Montreal Must-See

Montreal’s White Party Week (Le Bal en Blanc à Montreal) is a five night celebration that reaches its climax with the White Party (Bal en Blanc) rave. This five-day event occurs from Thursday to Monday during the Easter holidays. Held at Montreal’s Convention Centre (Palais des Congrès), the White Party Week features an impressive selection of international DJs and artists.

The Montreal Biodome (Biodôme de Montréal) is a unique indoor zoo that replicates 4 distinct ecosystems found in the Americas. Each of the four environments occupies a section of the Biodome and features a variety of animals, flowers and plants that belong to each of these environments. Located in the Olympic Park, the Biodome is a combination of a zoo, an aquarium, a botanical garden and so much more.

Montreal’s Biosphere is a musem decicated to raising environment awareness and water ecosystems. Located in Parc Jean-Drapeau, on Île Sainte-Hélène, the Biosphere is considered to be the world’s largest geodesic dome.

BIXI is the name of Montreal’s new public self-service bicycle sharing program. BIXI is a combination of the words “bicycle” and “taxi”. Montreal’s BIXI was modelled on bike sharing programs in Europe, particularly the Vélib network in Paris.

Montreal’s Black and Blue Festival is considered to be the world’s largest gay-benefit dance festival. The festival is a week-long string of parties hosted by Bad Boy Club Montréal (aka BBCM and Foundation BBCM). It is held every year, during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. The festival attracts thousands of tourists to Montreal every year. The proceeds of the festival are donated to AIDS support organizations.

Montreal’s Bonsecours Market (Marche Bonsecours) is one the most recognizable buildings in Old Montreal. It is named after a nearby church that also shares the same name Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, also known as the sailors church. The building has served as a public market, a concert hall, a meeting hall, Montreal’s city hall and even the Parliament of Lower Canada. Today, the Bonsecours Market is quite popular with tourists and features a wide selection of cafés, bistros and restaurants.

The Canadian Grand Prix (Le Grand Prix du Canada) is a 3-day Formula One event that has been taking place for over 30 years in Montreal. It is part of the Formula One World Championship and takes place on Montreal’s Circuit Villeneuve which is located on Île Notre-Dame. Some of the most popular names in Grand Prix participate in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Montreal’s Divers/Cité Festival is an international arts and music festival that takes place each year in the heart of downtown Montreal and Montreal’s Gay Village. It is considered to be one of Canada’s largest and most festive gay celebrations. This week-long arts and music festival features parades, wild parties, music and cultural activities celebrating sexual diversity. This annual Gay Pride Celebration attracts nearly one million people to Montreal.

Fête des enfants de Montréal is an annual festival for children that takes place in Jean Drapeau Park. La Fête des enfants de Montréal features over a hundred free activities including live performances, music, dance, creative workshops and sports, cooperative games and inflatable structures. The purpose of this festival is to provide children with an environment of discovery!

Montreal’s Fête des Neiges de Montréal Winter Festival is an annual festival that is held yearly at Jean-Drapeau Park. This festival is a celebration of the essence of winter that turns the city of Montreal into a winter wonderland. It has been happening in Montreal for several decades. The purpose of this three week-end festival is to encourage everyone to have fun in the snow. The Fête des Neiges is one of Montreal’s largest outdoor winter events.

La Fête Nationale du Québec is the National Holiday of the province of Québec. On this day, various events, shows and spectacles are planned in Montreal and throughout the province of Quebec. La Fête Nationale always occurs on June 24, which happens to be St. John the Baptist Day. Festivities take place on both June 23 and June 24. It is one of Montreal’s most popular holidays and it is a paid holiday in Montreal and the rest of Quebec.

The FrancoFolies de Montréal (French Music Festival) is a 10-day francophone music festival that occurs during the summertime in Montreal. The festival is the world’s biggest francophone music festival and it features a wide selection of musical genres. The FrancoFolies is one of Montreal’s biggest annual festivals, attracting over one million spectators during the festival’s 10-day run.

Regardless of the time of year, you can always find horse-drawn carriages around Old Montreal and Montreal’s Old Port. These horse-drawn carriages, known as calèches are fantastic and fun way to explore Old Montreal. Many of these horse-drawn carriages leave from Place d’Armes and travel all over Old Montreal

The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (International des Montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) is the largest hot air balloon festival in Canada. This gathering of balloons is very popular with kids of all ages. The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu features hot air balloons, music, rides and attractions. Along with hot air balloons, the festival also features activity areas with various games, inflatable structures interactive animated shows.

Montreal’s International Fireworks Competition (L’International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS) is an annual fireworks competition that takes place during the summer months in Montreal. The Montreal International Fireworks Competition has been taking place since 1985 at La Ronde and is one of the most popular summer events in Montreal. The fireworks competition runs from mid-June till mid-August. Each year, over 3 million people attend the fireworks displays. The festival uses more than 6,000 fireworks.

Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival (Festival Juste Pour Rire) is a comedy festival that runs for 11 days during the month of July. The festival features hundreds of comedians and events throughout the streets of Montreal. Besides featuring many comedy shows, the festival features free street shows, dance acts, circus arts, street dancing and so much more. The Just For Laughs Festival features both English and French comedians.

Montreal’s La Ronde is an amusement park that is owned and operated by Six Flags. La Ronde is located on the eastern end of Saint Helen’s Island. It is the only Six Flags theme park in all of Canada and also happens to be the second largest amusement park in Canada, right after Canada’s Wonderlad. La Ronde is also the host of L’International des Feux Loto-Québec, which is one of the most popular international fireworks competition in the world.

The Montreal Botanical Garden (Jardin botanique de Montréal) is a large botanical garden that represents habitats and cultures from all around the world. It is one of the largest and most spectacular botanical gardens in the world. The Montreal Botanical Garden features over 22,000 plant species, 10 exhibition greenhouses, some thirty thematic gardens, and a dedicated team of researchers and activities staff.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most storied franchises in any professional sport. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). “The Habs”, as they are affectionately called by the locals, have won 24 Stanley Cups and have produced legendary players like Guy Lafleur, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jean Beliveau, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy. The Habs are Montreal’s most beloved sports team and the team recently celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 2009.

The Montreal High Lights Festival (Festival Montréal en Lumière) is one of the largest winter festivals in the world and Montreal’s most popular winter festival. Occurring in the Month of February, the High Lights Festival is a 10-day celebration of light shows, free events, live music, performance arts and fine food and wine.

Montreal’s Insectarium is the largest insectarium in North America and one of the largest in the world. The Insectarium displays various insects from around the world in exhibits that are held year-round. Because Montreal’s Insectarium features insects from all around the world, it is a popular tourist attraction, with more than 400,000 people visiting the Insectarium each year.

Montreal’s International Jazz Festival (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ) is the largest jazz festival in the world. This 11-day summer music festival takes place between late June and early July in the heart of downtown Montreal. Located inside the Quartier des Spectacles, around the Place des Arts, the festival features some of the most famous artists from around the world. Each year, over 2 million spectators attend the International Jazz Festival.

Montreal’s Planetarium (Planétarium de Montréal) has been helping visitors discover the Stars and Universe since 1966. The Montreal Planetarium is designed to help uncover the fascinating world of astronomy and space exploration to all. It offers various multimedia shows that feature content for all ages.

Montreal’s Pride Celebrations (Célébrations de la fierté Montréal) is one of the largest Gay Pride Celebrations in all of North America. This celebration brings together members of the LGBT community from all over the world for a fun, exciting and flamboyant party. During the Montreal Gay Pride celebration, visitors can experience some great shopping, dining, cruising and partying.

The Montreal Science Centre introduces children to science and technology through various interactive activities. The Montreal Science Centre features both temporary and permanent exhibitions that encourage participation and really get children involved.

Montreal’s Must-Do Free Activities

Montreal’s Must-Do Seasonal Activities..

While in Montreal, you will marvel at the amazing churches, wonderful landmarks and breathtaking festivals. The following are Must-do Tourist Activities in Montreal

Montreal has a lot of restaurants. Here are the Must-Eat Restaurants

Montreal’s Must-See Arts & Entertainment

The following are Montreal’s must-see attractions. These are the attractions that make Montreal a top tourist destination and the attractions that keep visitors coming back to Montreal.

Montreal is well-known for its international festivals that always deliver quality. Montreal is also an open and friendly city, which celebrates cultural diverse city and artistic freedom. Every year, over 100 festivals and events take place in Montréal. More than half of these events are international festivals and some of the more popular events can [...]

Because Montreal is an extremely open and welcoming city, it is a very popular tourist destination for many gay travelers and members of the LGBT community. Montreal happens to have one of the largest gay neighborhoods in the world, known as the Village (le village). Montreal’s gay village is at the heart of many of Montreal’s gay scene. You’ll find many gay-friendly venues and events in the village. Below are montreal’s must-see attractions, festivals and events for gay, lesbian and LGBT members.

There are plenty of kid-pleasing attractions in Montreal along with fun events and festivals. These must-see attractions and events are just as fun for the parents as they are for the kids. If you plan on visiting Montreal with your kids, then here are the must-see and must-do activities for you and your children. There is lots of fun to be had in these must-see spots.

Mount-Royal (Mont-Royal) is a large hill located in the middle of Montreal. At 234 meters, Mount Royal is the highest point in Montreal. It is affectionately called The Mountain by Montreal locals. Montreal is named after this 761 foot hill, which also houses the famous Mount-Royal Park (Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal’s largest green spaces.

What are the most romantic things to do in Montreal? You have plenty of choices. Old Montreal’s horse-drawn carriage rides are very romantic, as is a stroll by the Old Port. There are plenty of great romantic restaurants as well.

The following are some of the best views of Montreal.

The Notre-Dame Basilica (Basilique Notre-Dame in French) is one of Montreal’s landmark churches and one of the most beautiful churches in North America. Located in Old Montreal, the Notre-Dame Basilica features a Neo-Gothic style. It was opened in 1829 and was built to replace the original Notre-Dame church, which has since been demolished.

The Montreal Nuit Blanche (All-Nighter) is an all-night event that takes place every year to mark the end of the Montreal High Lights Festival (Montreal en Lumiere).

The Olympic Stadium (Stade Olympique de Montréal) is Montreal’s multi-purpose stadium that was built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Stadium is the centerpiece of the Montreal Olympic Park (Parc Olympique Montréal). Nicknamed The Big O, the Olympic Stadium features a retractable roof and a seating capacity of 56,000 people.

Montreal’s Osheaga Music and Arst Festival (Osheaga Festival Musique et Arts) is a two-day music festival held each year on Île Sainte-Hélène at Parc Jean-Drapeau. This popular annual festival has become one of the most anticipated summer events in Montreal since it was first introduced in 2006. The purpose of the Osheaga festival is to showcase Montreal’s most talented artists along with Internationally-known artists.

The Place des Festivals is a large public urban space that is dedicated to festivals and entertainment within the Quartier des Spectacles. The Place des Festivals draws huge festivals, particularly, during the summertime because of the many free events that take place in the Quartier des Spectacles. As part of the Place des Arts, the Place des Festivals contains the biggest interactive fountain in Canada.

Montreal’s Pointe-à-Callière Museum is both a museum and historical site at the same time. Located in Old Montreal, the museum was founded in 1992 to celebrate Montreal’s 350th birthday. Pointe-à-Callière is packed with information on the archaeological and historical riches of Montreal.

Montreal’s Quays of the Old Port offers plenty of activities for Montreal locals and visitors. Located at the Eastern end of the Lachine canal, and just off the St. Lawrence River, the Old port is great place for locals and tourists to mingle. During the summer, it offers a riverfront destination for walking, cycling, pedal boats, rollerblading and even Segway rentals.

Montreal’s St. Joseph Oratory ( Oratoire St-Joseph ) is a great basilica with a giant copper dome built in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada. It is recognized as one of the great spiritual centers of the world and attracts more than two million visitors a year. At 263 meters (863 ft.), the shrine of St. Joseph is the highest point in Montreal. Its dome, at 97 meters (313 ft.), is second in size only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The Magic of Lanterns (La Magie des Lanternes) is Montreal’s annual fall festival of lights that marks the arrival of autumn in beautiful style. It is a remarkable celebration of light in the Montreal Botanical Garden’s Chinese Garden. The festival is marked by hundreds of silk lanterns that illuminate various areas of The Chinese Garden.

Montreal’s Underground City is a cornerstone of Montreal that is visited by over a quarter of a million people each day. The Undergound city contains hotels, restaurants, galleries,stores, rail stations, Metro stations,cinemas, nightclubs and even a library. This vast network runs under Montreal’s streets, crosses certain plazas and intersects with many Metro stations. You can find busy walkways and quite corners.

The Montreal World Film Festival (le Festival des Films du Monde) is also known as the Montreal International Film Festival. The goal of the Montreal World Film Festival is to encourage cultural diversity and understanding among nations, to foster the cinema of all continents by stimulating the development of quality cinema, to promote filmmakers and innovative works, to discover and encourage new talents, and to promote meetings between cinema professionals from around the world.