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Montréal

The City

Montréal is a city rich in history, art, culture, learning, and sports. The city's architecture, too, is an artful mix of old and new, with graceful historic structures lovingly preserved and merged with the cool lines of the 21st century. The visual arts flourish here at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée d'art contemporain, and hundreds of top-notch local galleries. To learn more about Montréal, visit the Greater Montréal Convention and Tourism Bureau web site at www.tourisme-montreal.org.

Montréal is an international city, accessible from just about anywhere in the world. Connected via major airlines across the globe, Montréal is only an hour and a half from New York City, two hours from Chicago, and six hours from London. Montréal-Trudeau International Airport recently underwent major renovations in order to improve services for travelers and modernize the infrastructure. A new transborder jetty was opened in 2003. Taxis and limousines ensure quick service to and from Montréal's downtown core. There is also shuttle bus service, l'Aérobus, that links the airports to convenient connecting points in Montréal.

Montréal's Gare centrale (Central Station), with rail connections from New York or Washington, DC, is also a major stop for domestic trains from eastern or western Canada. The downtown station is conveniently connected to Bonaventure underground métro station by a pedestrian passageway. Bus travelers arrive downtown at the Montréal Bus Central Station, also connected to the métro (Berri-UQAM station).

Montréal is only 29 miles (47 km) from the New York border. The New York State Thruway (I-87) becomes Route 15, and U.S. I-89 becomes two-lane Route 133, which joins Highway 10 to Montréal. From I-91 in Massachusetts, highways 55 and 10 lead to Montréal. Visitors coming to Montréal from eastern or western Canada may use highways 20 and 40. Québec speed limits are in kilometers (100 kph equals about 62 mph). Gasoline is sold in liters (3 3/4 liters equals 1 gallon).

Weather

The weather in Montréal greatly varies with the four seasons, so visitors are encouraged to check the forecast before packing. Web site links providing basic weather information include www.meteo.ec.gc.ca (Meteorological Service of Canada) and www.theweathernetwork.com (The Weather Network).

Average High: 80° F/26.4° C
Average Low: 61° F /16.3° C

Time Zone

Montréal is in the Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Zone.'


Travel Information

Airport

The recommended airport to fly into would be Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (Montréal-Trudeau) (YUL), which offers direct flights to more than 100 destinations.

Airline Discounts

Information coming soon

Ground Transportation

Tickets for L'Aérobus may be purchased at the Montréal Central Bus Station (505 de Maisonneuve Blvd. East), Montréal Trudeau International Airport (at the dispatcher's counter on the main level in the arrivals area), or from the driver. Rates: one-way - $13 CAD; round-trip - $22.75 CAD. The shuttle operates from 4:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Pick-up is at the baggage claim area. For more information, call (514) 843-4938.

Limousines cost about $65 CAD one-way, and taxis cost about $35 CAD one-way.

Public Transportation

Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
Phone: STM-INFO (786-4636)
Fax: (514) 280-5658
Web: www.stm.info

Métro Schedule

  • Green and Orange lines: Monday-Friday and Sunday, 5:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.; Saturday, 5:30 a.m.-1 a.m.
  • Yellow line: Monday-Friday and Sunday, 5:30 a.m.-1:00 a.m.; Saturday, 5:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
  • Blue line: Daily, 5:30 a.m.-12:15 a.m.

Fares (bus and métro): Adult fare: $2.50; booklet of six tickets: $11.50; STM tourist pass: one day, $9; three days, $17. STM offers tourist passes for a one-, three-day period, allowing unlimited access to its bus and métro (subway) network.