According to 800zipcodes.com, French-speaking Montreal is the largest city in Canada’s eastern province of Quebec. Montréal is nicknamed the ‘Paris of North America’ mainly due to the fact that the city is the cultural heart of the French-speaking part of Canada. Montreal is a modern city with plenty of space for cultural events such as festivals, exhibitions and performances. The city has a lively nightlife scene.
Montreal ‘s Top 10 Things to Do
#1. Basilique-Cathédrale Mari-Reine-du-Monde
This impressive church is one of the three largest in Quebec. The design is based on St. Peter’s Basilica of Rome. The whole is certainly a lot smaller than the basilica of Rome. The twelve apostles on the original have been replaced by statues of patron saints of the thirteen parishes of Montreal. You will find this special piece of architecture on the Rue de la Cathédrale.
#2. Hôtel de Ville
This city hall of the city of Montreal was built in the old part of the city called Vieux-Montréal. It was built between 1872 and 1878. Unfortunately, the inside was lost to a devastating fire in 1922. Everything was restored and the roof has been adapted in the meantime, including a copper roof. Thanks to this roof, the building has its very recognizable green roof with tower.
#3. Notre Dame
In the old part of the city ‘Vieux-Montréal’ is the most famous church in the city. Popular for her beautiful majestic appearance and authority. The inside is also not inferior to the outside. At the end of 1700, the architect François Baillairgé started working on his interior design. Blue skies with stars adorn the ceiling and the floor is also dazzling.
#4. Place des Arts
The very uniquely designed ‘Place des Arts’ is located in the eastern part of the city. The most beautiful performances are exhibited and played here. Wonderful performances by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Opera de Montréal and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens give away outstanding performances here. This place has a total of five different theaters, each with their own perfect conditions for the different stagings.
#5. Underground City
An underground “city” has been developed under the inner city of Montreal by connecting a network of corridors. With more than 32 kilometers of corridors, a shopping center is connected to hotels, museums, office buildings, banks, universities, train and metro stations. This corridor system with the name ‘RESO’ can be reached via 120 entrances.
#6. Mont Royal Park
This beautiful green part of the city lies at the foot of the Mont Royal mountain. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who is also responsible for New York’s Central Park. Unfortunately, after his depression, parts of the design were never realized. Nevertheless, it has become a lovely park with beautiful lakes and walking and cycling paths.
#7. Place du Canada
Montreal’s large urban square has a number of interesting and historic sites. On the 14,000 square meter square and which together with the adjacent Dorchester square is good for even 21,000 square meters, are the Gare Windsor former train station, Basilique-Cathédrale Mari-Reine-du-Monde and the St. George church. The very large historic building Gare Windsor used to be the train station of the city. Nowadays you depart from here by metro and the spaces are filled with offices, restaurants and a hotel.
#8. Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
This almost oldest art museum in Canada offers a number of special works of art from various years. There are, for example, works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, El Greco, Jacob van Ruisdael, Claude Monet, Floris van Dijck and Rembrandt van Rijn. In the modern department, names like Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse are no exception. Of course, works from contemporary art are not lacking in this museum. It is therefore very varied. You will find this museum on Rue Sherbrooke which is located in the old part of the city.
#9. Montréal Botanical Garden
In this beautiful colorful piece of oasis of the city, the most beautiful types of plants and flowers have been processed, which together exhibits a collection of about 22,000 species. No fewer than thirty thematic gardens take you on a journey around the world. This park is located on Rue Sherbrooke.
#10. Rue Sainte-Cathérine
Actually, this street is the main artery of the city. A lot of business takes place around this area. Old and new facades follow each other and cars drive back and forth. Various large and small shops are located between offices in this long shopping street. Names of major brands can be found here, such as Adidas, Apple, Zara and Guess.
