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The best of Montreal
Written by: Anita Lišková & Todd Shaw
Photo by: Rene Jakl and archiv
This former French colony still retains much of its Gallic joie
de vivre, and visitors are likely to come for a promenade along
the port or the frequent large-scale festivals. A combination of
ethnic and architectural diversity creates an ideal destination
for business or pleasure.
Serge Grimaux
owner, Ticketpro
Favorite hotel: Hotel Le Germain, 2050 Mansfield,
tel.: +1-514-849 2050
Favorite restaurant: Le Latini, 1130 Jeanne-Mance
corner René Levesque Blvd., tel..: +1-514-861 3166
Favorite attraction: Mezinárodní jazzový festivalThe
International Jazz Festival
Best-kept secret: Trattoria, 1237, Crescent
Street, tel.: +1-514-866 3226, Italian rotisserie
Favorite shop: La Cordée, 2159, Ste-Catherine
E., tel.: +1-514-524 1106, selling outdoor equipment
Advice: Go to Excentris, 3530 boul. Saint-Laurent.
- Café Melies, cinema and more! |
Sylvie
Scott
vice-president marketing, retail and business sales, Český mobil
Favorite hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, 1228 Sherbrooke
street W., tel.: +1-514-842 4212
Favorite restaurants: Chez Queux (Old Montreal),
158 Rue St.-Paul E., tel.: +1-514 866 5194,
Restaurant Globe, 3451 St-Laurent Street, tel.: +1-514-284
3823
Favorite night club: Too many to choose just
one.
Favorite shops: department stores Holt Renfrew
St-Laurent & St-Denis streets
Favorite attractions: Molson Centre, 1260,
De la gauchetie`re street W., tel.: +1-514-932 3720, watching
a Montreal Canadians hockey game and the International Jazz
Festival
Best-kept secret: Montrealské uzené maso
v podnicích Schwartz's. Montreal-style smoked meat at Schwartz's.
Advice: The fall is the best season to travel.
Take a day trip to the Eastern Townships in the country to
see the changing colors. Have lunch at the Auberge North Hatley
(325, Chemin Virgin, North Hatley, tel.: +1-819-842 2451)
or visit Knowlton village on a weekend. |
Martin Eger
director, Pražský klub
Favorite hotel: Days Inn Downtown - City
Centre, 215, René Levesque Blvd. E., tel.: +1-514-393 3388
Favorite restaurant: Reuben's Restaurant,
888, Rue Sainte-Catherine W., tel.: +1-514-861 1255, delicious
viande fumée
Favorite night club: Chez Parée, 1258, Stanley,
tel.: +1-514-866 0495, but avoid weekends, it's too busy there
Favorite shops: Marché Bonsecours, 350, Saint-Paul
Street E., tel.: +1-514-872 8477, very pleasant boutiques
and galleries
Favorite attraction: Biodome, 4777, Pierre
de Coubertin Ave., tel.: +1-514-868 3000, you can see penguins
there
Best-kept secret: La Belle Provence, A 50's-style
day club; they make delicious breakfasts
Advice: Avoid globally-known spots, enjoy
local atmosphere and don't spend too much time in night clubs. |
Jan Kužel
director, America Tours
Favorite hotel: Hotel place d'armes, 70,
Coté de place d'armes, tel.: +1-514-842 1887
Favorite restaurant: Area, 1429, Amherst
Street, tel.: +1-514-890 6691
Favorite night club: Jello Bar, 151, Ontario
E. corner de Boullion, tel.: +1-514-285 2621, it has home-like
atmosphere, very in and very eclectic
Favorite attraction: Botanical gardens, 4101,
Sherbrooke E., tel.: +1-514-872 1400 - especially when the
lilacs are in bloom
Best-kept secret: Montreal has the best bagels
in the world!
Favorite shop: Ailes de la Mode, 677, Sainte-Catherine
W., tel: +1-514-282 4537Z. The brand new shop in the historic
Eaton's building is worth visiting.
Advice: Be sure to allow plenty of time to
just appreciate the genuine warmth of a Montreal welcome,
one that very few cities can duplicate.
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Basic facts
Location: Province of Québec, Canada
Population: 1,016,376 (city); 3.4
million (metropolitan area)
Ethnic mix: 27% Canadian, 26% French,
8% Italian, 6% Asian, 4% Haitian, 3% British, 26%
other
Time zone: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from
first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October)
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz;
regular two-pin and grounded three-pin US-style plugs
are used
Average January temp: - 6° C (21°
F)
Average July temp: 26° C (79° F)
Annual rainfall: 723 mm (28.5 inches)
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Where on the web?
For further information, we suggest the following websites dedicated
to Montreal:
http://montreal.worldweb.com/
- a sort of hotel-sponsored page with a decent travel/tourism overview,
but not very in-depth info. A good starting point.
http://english.montrealplus.ca/
- fairly comprehensive listings of bars, clubs, and major venues
that offer live music, DJs and more. There's also a useful Yellow
Pages link.
http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/montreal/
- as the URL implies, this site is heavy on hotel special offers,
luxury accommodation, restaurants, city maps and other essential
travel information for the business traveler.
http://www.iagora.com/itravel/icities/canada/montreal/ic_index.html
- nothing special on the homepage, but by signing up as a member,
you can enter the forum and ask locals or tourists specific questions
about the city.
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Prices
one-liter bottle of mineral water: CAD 1.50
33-cl bottle of beer: CAD 1.50
Financial Times newspaper: CAD 2
36-exposure color film: CAD 8.50
city-center bus ticket: CAD 2
adult football ticket: CAD 15 - 47
three-course meal with wine/beer: from CAD
15
CAD 1 (Canadian dolar) = CZK 20.36; EUR 0.66; GBP
0.42; USD 0.64 (currency conversion rates as of press
time)
Source:
http://www.cityguide.travel-guides.com
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Business PROFILE
A turnaround in recent years has seen Montreal become a major
center for the aerospace, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and IT sectors.
Multimedia and special effects software companies have developed
in a city with a formidable telecom sector, dominated by Bell Canada
(BCE) and Nortel Networks, and the Cité du Multimédia enterprise
zone has been a huge success.
The city ranks third in North America for hosting international
conferences, and this is likely to increase with the doubling in
size of the Palais des Congre`s convention centre.
Although more English is spoken in the business world than on the
streets, a few words of French before switching to English will
be considered a beau geste. Usually first-name terms (or from "vous"
to "tu") are used after initial introductions have been
completed.
Source: www.cityguide.travel-guides.com
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