Quebec 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.

although only across the river from Ottawa, the french influence is amazing. without some basic french getting around is prety tough. people are generally willing to help, but good luck finding a bilingual person. i personally do not think there is all that much to see, i felt it was a very built up and somewhat business and industrial center.

Not far from Chicoutimi is the Val Jalbert ghost town, which is really interesting to visit. People lived there until the 1920s when they had to go and look for work elsewhere. A lot of the houses are still standing, but the ruins of some are really creepy. You get the impression that something much worse happened than it really did...

New bar to watch out for: Telephone Rouge on Wellington St S., featuring shows by interesting local indie bands, all sorts of cultural happenings and a young friendly staff! ...things are happening in Sherbrooke right now!

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

It's almost impossible to believe that les Iles de la Madeleine belongs to Canada. It is so far (5 hour ferry ride on the Lucy Maud Montgomery from P.E.I.) and different in culture, landscape, language, etc. The roads from one island to the other are made from sand. There are wild roses growing everywhere. And the wind! Expect a bad hair day. We rented a house and the owners lived downstairs. It was nice to have this interaction with Les Madelinois even though we had a hard time understanding them. But apart from all the touring with did, the beautiful, wild beaches, the Museum, etc. our best souvenir will always be of our two days and one night at l'Ile d'Entrée. You can tour this small island on foot in one hour or climb the big hill. The old General Store with the old fridge... Almost everyone had red hair... and spoke English! Quite an experience. The wonderful lady (Mrs McLain - this was in 1992), where we rented rooms for the night, delighted us with stories about the many love triangles and strange deaths that happened on the island. There is no licence required to drive a car on Ile d'Entrée and you access it from the Main Island by a boat. I hope you get a chance to travel to Les Iles de la Madeleine. We came back full of wonderful memories and a great love for the Madelinois.

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.

Go to Pub George in the Old City! It's a little tiny hole in the wall pub. They usually have live music. Fairly inexpensive beer- compared to most of the places in Quebec City. Great Irish pub feel- the true locals hang out there. Loved it! Also stay at Hotel Clarendon. It's right in the heart of the Old City. It's very reasonably priced and it's next to the best restaurant in the city la crémaillère.

Come in july. The weather is great, there is music in the street, a lot of animation,... Nice city architecture.

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 ...

The Orleans Island is famed for its apple orchards. However, during the season, the bridge to get to the Island can be so full of cars it can take half an hour to cross it. If you do get there during the autumn when the trees are full of colors, you will not regret it! The Island is also a nice place to bike around, but beware because the island is quite windy!

Walk downtown! Try some Poutine! Take a hike by the waterway.

Stay in the old city. Soooo beautiful! Be careful locking up your bike.

Une superbe place à visiter, je vous conseille fortement d'aller faire un tour sur le lac Memphré. Peut-être aurez-vous la chance d'y voir le monstre qui y réside! Un endroit parfait pour aller faire du camping ou des sports nautiques (J'inclus la pêche) Pas trop éloigné de la grande ville, mais juste asser pour ne pas faire 5 heures de route.

Beaconsfield is not a place to travel in general. But you can enjoy a bike ride down the street on a special built bike lane!

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 ;)