Montreal at a glance

Montréal is a spirited, bold and complex mix of contrasts that completely defies comparison. Sure, Montréal’s renowned duality of Old World charm infused with North American energy lies at its very heart.

A shutterbug’s dream, you could snap away at warp speed and capture a new story with every click of the camera. It doesn’t matter where you go on the island; every neighborhood is different and everyone has something distinctive to offer. Montréal is as romantically traditional as it is cutting-edge innovative, as cosmopolitan dynamic as it is small-town friendly.

Yet despite this diversity, an underlying homogeneity exists in this vibrant population who collectively and confidently “live and let live”—and do it well. Take Saint-Denis Street for example. On the first warm day of spring, Montrealers flock to the outdoor terraces en masse to celebrate winter’s departure and lift their faces to the light like sunflowers.

Or downtown during the holidays, where rosy-cheeked shoppers stop to listen to Cyrille the Spoonman as he merrily clip-clops away in front of the Ogilvy department store. Or summer Sundays on Mount Royal, where everyone gathers to let loose to the tribal beat of the tam-tams. Bohemian? Maybe. Uplifting? Definitely. After spending some time here, you’ll notice that without the complex mix of flavors—ethnicity, culture, language, ideas, cuisine, you name it—warm camaraderie and sheer joie de vivre, anywhere else just seems bland.

Learn more at tourisme-montreal.org