From Wikitravel

Downtown is a district of Montreal.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Car

Street parking runs $3/hour from 8am-9pm and ticketing is common. There are a number of large, commercial parking structures and by-the-day lots. Driving can be very slow and frustrating along Ste-Catherine, with large numbers of pedestrians and heavy traffic. Sherbrooke often comes to a standstill during rush hour.

[edit] Metro

Downtown Montreal is served by the Orange and Green Lines. The Orange Line follows Avenue de Maisonneuve, while the Green line runs parallel 5 blocks to the South (i.e. towards the river). Note that in many cases you can use the Underground City to walk from one station to another-- even between lines-- without surfacing (useful in winter or rain!).

Useful stops include:

• McGill and Peel on the Orange Line for McGill University and downtown shopping district.
• Bonaventure for Gare Centrale (Main Traun Station) and AMT Downtown Bus Station.

[edit] Bus

Dozens of bus lines run through the downtown area.

• 24 Sherbrooke runs the length of Sherbrooke-- a good way to get out to Westmount or the Plateau.
• 15 Ste-Catherine covers Ste-Catherine from Atwater out to the Village.

[edit] Get around

Downtown is walkable, weather permitting, but watch for frustrated drivers trying to cut through throngs of pedestrians crossing the street. The new Maisonneuve bike lane provides easy, and relatively safe, bike access in and out of downtown.

[edit][add listing] See

• Chinatown, accessible at the Place-D'Armes metro station, is one of the largest Asian communities in Canada. It is known best for its many restaurants and gift shops.

• Grande Bibliothèque du Québec 475, boulevard De Maisonneuve Est (intersection of Berri and de Maisonneuve; Berri-UQAM metro station), 514 873-1100 or 1-800-363-9028. Closed Mondays, open 10h00-22h00 Tuesday through Friday and 10h00-17h00 weekends. Part of the Bibliothèque Nationale, this is a massive library housing 4 million works. The building itself is a contemporary style building integrating art and architecture including a glass mural, a kinetic luminous mural, a sculpture garden and varying museum-style displays in the lower-level gallery.The tiles that cover the outside of the building are made to ressemble a closed book. Architectural tours are offered: call the library for information.

• McGill University Campus Corner of Sherbrooke and McGill College. The lower section of McGill's campus is composed mainly of nineteenth century neoclassical buildings and is definitely worth a ten-minute stroll.

• Montreal Planetarium, 1000 rue St-Jacques Ouest, between Peel and de la Cathédrale (metro Bonaventure), (514) 872-4530 [1]. $8 admission, schedule varies. See the website for information on rates and shows.

• The Underground City (Montréal souterrain) [2], throughout the downtown area. This network of underground malls and passageways is a very convenient way to walk around during the winter months. It encompasses 6 metro stations on the green and orange lines and all of the major downtown shopping malls, encompassing food courts, cinemas, innumerable boutiques and services.

• Christ Church Cathedral, rue Sainte-Catherine near metro McGill and Place-des-Arts. It is a small but colourful church, the mother church of the region's Anglican (Episcopalian) denomination. Of special interest is the organ with additional remote-controlled organ pipes in the front of the church. If you have the opportunity to listen to an organ concert there, you should go. The concert will probably be by donation only.

• Mary Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), 1065, rue de la Cathédrale (metro Bonaventure) [3]. A 1/4 scale copy of St. Peter's in Rome. Impressive interior.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Musée des Beaux-Arts/Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1380 rue Sherbrooke Ouest (metro Guy-Concordia) [4]. Free permanent exhibitions and many prominent traveling exhibits. There is usually a fee for special exhibitions.

[edit][add listing] Buy

'Sainte-Catherine offers all the brandnames-- Gap, Zara, Roots, Payless, etc, and is packed with shoppers on nice days. Much more shopping happens out of site, in the hundreds of small stores in the Underground City.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• Café Presto, 1244 Stanley (Peel metro), (514) 879-5877. The best downtown deal for a very inexpensive and very satisfying casual/cozy Italian fare (main courses are all 3,95$ CDN. Calculate approx. 10$ CDN if you add a glass of wine and an espresso). Mon–Sat 11:30am–2:30pm & 4:30pm–9pm, closed Sundays. Very busy during lunchtime on weekdays. Arrive before noon or after 1:30pm to avoid the longest lines. Cash only (no credit or debit cards, but there are a few ATMs on the same block).
• Café Crystal, 1216 Ave. Union, (514) 866-3338. Light meals for breakfast and lunch. $5-$7, and close to the St. Catherine St. shopping district.
• Cafe L'Etranger, 680 rue Ste-Catherine O, (514) 392-9016 (metro McGill). With a giant menu that goes on for pages and seems to have everything, the most challenging part of a trip to Cafe L'Etranger is deciding what to order. This casual spot is famous for its sandwiches, wraps, coffees, and 2-for-1 happy hours for drinks. Relaxed atmosphere. Live music on most weekend nights. Popular with students.

[edit] Mid-range

• Vieux Dublin. Basement pub serving traditional pub fair plus a couple of Indian dishes at lunch and dinner. edit

[edit] Splurge

• Toqué!, 900 place Jean-Paul-Riopelle (metro Square-Victoria), ☎ +1-514-499-2084, [5]. In 1993, chef Normand Laprise put Montreal cuisine on the map with this landmark restaurant, and after more than 10 years it's still going strong in a new location. Combining the latest trends in fine dining with local and regional produce, the chefs create spectacularly complex dishes in tiny but strangely satisfying portions. The house specialty is an 8-course surprise menu, made up of many small dishes that continue to delight over and over. This restaurant will take a bite out of your wallet, but serious foodies will find it worth the reputation. $30-50 ($80 menu, $100 with wine).  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Bar des Pins, 3714 Park Avenue (metro Place-des-Arts), ☎ +1 514 845 6760. 17-3, sometimes closes earlier on weekdays. Blue collar bar invaded regularly by beer-pong-playing university students. Sells only beer. cheap..  edit

• Vinyl, 2109 Bleury (metro Place-des-Arts). 20-3 every day. Vinyl is a small, intimate club with frequent specials including $3 Rhum-n-Tings on Sunday nights and a diverse range of music from Reggae to Techno on different nights. Also, couches in the bathroom and an outdoor terrace around the back. $5 draft beer, $3 drink specials.  edit

• The Cock n' Bull, Sainte Catherine west. Inexpensive pub with a small kitchen, live bands, a single pool table and a couple of active dart boards. Friendly and sociable, for the most part English-speaking patrons, from age 18 to 60. Arts and crafts on Monday nights! edit

• Old Dublin, metro McGill, ☎ 514-861-4448. 11:30AM-3AM every day. Don't let the Vieux Dublin sign outside fool you — this pub is as Irish as it gets. There's not a lot of Emerald Island schlock around, but the pints are good, and homestyle meals for lunch and dinner really hit the spot. There's live music on weekends on the minuscule stage, but during the week it's quiet and comfy. Staff is polite and nice. $6 draft beer.  edit

• Madhatter Saloon, 1220 rue Crescent (metro Peel), ☎ 514-987-9988, [6]. Located In the sunny hot spot of Montreal Canada, the Madhatter has to be the least trendiest bar on a street know for trendy bars ... yes sir, the hatter is now on Crescent Street, people beware. Having held such events as Irish wakes, Golf for Booze, and All You Can Eat Chilli and Beer, the hatter prides itself in stuff most wouldn't. edit

• McKibbin's Irish Pub, 1426 rue Bishop (metro Guy-Concordia), ☎ 514-288-1850. Being next door to Concordia U. may or may not be a point in its favor, but there's no denying that this friendly pub is a great place for a pint. The food is above-average for a pub, too. McKibbin's is known for their ladies night every Wednesday with its all night open bar ($5 cover for girls and $20 cover for guys). edit

• Hurley's, 1225 rue Crescent (metro Lucien-L'allier or Guy-Concordia), ☎ 514-861-4111, [7]. Probably the best Irish pub in Montreal, with live traditional music every night and excellent food at fair prices. There's an upstairs as well for the busy nights, and a part of the pub is non-smoking, in addition to outdoor patios in the front and back. Very cozy with a highly authentic feel, and friendly professional staff edit

• Brutopia, 1219 Crescent (metro Peel), ☎ 514-393-9277. Brewpub on the busy Crescent strip. English-speaking college crowd. edit

• Peel Pub, 1196 Peel (metro Peel), ☎ 514-844-7296. Montreal legend. Sports bar. Dirt cheap specials. Good time, particularly on 1$ shooter Thursdays. edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Abri du voyageur Hotel [8] A warm and friendly hotel for the budget-conscious traveller in downtown Montreal ($42 CAD/ night and more). 9, Ste-Catherine Ouest (metro St-Laurent). E-Mail: info@abri-voyageur.ca Toll free : 1-888-302-2922 (Can. & US)
• Alternative Hostel, 358, rue Saint-Pierre (metro Place-d'Armes), 514-282-8069 email: info@auberge-alternative.qc.ca [9] Unique layout and friendly staff in the old area of Montreal; kitchen and laundry facilities. $19/night for a bed in a dorm. Often full. reserve.

[edit] Mid-range

• Major hotel chains like Holiday Inn [10], and Delta Hotels [11] have locations in the heart of downtown Montreal.
• Courtyard Montreal Downtown, 410 Sherbrooke Ouest, ☎ +1 514 844-8855 (fax: +1 514 844-0912), [12]. Centrally located business hotel, starting to look a little dated but still well-maintained. Free wireless, decent restaurant. In an unexpected touch of luxury, the 26th floor has not only the usual exercise room, but a whirlpool and generously sized pool as well, with great views over the city. $140-.  edit

[edit] Splurge

• The Ritz-Carlton, Montréal, 1228 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-842-4212 [13]. Arguably Montréal's finest accommodations. Be sure not to miss the baby ducklings in the garden.
• Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, 1050 Sherbrooke Street West, (514) 284-1110, [14]. Located on historic Sherbrooke Street in the heart of downtown’s Golden Square Mile, the luxury of this hotel is an experience in itself. This Canadian-rated five-star, four-diamond luxury hotel is centered amongst fashionable boutiques, museums, fine dining and the exciting nightlife of Montreal's chic Crescent Street.
• Chateau Versailles Hotel, 1659 Sherbrooke Street West - North Side Montreal, Quebec, [15]. The Hotel is located in the center of Montreal .Located one block from St. Marc, East of Atwater.
• Montreal Hyatt Desjardins
• Loews Hotel Vogue, 1425 Rue de la Montagne (Metro: Peel), [16]. Close to the corner of rue Ste-Catherine in the centre of city's main shopping district.
• Montreal Intercontinental, 360, rue Saint-Antoine Ouest (metro Place-d'Armes), [17].

[edit] Contact

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!