Montreal Travel

Climate
Montreal is the cultural and economic capital of Quebec and the main entry point to the province. As the second largest city in Canada, it is a city rich in culture and history, has an inordinate number of attractive, fashionably dressed people, and a well-deserved reputation as one of the liveliest cities in North America. Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking (as a mother language) city in the world, behind Paris. The population of Montreal is about 1.9 million, with 4 million in the metro area.

Weather
The summer months of June to September are the wettest months, but also the sunniest and warmest with July being the hottest month. Montreal gets an average snowfall of over 2 metres (80in) per year in the winter with below zero temperatures throughout December to March.

Transportation

Bus: The STM bus network consists of 169 daytime and 20 nighttime service routes. You can pay on the bus, but must have correct change.

Metro: Montreal's Metro is the best way to get around. It is made up of 68 stations spread out along four lines. It operates from around 05:30 - 01:00. You must buy ticket before attempting to go through the turnstiles.

Taxi: Taxis (Cabs) can by hailed from the street. There are also designated taxi stands. Price is around $3.15 to start then $1.50 per Km.

Train: The commuter train system is handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. It is run by the Agence mropolitaine de transport (AMT). It's main stations are at the Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien L'Allier.

Hotels
For the budget traveler, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms as well as budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The densest collection of budget hotels are in the Latin Quarter, in the streets east of Berri-UQAM metro and the long distance bus station. Old Montreal has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there.

Mid-range options include Downtown chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the Plateau.

On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in Old Montreal and Downtown.

Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months.