To test river surfing, which is all the rage, go where it matters:on the Habitat 67 site, upstream from the Pont de la Concorde. Hot water and guaranteed flow all summer long. Quite easy (it seems) once you master the access to the wave. You can also go down the Lachine rapids by rafting, canoeing and kayaking…. Or slide on dry land on an "in-line skate" and bike thanks to the 350 km of cycle paths that connect most of the city's parks. In winter, you take out your “wild sledge” (toboggan) and ice skates. It's fun!
Between Europe and North America, the heart of Montreal swings, but not only. Bilingual, Montreal is also multicultural with more than 80 different ethnic groups. Boulevard Saint-Laurent, which cuts through the city from North to South, still bears the traces of successive waves of immigration:Chinatown below, then Jewish, Greek, French, Italian, Portuguese... Welcoming, without fuss (here we are familiar from the outset), spontaneous:the inhabitants make all the charm of the city.
Indoors:there are some 1,700 shops spread over 32 km of underground galleries! In winter, we "mole" there to protect ourselves from the cold, in summer because it is air-conditioned. One of the 170 entry points is identified by the small "RESO" signs (underground pedestrian network). It can also be accessed by metro stations (Peel, McGill, Place d'Armes…) or by certain shopping centers (Eaton Centre…).
Outdoors:head to “La Main”, the cradle of Montreal, the Mile End or the Plateau for trendy shopper.
Skyscrapers, Victorian mansions, neo-Gothic churches... Heterogeneous, borderline anarchic, the urban landscape leaves no one indifferent. You can even visit the banks here (crazy decor inspired by European castles)! To understand the city of tomorrow, head to the Quartier International, which granted Montréal its status as a "UNESCO city of design" in 2006. Visit the Center CDP Capital, a reference in terms of energy efficiency, or the Palais des Congrès in the multicolored facade and the interior garden in pink concrete. Unmissable:a visit to the Canadian Center for Architecture (1920, rue Baile) adjoining the Shaughnessy House, one of the few 19th century residences still open to the public.
“The mountain” is Mount Royal Park, which culminates at 232 meters and overlooks all the buildings of the city. Covering an area of 100 ha, it is home to more than 150 bird species and 700 plant species (white ash, sugar maple, red oak, etc.). We come across raccoons, skunks… and professional and amateur percussionists gathered every Sunday around the monument dedicated to Sir George-Etienne Cartier. Here, as in Jean Drapeau Park or the Olympic Park botanical garden, you can enjoy the slightest ray of sunshine, in the endless winter!
We take off with Air Transat. Paris-Montréal from €739 including tax per person round trip for a departure in July (from €589 including tax for a departure in August). www.airtransat.fr, 0 825 120 248 (€0.15 including tax/min) and in travel agencies.
We sleep at the Hotel St-Sulpice, a 4* in the heart of Old Montreal, from €306/pers. 4-day/3-night stay, breakfast included, with Transat Holidays. Many à la carte excursions including “Saute-Moutons” to brave the impressive waves of the Lachine Rapids aboard a Jet Boat. Vacances Transat:0 825 12 12 12 (€0.15 including tax/min), www.vacancestransat.fr and in travel agencies
-More info:www.tourisme-montreal.org.
