm, this is an amazing place for wonderful breakfasts, lunches and breads. In Old Montreal, it's very cool and has featured in the US Gourmet magazine.
Le Club Chasse et Pêche. 423 Rue Saint-Claude, 00-1- 514-8611112, leclubchasse etpeche. com. This fabulous place in Old Montreal is low-key, but the French cuisine is superb, backed up by an extensive wine list. In summer, lunch service is outdoors, across the road from the restaurant in the garden of Château Ramezay Museum.
L'Express. 3927 Rue Saint- Denis, 00-1-514-8455333. Cool Parisian-style bistro in the lively Plateau area, open until 3am all week. High ceiling, mirrored walls and tasty fare at good prices. Reserve, as it's always busy.
Schwartz's. 3895 Saint- Laurent Boulevard, 00-1-514- 8424813, schwartzsdeli.com. The ultimate Montreal Jewish deli experience in Canada's oldest deli. Founded by a Jewish immigrant from Romania in 1928, it has remained unchanged over 80 years. Serves Montreal smoked meat – the best smoked meat anywhere, Montrealers firmly believe. (Look also for Dunn's and Reuben's smoked-meat restaurants downtown).
Joe Beef. 2491 Rue Notre Dame Ouest, 00-1-514- 9356504, joebeef.ca. Upscale reincarnation of tavern run by Charles "Joe Beef" McKiernan, a 19th-century innkeeper and Montreal working-class hero in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood. Near Atwater Market, it specialises in steak and seafood.
5 places to go
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 1339-1380 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, 00-1-514- 2852000, mmfa.qc.ca. Excellent permanent exhibitions and good visiting shows. One of Tiffany glass is running until May, and until August you can see an exhibition of jewellery created by a Paris firm celebrating Cirque du Soleil. Don't miss the museum's permanent collection of Inuit art. Across the road are another gallery and an excellent museum shop. See museesmontreal.org for how to get a three-day museum card, for $45 (€33), that gives you entry to 34 museums.
Biodome. 4777 Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin, 00-1-514- 868-3000, ville.montreal.qc. ca/biodome. Go from tropical forests to the Arctic (don't miss the penguins) in a brilliant nature museum that replicates five ecosystems. A must if you have kids and fascinating even if you're usually allergic to eco-info. The Biodome is built in Montreal's 1976 Olympic Stadium. When you're finished, seek out the botanic garden nearby. Check before a visit: the biodome has been closed by strike action recently.
Mount Royal. montreal. com/parks. The mountain in the middle of Montreal is a 100-hectare park landscaped by the same man who designed New York's Central Park. It's 234m high at its peak, features a landmark illuminated cross and has trails for walking and biking, a lake and, of course, great lookouts over the city. Climb up any hilly street from the city centre for access, or take the metro to the Mont Royal station, then a bus.
Bonsecours Market(350 Saint-Paul Street East, 00-1- 514-8727730, ville.montreal. qc.ca/marchebonsecours) and Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel and Marguerite- Bourgeoys Museum (400 Saint-Paul Street East, 00-1- 514-2828670, marguerite- bourgeoys.com). Visit both places to find out where the story of Montreal began. There are boutiques, galleries and restaurants in the restored market that is HQ of Quebec Crafts Council. The Cabaret du Roy there is a themed restaurant that takes you back to the Nouvelle France colony of 1705. The chapel and Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum are next door to the market.
Parc Jean-Drapeau. St Helen and Notre Dame islands, 00-1-514-8726120, parcjeandrapeau.com. Picnic, swim or go boating in summer; toboggan in winter; go to the Casino de Montréal or the La Ronde amusement park; run, walk or cycle on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (where the Canadian Grand Prix is held); or look out for a rock concert. The park is on two islands in the St Lawrence River, once the site of a world fair, Expo 67.
Hot spot
Restaurant Buonanotte. 3518 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, 00-1-514-848-0644, buonanotte.com. Restaurant with a lively club scene later.
Shop spot
Ogilvy. 1307 Rue Sainte- Catherine Ouest, 00-1-514- 8427711, ogilvycanada.com. Revamped traditional department store that's now modern and upscale with all the cool main designer labels – but it's still a little bit of Montreal that is forever Scotland, with a roving bagpiper who plays
from the top floor to the basement every day from noon to 1pm. Also check out Holt Renfrew (1300 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, 00-1-514-8425111, holtrenfrew.com), Montreal’s Brown Thomas, and clothing boutiques on nearby side streets.
Go There
Air Transat flies to Montreal from Dublin between May and September. Otherwise, try Travelocity, Expedia and other websites to find good-value fares, whether through London, Toronto or a US airport.