From Wikitravel

The West Island is the western part of the island of Montreal containing notably Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping center and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The local suburban residents are predominantly English speakers in contrast to the more French speaking residents from the rest of the island, though this has been changing in recent years thanks to demographic shifts (currently approximately 42% of the population is anglophone, 31% is francophone, and 25% is "other").

[edit] Geography

The West Island encompasses the following suburbs of Montreal, some of which are are boroughs of Montreal, others of which are separate municipalities:

• Dorval
• Pointe-Claire
• Kirkland
• Beaconsfield
• Baie D'Urfe
• Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
• Senneville
• Dollard-des-Ormeaux
• Pierrefonds
• Roxboro
• Sainte-Genevieve
• Ile-Bizard

Despite the name, the West Island isn't actually its own island. Rather, it is an informal designation for the western portion of the island of Montreal. Two separate islands, Ile-Bizard and Ile-Perrôt, are often considered part of the west island because they are connected to the western part of Montreal by short bridges and share the West Island's residential character and large anglophone population. The western Montreal suburbs of Lachine and Lasalle are usually not considered part of the West Island by locals, although visitors often find them very similar to the rest of the West Island.

[edit] Get In

By Plane: Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport (formerly Dorval Airport), situated in the eastern part of the West Island, is Montreal's main airport. From the airport, a taxi to downtown Montreal costs $35, and $15-$20 to most places in the West Island (plus tip). Several companies offer car rental at the airport.

Commuter bus no. 204, run by the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), passes by the airport terminal every half hour and stops at Dorval's commuter train and local bus station, which is only 300 metres from the airport. Fare is $2.75 (exact change required), which includes a connection to any bus stopping at the station. Remember: the eastbound 204 takes you TO the commuter train/bus station; the westbound 204 takes you AWAY from it. You can walk to the commuter train/bus station in less than 10 minutes if you have light baggage, but the route is not obvious: you must walk through the airport parking lot and around a fence.

The intercity train station, operated by VIA Rail, is only 500 metres from the airport; various shuttle bus services will take you to it. If you have light baggage, you can walk to the VIA Rail station, but the route is not marked or properly sidewalked, and requires crossing a highway interchange.

By Car: Considering the large geography, extensive highway system, and paltry public transport, a car is really the only convenient way to get in and around the West Island. Two major East-West highways traverse the West Island: Autoroute 40 in the north, which will take you to Pierrefonds, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Fairview Shopping Centre, or Senneville, and Autoroute 20 in the south, which goes through Dorval (including Trudeau Airport), Kirkland, Pointe Claire Village, Baie d'Urfe or Ste-Anne De Bellevue (including MacDonald Campus). Both Autoroutes are accessible from downtown Montreal via Autoroute 720 Ouest.

The two autoroutes are connected via the following West Island roads: Avenue des Anciens Combattants, Avenue St-Charles, Blvd. St-Jean, Avenue des Sources, Autoroute 13, Autoroute Cote-de-Liesse, and Autoroute 15 (aka Decarie Autoroute). Getting from one highway to the other takes 5 minutes without traffic, but up to 20 minutes at rush hour.

From Ottawa, Highway 417 East becomes Autoroute 40 upon entering Quebec-- simple follow it until you cross the Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge. From Toronto, Highway 401 East becomes Autoroute 20 upon entering Quebec- simply follow it until you cross the Galipeault Bridge.

By Bus: From Montreal, there are several local busses run by the STM. 3-digit bus routes that start with the number "2" generally indicate West Island routes, such as: bus 211 from Lionel-Groulx metro station, bus 215 from Cote-Vertu subway station, and bus 204 west from Trudeau Airport. $2.75 one way (exact change required). Fairview Pointe-Claire is the hub for most bus services. Note that local bus service within the West Island is notoriously slow and infrequent by Montreal standards; waiting for the bus to arrive in the winter can be long and unpleasant.

From Ottawa or Toronto, the main intercity bus stations have regular busses to Montreal, which stop on Avenue St-Charles in Kirkland if requested. They depart every hour or two hours from 6 am to midnight. The bus from Ottawa takes about 2 hours, and from Toronto takes about 7 hours.

By Train: from Montreal, two Agence Metropolitaine de Transport(AMT) commuter train lines run to the West Island: the Deux-Montagnes line from Gare Centrale stops at Sunnybrooke and Roxboro-Pierrefonds, while the Dorion-Rigaud line from Gare Windsor/Vendome stop in Lachine, Dorval, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Baie d'Urfe and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. These trains are relatively infrequent, so it is advisable to check the schedule on the website of the AMT.

Intercity trains to Montreal from Ottawa and Toronto, operated by Via Rail, leave several times per day and stop at the Dorval VIA Rail Station (not to be confused with Dorval's AMT commuter train station, which lies 200 metres to the west, across a highway.)

[edit][add listing] See

The West Island is mostly a collection of residential suburbs, and there isn't much in the way of tourist attractions. That said, there are a few places of interest if you find yourself stuck out there.

Pointe-Claire Village is a quaint collection of shops and restaurants in Pointe-Claire, near the waterfront. Further west, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Village has more quaint waterfront spots, including some very good restaurants at prices far lower than what you'd pay downtown. This can be great escapism from the hustle and bustle on a nice summer night.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Have a summer picnic at the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal in Ste-Anne de Bellevue, watching the pleasure boats go through the historic locks to avoid the rapids. Then take stroll on Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Street, which has a small-town character, rather than the predominantly suburban character of the West Island.
• Visit MacDonald Campus of McGill University, featuring its experimental farm, raptor/rare bird centre, ecomuseum and arboretum.
• Jet-boat down the Lachine Rapids.
• Go to the makeshift beach at Cap St-Jacques in the summertime.
• Play golf at one of the many country clubs and golf courses in the West Island or on Ile-Bizard.
• Go Apple Picking at Quinn Farm.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping mall houses some generally high end fashion stores and boutiques. Due to its location and relative busy neighborhood, it is generally considered to be the center of the West Island. Other places to shop include Dorval Shopping Centre ("Les Jardins de Dorval") "Les Galaries du Sources" in D.D.O, or the outlet retail shops near Colisee Kirkland. The shopping in the West Island is utilitarian and functional but not particuarly interesting; all the necessities are accessible, but the experience is somewhat generic.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Montreal's three best-known specialties are available on the West Island. Smoked meat sandwiches are available at delis, such as the Chenoy's on Rue Saint-Jean (aka. St. John's Road), the deli in Fairview shopping centre, Smoked Meat Pete's in Pincourt ("can't beat Pete's meat") or Abie's also on Rue Saint-Jean. Bagels are available from Real Bagel (Saint-Jean) or Bagel Ouest (des Sources). Poutine is available in most non-chain hamburger restaurants, such as Lafleur's on Blvd. des Sources.

An entire range of restaurants, from fast food chains to expensive sit-down, are to be found on St-John's Road in Pointe Claire and Boulevard des Sources in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Most restaurants are family-style, and many of them tend to go out of business quickly.

More difficult to access, but generally better, restaurants with nice views are to be found on Lakeshore Road, along the edge of the St. Lawrence River. Several "villages" (i.e., historic districts) are located along this road, where bakeries, sit-down restaurants and the occasional bar are concentrated. Pointe-Claire Village and St-Anne-de-Bellevue Village are two examples of this. Also, a few more midrange/upscale restaurants have opened in other areas of the West Island in recent years, responding to the population shifts in the area. An example is 40 West (Trans-Canada at Sources), which offers downtown-style fine dining in a West Island location.

[edit][add listing] Drink

The West Island is predominantly suburban and residential, so the nightlife and drinking culture is subdued compared to Montreal.

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Street in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (aka "Saint Anne's"), with its proximity to McGill's MacDonald Campus and John Abbott College, is the closest thing to a lively drinking area in the West Island, with a limited number of bars.

A small number of cafes and bars can be found in the other main commercial areas of the West Island (such as St.John's Road, Boulevard des Sources, Pointe Claire Village). A couple of new places have opened up, notably a McKibbin's Irish Pub in Pointe-Claire. There's also the old standby of Bourbon Street West on Sources Blvd, which has live music quite often and attracts a bit of an older crowd.

West Island nightspots tend to be more crowded in the wintertime, when going all the way downtown feels like too much of a hassle just to go for a beer. Like those in Montreal, West Island bars serve predominantly Quebec and Canadian beers from producers such as Molson, Labatt, and Unibroue, with a limited selection of American and other imported beers.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Hotels and Inns are close to Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping mall and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. The hotels in Dorval and along Cote de Liesse tend to be more generic airport hotels, such as Sheraton Four Points, Holiday Inn, Travelodge, EconoTravel, etc. Since the West Island is mostly surbuban and residential, there aren't a lot of options beyond that; boutique hotels, hostels and places with character can be found mostly in the more touristy downtown area. Never underestimate the appeal of sleeping on the sofa of a friend, mind you. The price is right!

[edit] Get out

With Montreal only a short commute to the east, it is the destination of choice for most people wanting to get out of the West Island. If one has access to a car, there are also some other interesting, albeit quiet, destinations to the west of the West Island:

• Visit a Cabane à Sucre (maple farm) in Rigaud in the spring for some fresh maple syrup - there are two primary ones: Auberge de Gallant and Sucrerie de la Montagne.
• Also in Rigaud is Mont Rigaud, an unchallenging skihill in the winter. In the summer, there are walking trails, as well as outdoor Catholic religious services at the Sanctuaire de Lourdes. In October, the leaves changing colour on the mountain can make for impressive scenery.
• Near Rigaud is Hudson, a leafy lakeside town with many quaint arts-and-crafts shops.
• A ferry from Hudson takes you across the Lake of Two Mountains to the village of Oka, featuring a cheese-making monastery, a large water park and the Kanesatake Mohawk Reserve (site of an infamous standoff in Canadian history known as the "Oka Crisis".)
• A little further west is Eastern Ontario, featuring a number of villages with an English colonial flavour.
• Canada's capital of Ottawa is about a 90-minute drive from the West Island.

[edit] Contact

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