The iconic Jacques Cartier Bridge crosses the St Lawrence waterway
The iconic Jacques Cartier Bridge crosses the St Lawrence waterway
The island metropolis of Montreal prides itself on being Canada's most eclectic and cosmopolitan city, a city of style and elegance with a cracking culinary scene, impressively bilingual and where arts and culture thrive.
All of this is wrapped within the venerable bones of a heritage-proud city where the past and present overlay each other.
Old Montreal has heritage buildings and cobbled lanes
It shivers through winter but shines in summer, with locals flocking to the patio bars and cafes that festoon Montreal with fabled al fresco exuberance.
A great starting point is down in Place Royale at the Museum of Archaeology and History (Pointe-à-Callière Museum).
Hop in the lift and head underground to the foundations of the city's original French settlement of the 1640s.
The La Ronde amusement park has the world's highest wooden rollercoaster
Revealed in 1989 following an archaeological dig, this striking museum has preserved the foundations, walls and unearthed artefacts of the 17th century settlement, all brilliantly illuminated.
Before wandering through the remains of the six buildings, a stirring multi-media show whisks you through a potted history of Montreal's development, its highs and lows over 375 years.
It's a dramatic, poignant and uplifting narration of the city's backstory, artfully produced as a gripping entertainment spectacle. Place Royale is situated in Old Montreal's port district (Vieux-Port De Montreal) gracing the banks of the St. Lawrence River.
Founded by the French in 1642, the cobbled harbourside area of Vieux-Montreal stretches back from the river for about eight blocks, with hundreds magnificently preserved heritage buildings, criss-crossed by cobbled lanes on which horse-drawn carriages clatter by.
The most spectacularly sigh-inducing street is Rue St Paul. I took to the water on AML's sightseeing cruise, which provides superb skyline views as you drift along the storied St Lawrence River.
Mary Queen of the World Cathedral may look familiar.
You'll pass by St Helen's Island, site of Expo 67, and where many expo landmarks still linger.
The USA's expo pavilion was a geodesic dome, like Florida's Epcot. It's now home to the Biosphere Museum.
You'll also pass La Ronde, the staggering amusement park built for Expo '67 and still beloved for its bone-shaking thrill rides like Le Monstre, the world's highest wooden rollercoaster. No thanks.
In honour of Montreal's 375th birthday this year, the iconic Jacques Cartier Bridge, crossing the St Lawrence, has been given a dazzling touch-up, with thousands of cutting-edge lighting connections wrapped around its ironwork.
The innovative digital light show follows the seasons and has become a new nocturnal riverside draw.
Further down the river, you'll get a fantastic view of Montreal's Olympic Stadium, one of the most expensive stadiums ever built in the world.
Marred with constant design failures, the multibillion-dollar stadium monstrosity, specifically commissioned for the Montreal Games, wasn't actually completed until 1987, 11 years behind schedule.
Your prayers may be answered by climbing the 99 steps to the sacred dome of St Joseph's, on the summit of Mont-Royal.
Mont-Royal (Royal Mountain) is the backdrop to downtown Montreal and this 232m hill gave rise to the city's name.
Draping much of this lofty mound is Parc du Mont-Royal, a sprawling green space clad in oak, maple and poplar trees.
This beloved urban oasis, which offers great respite from the concrete jungle and summer humidity, was designed in the 1840s by Frederick Olmsted, the same person responsible for New York's Central Park.
Also worth a look is the sacred dome of St Joseph's, perched at the summit of Mont-Royal. Pilgrims believe their prayers will be answered by climbing the 99 steps to the basilica, on their knees.
Alternatively, there's a shuttle that can zip you up to the summit, divine intervention not included.
In a city brimming with ostentatious churches, one of my favourites is Cathedrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde. (Mary Queen of the World Cathedral) It's adjacent to the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, and if the exterior looks familiar, it could well be because this glorious church is a quarter-scale replica of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican - complete with a faithful reproduction of Bernini's ornate altar canopy.
But the rarefied church is Notre-Dame Basilica. Designed by a protestant architect, James O'Donnell in 1824, the story goes that he was so exhilarated by his finished product that he converted to Catholicism.
This soaring Gothic Revival confection, which can house 3200 worshippers, is adorned with intricate statues and tranquil chapels.
Most importantly, it's where Celine Dion got married in 1994.
