Montreal People & Culture

Really nice city with lots of nightlife activities during summer (Festival Juste pour rire, Local Gay Pride, etc).
Corner of St-Catherine Street and St-Denis street is the place to be (really hot and fun).
People is really friendly and from all classes.
Visit Park Mont-Royal, Biodome, Jardin Botanique (if you like flowers), Stade Olympique has nothing special but a great view but a bit expensive...) and if you like attractions go to La Ronde (Ile Saint-Helene).
Finish at night by a dinner near the Vieux-Port (old Montréal) or by a hockey game at the Molson Center ;)

French is handy but there politer than the people in France lol and more speak English here!!

Montreal is very nice. Except for the French people.

check out the tam tams on sundays, at the top of the mountain. good times, good people, fun and FREE!!!

Great city, lots of fun stuff to do. Wide variety of food. Food is excellent! All in all it's a beautiful city. The people... not so nice. If you don't speak French they tend to give you the cold shoulder. When they can't even speak proper French themselves. If your coming from France, you won't understand a word they're saying. Another thing is the beef they have with Torontonians, like myself. It really grinds my gears when they ask "What do you like better? Montreal or Toronto?" Like someone from Toronto would never ask you something like that. They're all about "Which city is better?"
They're both great cities in their own different ways so stop obsessing cuz WE DON'T GIVE A SHIT. And I love how their hockey team is named Canadiens when they think they're not even a part of Canada. Montreal... get over yourself!

Il y a tellement de choses à découvrir... Musées, culture, vieux-port, Mont royal...allez-y et découvrez!!!

It is a bit hard for Americans to understand the wierd politics between the English Speaking Canadians and the French Speaking Canadians. In Montreal, almost everybody understands English and speaks it very well- however, they may not let you in on it if you don't respect that Montreal is officially a French Language City. So, here is a tip to get you respect from the locals- ALWAYS start out any conversation in French. Learn a few French courtesy phrases such as Bon jour, Salut, Ou est..., Pardon, Au revoir, Merci, Combien ca coute..., and others. Even if you don't speak French well or understand it well, you are more likely to get respect if you attempt to speak Montreal's language first when dealing with retailers, waiters, and locals (unlike in Paris where you get disdain if you don't speak French well). Montreal locals will often see your discomfort and tell you what you need to know in English. However, if you start out with English, these same locals may act like they don't understand English only because they see your assumption as a slight against their culture.

One of the coolest cities in the world. Visit the museums, catch a movie, and do all the sightseeing possible. It's also a good place to catch concerts and music festivals. The Olympic Park is worth a visit.

Check out these web pages:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Montreal
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/B2C/00/default.asp
http://www.discovermontreal.ca/

There are lots of Festivals in Montreal during the summer. My Favorite is the Jazz Blues Festival. In addition there's the International Fireworks competition and the Just for Laughs Festival.

Downtown Montreal has Cresent Street closed off with Music stages set up while the F1 - Formula 1 Race is in town so when race day is over you can enjoy plenty of atmosphere and free entertainment.

Absolutely don't miss the Montreal Jazz Festival if you are there in the summer ... time your trip to be there for it if you can... its marvellous and happens around end-June early-July... there are some paid shows but most of it is free... just saunter around the huge area enclosed for it and stay on at whatever event catches your fancy... there is great variety and several gigs happen simultaneously every day for several days... and there is the related festivity around it... food stalls, souvenirs, music buys, and loads of festive people... the whole city turns festive in fact... watch out for pickpockets though who turn active too... it is a great jazz event internationally ... but Montreal has more too ... don't miss the lovely botanical garden there and the wooded area in the city for a nice stroll ...

Absolutely don't miss the Montreal Jazz Festival if you are there in the summer ... time your trip to be there for it if you can... its marvellous and happens around end-June early-July... there are some paid shows but most of it is free... just saunter around the huge area enclosed for it and stay on at whatever event catches your fancy... there is great variety and several gigs happen simultaneously every day for several days... and there is the related festivity around it... food stalls, souvenirs, music buys, and loads of festive people... the whole city turns festive in fact... watch out for pickpockets though who turn active too... it is a great jazz event internationally ... but Montreal has more too ... don't miss the lovely botanical garden there and the wooded area in the city for a nice stroll ...

Rue St. Paul, a great visit. Loved the architecture, cobblestone streets and the bistros....FANTASTIC.

Le quartier du Vieux Port est vraiment magnifique. Une promenade sur la Place Jacques Cartier et ses ruelles avoisinantes vaut vraiment la peine.

Wanna eat the best meat ever ?
Try smoked meat at Schwartz's delicatessen

Montreal is famous for its smoked meat, but don't be distracted by places like Ben's or Dunn's (which I think is closed now anyways) or Nickel's (that awful place owned by Celine Dion)... just bee-line to Schwartz's on Boulevard St. Laurent (also known as "the Main") .... This place is a landmark in the city. No-I'm not related to the owners. But when I visit Montreal, even though I hardly ever eat beef, I make a pilgrimage to Schwartz's.

Really nice city with lots of nightlife activities during summer (Festival Juste pour rire, Local Gay Pride, etc).
Corner of St-Catherine Street and St-Denis street is the place to be (really hot and fun).
People is really friendly and from all classes.
Visit Park Mont-Royal, Biodome, Jardin Botanique (if you like flowers), Stade Olympique has nothing special but a great view but a bit expensive...) and if you like attractions go to La Ronde (Ile Saint-Helene).
Finish at night by a dinner near the Vieux-Port (old Montréal) or by a hockey game at the Molson Center ;)