text:
Montreal/Mile-End

Mile End, the last Mile, is a small neighborhood between Outremont, Le Plateau, Rosemont and Little Italy. The main commercial streets are parts of St-Viateur, Fairmount, Bernard, Villeneuve, Parc Ave & St-Laurent. It has bagel shops (2 on Fairmount and 2 on St-Viateur), plenty of little restaurants and shops and is best known for its lively Italian coffee shops.

Get in
The nearest metro station is outside the Mile-End: Laurier on the orange line. It is about 15 minutes walk. Alternatively, take the 80 bus from metro stations Place-des-Arts (green line) or Du Parc (blue line).

Buy
The two main commercial streets in the Mile-End are Bernard and St-Viateur. Stroll your way through fine food shops, independent book shops and independent clothing shops featuring local designers as well as kitschy vintage second-hand clothing.

Bagels
The Mile-End is home to the two most renowned bagel shops of Montreal: St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. These shops do not offer seating, but you can sit in a nearby park to eat your bagels while they are hot. For the complete experience, do a picnic with fresh bagels, smoked salmon and cream cheese. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, which also contains sourdough, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, and no salt, and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked. Many Mmontrealers have strong opinions about whether Fairmount or St-Viateur has the better bagel. Wikivoyage knows better than to take sides in their debate.

Specialized food stores
The Mile-End is home to many fine food shops and organic markets, including:

Drink

 * Waverly
 * Chez Serge
 * Bond
 * Chez Serge
 * Bond

title: Montreal/Mile-End


text:
Montreal/North Island

North Island is a district of Montreal composed of these boroughs

 * Ahuntsic-Cartierville
 * Saint-Laurent
 * Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension

Understand
Ahuntsic-Cartierville sits on the banks of the Rivière des Prairies. It traces its history to the fortified Sault-au-Récollet settlement, which was established by the Sulpicians in 1696. This in turn led to the colonization of the area.

Saint-Laurent is the second-largest employment hub within the metropolitan region, after downtown Montréal. It is home to the headquarters of Air Canada and Air Transat. Bombardier Aerospace has its Amphibious Aircraft Division in Saint-Laurent.

Parc Extension or 'Parc-Ex' as it is known by the locals, is in the middle of Montrea. It is home to over 100 different ethnicities yet is mostly known for its Greek community which helped make the district what it is today. Montreal's Greektown has historically been located in the district of Parc Extension. Jean-Talon Boulevard, which runs through Parc Extension, is home to many Greek restaurants and shops. The same can be said for Parc Avenue.

Saint-Michel is the home of Le Boulevard shopping centre and also is home to the headquarters of the world-renowned Cirque Du Soleil (Tohu la Cité des Arts du Cirque), and the Complexe environmental Saint-Michel. Saint-Michel is ethnically diverse: Italians, Haitians, Arabs, Asians, Hispanics as well as people of French descent (Québécois) represent the major ethnic groups of this inner city area.

Get in

 * The orange and blue lines of the Montreal Metro
 * Commuter rail of the Réseau de transport métropolitain
 * Autoroute 15 (Laurentian Autoroute/Autoroute des Laurentides) runs north-south
 * Autoroute 40 (Metropolitan Autoroute/Autoroute Métropolitaine) runs east-west
 * Autoroute 520
 * Autoroute 13

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Montreal/North Island


text:
Montreal/Old Montreal

Old Montreal (French: Vieux-Montréal) is what many visitors come to Montreal for: old cobblestoned streets lined with buildings dating from the 17th through 19th centuries, grand old French restaurants, history museums, and the riverfront Old Port. That's not to say that Old Montreal is completely removed from the rest of Montreal — back a few blocks from the mimes and steakhouses, you'll find warehouses converted to boutique shops and loft apartments. During the summer, Place Jacques-Cartier is packed with street performers and restaurant terraces overflowing with tourists. Winter presents a much more subdued scene, with bundled figures hurrying from gallery to restaurant to hotel in the cold and snow.

It is a mistake to call Old Montreal the "Old City" or "Old Town". Locals do not call it this, only guide books do.

By metro
Old Montreal is served by three metro stations — Square-Victoria, Champ-de-Mars, and Place-d'Armes. They are a short walk into the heart of things, but there's a bit of a hill.

By car
Street parking is scarce and runs $3 per hour. Parking complexes run $6/hr, $15 max, $20 for 12-24 hours.
 * Clock Tower Quay, enter from rue Berri or rue de la Commune est.
 * Montréal Science Centre, take boulevard Saint-Laurent or rue de la Commune.
 * Alexandra Quay, either rue de la Callière or rue de la Commune ouest.
 * Complexe Chaussegros-de-Léry, next to Champ-de-Mars metro, has over a thousand spots.

A few small commercial lots operate around City Hall for $20/day. Note that the streets are small and one-way, and thronged with pedestrians in the summer. Plans are in the works to turn rue Saint-Paul into a pedestrian walk, further complicating things.

By bus
Buses don't run in Old Town, but route 715 runs along the Old Port and it can get you within a few blocks.

From the Plateau, the 55 runs down Saint-Laurent to Saint-Jacques and up St. Urbain and the 30 runs down rue Berri (1 block east of Saint-Denis). From downtown, take the 75 de la Commune, get off at McGill/Wellington: it's then a four block walk to the edge of the cobblestone.

By boat
Ferries (navettes) run to and from Île Sainte-Hélène May to October and to the suburb of Longueuil on the south shore.

Get around
Old Montreal is small enough that walking is usually the best way to get around. Sidewalks are narrow and the streets cobblestone, making slow going for wheelchairs and strollers.

See

Museums
Old Montreal has the largest concentration of historical homes and museums — plus the ultra-modern Montréal Science Centre.

Do

Marché Bonsecours
Worth a visit for the neoclassical building itself, houses local art and design boutiques. The Market is open 24 Jun-early Sep: daily 10:00-18:00, Apr-2 Jun and Sep-Dec: Sa Su 10:00-18:00.

Eat
Restaurants cater to tourists, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few gems that draw locals. Note that many of the restaurants along Place Jacques-Cartier shut down or at least close their terraces and gardens forcing patrons into a smaller, and often less charming, inside dining room. Prices for each range are slightly higher here than elsewhere in the city.

Drink
Old Montreal has limited nightlife options as most bars and lounges are found in hotels or part of restaurants. Standalone bars are more popular for after-work drinks than the late-night partying which happens in the Plateau and Downtown's Crescent Street.

Connect
There are no cyber-cafes in Old Montreal, but a few cafes and restaurants in the area participate in Île Sans Fils, Montreal's free, public wi-fi program. Your best bet, if you're without laptop, is to ask to use the business center at one of the larger hotels-—expect to be charged accordingly.

title: Montreal/Old Montreal


text:
Montreal/Outremont

Outremont, once its own town, was incorporated into Montreal in 2002. Located five minutes from downtown, it is a predominately residential area, home to well-known Québec artists and celebrities and to Montreal's Hasidic Jewish community. Outremont offers shopping and dining along popular avenue Bernard and rue Laurier ouest.

By metro
The Outremont metro stop is on the Blue Line.

By bus
The 80 Parc runs through the Plateau up to Outremont. Get off at Bernard or Van Horne. The 161 Van Horne runs along Van Horne from the Rosemont metro, on the Orange Line. The 129 Cote Ste-Catherine runs from metro Place Des Arts, crossing Outremont from south to west, and passes near Université de Montréal, H.E.C. Montréal and Brébeuf College and heads farther to metro Côte Sainte-Catherine.

See

 * Outremont Soldiers Monument.

Historical buildings

 * Maison Joseph-Apolda Durocher
 * Joseph Lamoureux House
 * Maison Jane Lucretia Smith
 * Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine
 * St-Viateur
 * St-Viateur

Parks

 * Outremont Park.
 * Saint-Viateur Park.
 * Joyce Park.
 * Beaubien Park.
 * Vimy Park.
 * John F. Kennedy Park and Pool.
 * Mont-Royal Park.

Buy
The shopping is concentrated along Bernard, Laurier ouest, and (scattered) along Van Horne. In the summer, eating an ice cream at Le Bilboquet, located at the corner of Bernard and Outremont, is a must.

Sleep
Accommodations are skimpy at best in this residential area.

title: Montreal/Outremont


text:
Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau

Parc Jean-Drapeau is a district in Montreal. It is comprised of the islands Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame in the Saint Lawrence river.

By metro
The Yellow Line runs from Berri-UQAM in Downtown to, on Île Sainte-Hélène, just next to the Biosphere.

By ferry
Seasonal ferries run from the Old Port.

By bus
The seasonal 769 La Ronde shuttle connects Papineau metro station to La Ronde amusement park

By car
Access the island from Pont Jacques-Cartier at the north end of Île Sainte-Helene or pass by Habitat 67 and use Pont Condorde to the south. Parking is limited and expensive, running $10-15 flat rate depending on the season and events. Note that car access to and around the islands is cut off during Formula One races (obviously, since the road around Ile Notre Dame doubles as the race track) and other events.

By foot
There are a number of footpaths throughout the park, on both islands.

By bus
Two bus routes run from main terminal a few meters from the metro station: 767 La Ronde / La Plage to La Ronde amusement park and the beach, and 777 Le Casino to the casino.

Eat
Picnicking is the most common form of dining on the islands, but there are a few snack bars scattered around (open Jun-Sep). For sit-down dining, head to the Casino on Ile Ste-Helen.

Sleep
There are no hotels on the islands, and you will therefore have to cross the Saint Lawrence river to find somewhere to sleep. The closest place to look would be Old Montreal or South West Montreal west of the islands, or Saint-Lambert east of the islands. But given the fact that Montreal Casino is open 24 hours daily, why would you want to sleep?

title: Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau


text:
Montreal/Plateau

The Plateau is a bohemian district in Montreal that has become gentrified since the 1980s. The neighbourhood is now home to many upscale restaurants and nightclubs, and several trendy clothing stores along St. Laurent Blvd. and St. Denis St. The Plateau is characterized by brightly coloured houses, cafés, book shops, and a laissez-faire attitude that embraces its bohemian nature over the commercialized hipster culture of its Mile-End counterpart.

Understand
The Plateau began as a bourgeois community with parts of its extensions as working-class developing around the beginning of the 20th century; the Eastern part being largely Québécois, and the Western part primarily European with a total visible minority estimated at 17%. The neighbourhood was the childhood home of Quebec writers Michel Tremblay and Mordecai Richler and both set many stories in the Plateau of the 1950s and 60s. The Plateau is now a creative, family-oriented, upper-middle-class neighbourhood. Although the Eastern part is still largely Québécois, the Plateau (now nicknamed "La Nouvelle-France") is emerging as an enclave for French expats in Montreal.

In the 1980s, the area's bohemian aura and proximity to McGill University attracted gentrification. As rents increased, many of its traditional residents and businesses were dispersed to other parts of the city. It's the location of some famous attractions on Saint Laurent Boulevard, including Schwartz's Deli (famous for its Montreal smoked meat), and a weekend street fair during the summer that sees extremely crowded streets.

Get in
The Plateau is adjacent to the downtown core, so there are many ways to access it. Avenue du Parc, boulevard Saint-Laurent, rue Saint-Denis, and rue Papineau run north/south through the Plateau and are paralleled by dozens of side streets in between. East/west, rue Sherbrooke, avenue des Pins, avenue Rachel, avenue du Mont-Royal, and boulevard Saint-Joseph bisect the Plateau, with Mont-Royal carrying a lot of shops, bars, and restaurants. All of these streets are accessible by car (though Staint-Laurent is one way, going north) and served by many taxi companies.

Each of these streets and a few others are served by bus routes run by the STM. In addition, the Orange line of the Montreal Metro runs underneath rue Berri, adjacent to rue Saint-Denis. Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal, and Laurier Metro stations are also on the Plateau.

Bike routes are few but still useful. There are separated bike lanes on avenue Rachel from Parc Mont-Royal to boulevard Lafontaine and rue Brébeuf from parc Lafontaine to parc Laurier, and there are painted bike lanes along rue Saint-Urbain, rue Milton, rue Prince-Arthur, and rue Saint-Joseph. These lanes are generally not respected by Montreal drivers, so watch out. In addition, several of these lanes are not plowed during the winter, making them all but impassible following heavy snow.

Buildings
The most dominant architectural feature of the Plateau is the endless rows of Montreal duplexes and triplexes that house the majority of the Plateau's population. These buildings date from the early 20th century and, with their distinctive exterior staircases and wrought-iron ornamentation, have come to define the visual landscape of the Plateau.

In addition, there are a few buildings of note scattered around the Plateau. The Warshaw building (boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Bagg) dates from the 1920s and was the Plateau's first skyscraper. Though it has only seven floors, it is a distinctive feature of the neighbourhood. Farther north, 4020 boulevard Saint-Laurent is recognisable by its impressive refinished neo-Art Deco exterior. Also, there are many large churches from the 19th century and the early 20th century. Most notable of these would be the oriental looking St. Michael the Archangel, located at 5590 rue Saint-Urbain at rue Saint-Vincent ouest.

On the southern end of the Plateau, on the edge of the McGill University ghetto, is the Galleries du Parc, a large 1960s-era urban redevelopment project. The Galleries are comprised of four large buildings, three of them devoted to apartments and the fourth devoted to office space. In addition, a former hotel, now a residence of McGill University, and an underground shopping complex are part of the Galleries project. The underground mall, though small, contains a variety of shops and services including the Parc Cinema, showing art-house and second-run films.

Parks
The Plateau is bordered on two sides by large parks. To the west is Parc du Mont-Royal, designed by Frederic Law Olmstead in the 1880s, and a dominant feature of the Montreal landscape. The park is well used for recreation, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing in the winter, as well as the weekly Tam Tams celebration during the summer months. Parc du Mont-Royal is safe and accessible by the adjacent Parc Jeanne-Mance, listed below, and by Ave du Parc. To the east is Parc Lafontaine, also listed below.

Art
There are also examples of impressive urban tableaux and graffiti art found throughout the Plateau. The side streets to the east of boulevard Saint-Laurent are well known for this, particularly avenue Duluth.

Do
The Plateau area is a great place to walk around, shop, go to restos and clubs, or just hang out. There is always something interesting happening here, a very cool ambiance. It borders Mile End and Latin Quarter, both very cool areas themselves. Just get off the orange line at Mont-Royal or Sherbrooke and start walking up St. Denis or St. Laurent.

Buy
Though shops are dotted throughout the neighborhood, there are a few principal commercial avenues. Boulevard St-Laurent, known as "The Main" or "La Main", is the largest and most famous, with a cornucopia of restaurants, shops, bars, and other services. Below Ave des Pins, St. Laurent tends to be more upscale, particularly at the junction of Ave Prince Arthur. Further north on St. Laurent there are a variety of clothing stores, hearkening back to the street's history as the center of Montreal's garment district.

As for price, the Plateau has experienced a long stretch of gentrification, which has pushed prices upward in many locations. However, there are still bargains to be found in main places, particularly for vinyl records, books, and second-hand clothing.

Clothing
Despite on-going gentrification, St-Laurent near Rachel and Mont-Royal west of St-Denis, still have a number of vintage and second-hand frips where you can pick up 1950s prom dresses and '70s T-shirts. Local designers have claimed several spots on St-Laurent including Blank.

Drink
The Plateau is full of watering holes and the best thing to do is just wander and discover for yourself. Starting west and moving east, Bar des Pins (formerly Pines Tavern and featured in Mordechai Richler novels) is famous with the McGill set for Tuesday night beer pong. On southeast corner of Prince Arthur and St-Laurent is Vol de Nuit, a good place to start the night, especially in warmer weather when the terrace is open. Boulevard St-Laurent from Prince Arthur to Mount-Royal has a good mix of bars and clubs, from classy to downright sketchy. Korova (named after the bar in "A Clockwork Orange") is up a flight of stairs, has great music, and is popular with the hippest kids around. Nearby, also on St-Laurent below Duluth, is Frappe, a bar and pool hall, and Jupiter Room. Further north, on the corner of Clarke (one west of St-Laurent) and Laurier Ave. is Dieu de Ciel, a brasserie that brews its own spectacular beer.

title: Montreal/Plateau


text:
Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village

Quartier Latin-Le Village is in Montreal. It contains the Quartier Latin, Le Village, and Sainte-Marie.

Le Village
Le Village gai (Gay Village, often shortened to Le Village) is the largest gay village in North America, mostly along rue Sainte-Catherine est from rue Saint-Hubert (near metro Berri-UQAM) to avenue Papineau (near metro Papineau). The metro station in the middle of the area, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. Come to enjoy Montreal's pride celebration, Divers/Cité (last week of July, first week of August), which is the second largest in North America after Toronto's. Then the Montreal Pride Parade event follows in mid-August with more fabulous fun to be had by all attendees.

Canada's contributions to gay rights are widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions. Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec and across Canada; neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses.

Sainte-Marie
Sainte-Marie is a working-class neighbourhood to the east of Le Village. It is notably the home of the Maison Radio-Canada, the radio and television broadcasting headquarters for Radio-Canada, the French language arm of the CBC.

By metro
The Orange, Green, and Yellow lines all intersect at the Berri-UQAM station, on the south edge of the Quartier. Sherbrooke station, at the north end of the Quartier and the edge of the Plateau (literally--it's a steep walk!) is on the Orange line. Other Green line stations of note are Beaudry (in the middle of the Village), Papineau (at the east end of the Village near Sainte-Marie), and Frontenac (in the middle of Sainte-Marie).

By bus

 * Station Centrale d'autobus de Montréal (505 boulevard de Maisonneuve est) is the entry point to Montreal for those arriving by bus from out of the city.

Buses run east to west along Sherbrooke, Ontario, and Sainte-Catherine and north to south on Saint-Denis.

Eat
The Latin Quartier is packed two and three stories deep with budget and mid-ranged restaurants catering to students and tourists. The quality can be all over the place, but the portions usually generous. Beer is more common than wine and be sure to check if the mid and high-end place you're dining at is BYOB (Apportez Votre Vins).

Sleep
The Latin Quarter has the highest density of budget and mid-ranged accommodations in the city.

title: Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village


text:
Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie

Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie is an area of Montreal north of the Plateau.

Unlike in many other North American cities, Montreal's Little Italy is still authentic and has not seen any tourist-oriented development. You can still find many family-owned Italian-Canadian bakeries and restaurants in the area.

By metro
Jean-Talon metro is the transfer station for the Blue and Orange line. Beaubien is one stop south on the Orange line and De Castelnau is one stop West on the Blue line.

By bus
The 55 St-Laurent bus runs from St-Laurent metro station, on the Green line, through the Plateau to De Castelnau.

Get around
Little Italy and Marché Jean-Talon are easily covered by foot, but you may prefer to catch the Jean-Talon bus or hop on the metro if you're exploring the edges of the district. Taxis can be a little harder to find than downtown but are still available on the street.

Eat

 * Bombay Mahal, 1001 rue Jean-Talon ouest (metro L'Acadie). Excellent dirt-cheap Indian cuisine.
 * Pushap, 5195 rue Paré (metro Namur), +1 514-737-4527. Great vegetarian Punjabi food. The thali plate makes a big dinner for about $5. Be sure to try some of their excellent desserts — they double as a take-out sweet shop.

Marché Jean-Talon

 * Le Marché des Saveurs, located near the southeast corner of the market, features Produits du terroir (local Quebec products).
 * Fromagerie Hamel, on the north side, has a terrific selection of cheeses and a small bistro with salads, sandwiches, and daily specials (all featuring cheese of course!)

Sleep
Accommodations are slim in this mostly residential area.

title: Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie


text:
Montreal/South West

Montreal South West (Le Sud-Ouest) is the area west of downtown, on both sides of the Lachine Canal (Canal de Lachine), bordered by the districts of LaSalle, Verdun and Westmount.

It is made up of the neighbourhoods of Petite-Bourgogne-Griffintown (Little Burgundy), Saint-Henri, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Côte-Saint-Paul and Ville Émard. Historically a blue-collar neighbourhood, it used to be called "Smokey Valley" because of a high concentration of heavy industry and other sources of pollution. Those days are long gone, and the Lachine canal cleanup and conversion into a park and bike path, as well as many of the old industrial buildings being gentrified and turned into luxury condominiums have changed the face of Sud-Ouest forever.

By metro
Lionel-Groulx, the transfer station for the Orange and Green lines is at the northern edge of the South West, two blocks from Atwater Market and easy walking distance to the Lachine Canal bike path. Don't get confused by the Atwater metro, several blocks north, across the busy Autoroute Ville-Marie. The Charlevoix metro is on the south side of the Canal on the Green line. Further west, Place-Saint Henri is on the Orange line.

By bus
The 36 Monk runs east-west from downtown, traversing much of the South West. The route begins downtown (with a stop near Bonaventure metro and train station), and stops in St-Henri (at Lionel-Groulx and Place-St-Henri metro stations) and Ville-Émard (at Monk and Angrignon metro stations). The 108 Bannantyne runs north-south from Atwater metro across the canal, passing through Lasalle metro station.

See

 * [[File:"Phonographes and gramophones in the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner Montreal.jpg".jpg|thumb|Gramophones and phonographs in the permanent exhibit of the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner ]]

Buy

 * Ancien hotel de ville de Cote-Saint-Paul.jpg
 * Ancien hotel de ville de Cote-Saint-Paul.jpg
 * Ancien hotel de ville de Cote-Saint-Paul.jpg

Eat
Parts of the South West neighborhood are emerging as one of Montreal's great eating areas--though it's yet to overtake the Plateau in terms of sheer number of restaurants.

Stay safe
Petite-Bourgogne used to be, for Montreal, a high-crime area. Be careful after dark, especially around closing time, when the bars empty out.

title: Montreal/South West


text:
Montreal/West Island

 * West Island redirects here. For other places called West Island, see West Island (disambiguation)

The West Island is the western part of the island of Montreal. It is mainly a residential suburb of the city of Montreal. It is the location of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The residents are mostly English speakers (or "anglophones"), in contrast to the mostly French speaking residents of the rest of Montreal (excluding Westmount). (About 55% of the population is anglophone, 20% is francophone, and 25% is "other".)

Understand
Despite the name, the "West Island" isn't its own island. It is an informal name for the western tip of the island of Montreal. Two other islands (Île-Bizard and Île-Perrot), on the West shore of Montreal, are often considered part of the West Island. The Montreal suburbs of Lachine and Lasalle are usually not considered part of the West Island, although they are also mainly residential and anglophone.

The West Island encompasses the following suburbs of Montreal (some are boroughs of the city of Montreal; others are separate municipalities):
 * Dorval (city)
 * Pointe-Claire (city)
 * Kirkland (town)
 * Beaconsfield (city)
 * Baie d'Urfé (town)
 * Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (town)
 * Senneville (village)
 * Dollard-des-Ormeaux (city)
 * Pierrefonds-Roxboro (borough)
 * L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève (borough)

By plane
Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (formerly Dorval Airport) is in the West Island. To get from the airport to other locales in the West Island, you can do the following:

 * take a taxi; flat rate of $41 to downtown Montreal, otherwise about $20-30 to locations in the West Island (plus tip).
 * rent a car at the airport; the airport is connected to Autoroute 20 and Autoroute Côte-de-Liesse 520.
 * take eastbound commuter bus 204 or northbound commuter bus 209, which will take you on a three-minute trip to Dorval's commuter bus/train station. The fare is $3.25 (exact change required), which includes a connection to any bus at the commuter bus station. Westbound bus 204 takes you from the airport through a suburban neighbourhood of the West Island. Northbound bus 209 takes you along Lakeshore road and Boulevard des Sources to the Roxboro-Pierrefonds train station. If you're not sure, ask the bus driver.

By car
From Ottawa, Highway 417 eastbound becomes Autoroute 40 at the Ontario/Quebec border. Keep following Autoroute 40 until you cross the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge (a 90-minute drive).

From Toronto, Highway 401 eastbound becomes Autoroute 20 at the Ontario/Quebec border. Keep following Autoroute 20 until you cross the Galipeault bridge (a 5-hour drive).

From Quebec City, Autoroutes 20 and 40 westbound both arrive in the West Island. Follow the signs to Montreal; once there, follow the signs to Toronto/Ottawa.

From Boston or New York, take the usual route to Montreal; once you cross the bridge onto the Island of Montreal, follow the signs to Toronto/Ottawa.

By train

 * VIA Rail Canada train routes serving Dorval station:
 * Between Quebec City and Ottawa including stops in Drummondville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Lambert, Montreal, Dorval, and Alexandria. Multiple trains daily travel the entire route and some additional trains travel daily between Montreal and Ottawa.
 * Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates 6 trains daily.
 * Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates 6 trains daily.

Montreal's Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT) operates two commuter train lines to the West Island. The "Deux-Montagnes" line leaves from Gare Centrale and stops at Sunnybrooke and Roxboro-Pierrefonds train stations. The "Vaudreuil-Hudson" line leaves from Gare Lucien-L'Allier and Vendôme stations and stops at Lachine, Dorval, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Baie-d'Urfé, and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue train stations. These trains are relatively infrequent, so it is advisable to check the schedule on the website of the AMT.

By bus
Buses from Ottawa and Toronto to Montreal stop on Boulevard Saint-Charles, in Kirkland.

Montreal's STM operates city busses to most parts of the West Island. These are usually numbered with three digits beginning with "2" (such as 201, 203, 204). Routes from Montreal usually begin at metro stations. For more details on bus routes, consult the website of the STM or look at the large public transport maps found in all of Montreal's metro stations and most bus shelters.

By car
Because of the large geography, extensive highway system, and paltry public transport of the West Island, a car is by far the most convenient way to get around the West Island. Autoroute 40 covers the northern part of the West Island, taking you to Pierrefonds, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Fairview Shopping Centre, and Senneville. This portion of Autoroute 40 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway. Autoroute 20 covers the south, taking you to Dorval (including the Airport), Kirkland, Pointe-Claire, Baie-d'Urfé, and Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (including the MacDonald Campus).

The two autoroutes, which go east-west, are connected via the following north-south roads in the West Island: Boulevard des Anciens-Combattants, Boulevard Saint-Charles, Boulevard Saint-Jean, Boulevard des Sources, Autoroute 13, and Autoroute Côte-de-Liesse. Getting from one highway to the other takes 5 minutes without traffic but up to 20 minutes at rush hour.

By bus
People without cars take the bus to get around the West Island. $3.50 one way, transfers included (exact change required). Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping mall, at the corner of Autoroute 40 and Boulevard Saint-Jean, is the hub for most bus services. Other bus connection points include Dorval commuter bus station (at the intersection of Autoroute 20 and Autoroute Côte-de-Liesse) and McGill's MacDonald Campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

By bicycle
Lakeshore Road, along the shore of the St. Lawrence River, is an enjoyable ride by bicycle (although the narrow road is shared by cars). The West Island does not offer many bicycle paths. Be alert, however, as cyclists on major roads are relatively rare, so drivers do not always look out for them. Snow and ice can be a very real obstacle for cyclists from the end of November through to the beginning of April.

See
While the West Island is mostly a collection of residential suburbs, it is also home to a number of large parks and green spaces. For those interested in Montreal's history and architecture, the West Island also has many older buildings with some dating back to the 18th century.

Do

 * Jet-boat down the Lachine Rapids.
 * Play golf at one of the many country clubs and golf courses in the West Island or on Île-Bizard. The standout is Royal Montreal GC on Île-Bizard: this hosts the President's Cup 24-29 Sept 2024, pitting the US against a non-European international team.
 * Jet-boat down the Lachine Rapids.
 * Play golf at one of the many country clubs and golf courses in the West Island or on Île-Bizard. The standout is Royal Montreal GC on Île-Bizard: this hosts the President's Cup 24-29 Sept 2024, pitting the US against a non-European international team.
 * Play golf at one of the many country clubs and golf courses in the West Island or on Île-Bizard. The standout is Royal Montreal GC on Île-Bizard: this hosts the President's Cup 24-29 Sept 2024, pitting the US against a non-European international team.

Buy
The shopping in the West Island is utilitarian and functional, but not particularly interesting; all the necessities are accessible, but the experience is somewhat generic.

 * The outlet retail shops near Colisée Kirkland.
 * The outlet retail shops near Colisée Kirkland.
 * The outlet retail shops near Colisée Kirkland.
 * The outlet retail shops near Colisée Kirkland.

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 Boulevard Saint-Jean, the deli in Fairview shopping centre, or Smoked Meat Pete's in Pincourt ("can't beat Pete's meat").
 * Bagels are available from Real Bagel (Rue Saint-Jean), Bagel Ouest (Boulevard des Sources), and St-Viateur Bagel (821 Rue Tecumseh).
 * Poutine is available in most non-chain fast food restaurants, such as Lafleur's on Boulevard des Sources.

An entire range of restaurants, from fast food chains to expensive sit-downs, are to be found on Rue Saint-Jean 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 along this road, where bakeries, sit-down restaurants, and the occasional bar are concentrated. Pointe-Claire Village and Sainte-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, responding to the population shifts in the area. An example is Autoroute 40 West (Trans-Canada at Boulevard des Sources), which offers downtown-style fine dining in a West Island location.

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 Boulevard Saint-Jean, 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 Boulevard des Sources, 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 to go for just 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.

Sleep
Hotels and inns are close to Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping mall and Dorval (Pierre Elliott Trudeau) Airport. The hotels in Dorval and along Côte-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 suburban and residential, there aren't many options beyond that. Boutique hotels, hostels, and places with character can be found mostly in the more touristy downtown area.

Go next
With downtown 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 ski hill 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 scenic 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 (the site of a standoff in Canadian history known as the "Oka Crisis").
 * Canada's capital of Ottawa is about a 90-min drive from the West Island.
 * Some Eastern Ontario towns have an English colonial flavour, such as Maxville (1-hr drive from the West Island), Kingston (3 hr), and Perth (2.5 hr).

title: Montreal/West Island


text:
Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

Westmount is a very affluent anglophone community of about 20,000 people (2011) on the island of Montreal, just west of Downtown. Further west is Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (commonly abbreviated NDG), a working-to-middle class district of about 68,000 people (2016) that is also mostly anglophone, and is being gentrified.

Understand
Traditionally, the community of Westmount has been a wealthy and predominantly anglophone enclave, having been at one point the richest community in Canada. It now competes with the Vancouver neighbourhoods of Shaughnessy and Kerrisdale, and the Toronto neighbourhoods of Lawrence Park, Forest Hill, Rosedale, and the Bridle Path, for the title.

Most of the city is residential. Homes increase in size and value toward the top of the mountain, with the largest and most expensive being on or near Summit Circle.

Notable buildings include Place Alexis Nihon and the Westmount Square complex, which was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and funded largely by Westmount resident Samuel Bronfman, the founder of the Seagram liquor empire.

NDG plays a pivotal role in serving as the commercial and cultural hub for Montreal's predominantly English-speaking West End, with Sherbrooke Street West running the length of the community as the main commercial artery.

NDG is almost exclusively residential and institutional in nature, defined in part by major Anglophone civic institutions anchoring its eastern and western ends. These are the MUHC hospital at the Glen Yards, adjacent to the Vendome intermodal station and the Loyola campus of Concordia University.

Westmount
Since the first French colonists settled in the area in the middle of the 17th century, this area has been known by several names including La Petite Montagne, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Côte-Saint-Antoine. It was renamed Westmount, in 1895, reflecting the location of the city on the southwest slope of Mount Royal and the presence of a large English-speaking population.

During the 20th century, Westmount became a wealthy Montreal suburb; a small city dotted with many green spaces. It was home to some of Montreal's wealthiest families including the Bronfmans and the Molsons. This made the city a symbolic target of Front de libération du Québec terrorist bombings in the 1960s, culminating in the 1970 October Crisis.

Westmount is an independent city, but it is a part of the urban agglomeration of Montreal, and the bulk of its municipal taxes go to the Agglomeration Council, which oversees activities common to all municipalities on the Island of Montreal (e.g. police, fire protection, public transit).

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
The first Europeans settled the area eight years after the founding of the colony of Ville Marie, in 1650. In December 1876, the Municipality of the Village of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce was established through proclamation. Gradually the village developed around the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce which was the head church of the seven parishes on the western part of the Island of Montreal.

It was around 1920 that Anglophones began settling in NDG, resulting in the construction of numerous schools and churches. The Décarie Expressway opened to motorists in 1966, in time for Expo 67. The highway construction forced the displacement of 285 families and had a major impact on the neighbourhood, severing the easternmost part from the whole.

Since 2002, the area has been administratively attached to Côte-des-Neiges as the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

By metro
The Atwater station on the Green Line lies on the border between Westmount and the Shaughnessy Village section of Montreal. This is a good stop for the commercial district along rue Saint-Catherine in eastern Westmount, including the Place Alexis Nihon shopping centre. The Orange Line runs through the eastern part of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, with stops at Vendôme and Villa-Maria.

By bus
Bus 24 runs several kilometers down Sherbrooke Avenue, including in Westmount and Notre-Dame-de-Grace.

See
Upper Westmount has a huge array of expensive estates and interesting modern architecture that's worth seeing if you are in the area.

Do

 * Swimming at the Westmount Sports Centre.
 * Walking in Westmount Park
 * Botanical greenhouse next to library
 * Attend services/pray at one of the many beautiful religious institutions in Westmount, such as the Mountainside United Church (Protestant), Church of the Ascension of Our Lord (Catholic), or Congregation Shaar HaShomayim ( Jewish-Orthodox).
 * Attend services/pray at one of the many beautiful religious institutions in Westmount, such as the Mountainside United Church (Protestant), Church of the Ascension of Our Lord (Catholic), or Congregation Shaar HaShomayim ( Jewish-Orthodox).

Buy

Westmount, given its upscale nature, has a large selection of boutiques to browse.

There are several small commercial districts on Sherbrooke Street from the city's western boundary to the intersection of Sherbrooke Street and Victoria Avenue ("Victoria Village"), on Saint Catherine Street across from Place Alexis Nihon, on Greene Avenue and on De Maisonneuve Boulevard near the Atwater metro station.

Drink
Westmount is conspicuously lacking in bars, due to the older crowd. The streets are quiet at night.

title: Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce


text:
Montreuil-sur-Mer

Montreuil-sur-Mer (or Montreuil until 31 December 2022) is an historic walled town in Hauts-de-France in France. It is located on a hill, with the ramparts giving good views of the surrounding countryside. It is famous as the location that inspired Victor Hugo to write Les Miserables. Montreuil-sur-Mer was the headquarters (GHQ) for the British Army during the First World War from March 1916 to April 1919. A statue of Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig on horseback commemorating his stay in the town can be found outside the theatre in the Place Charles de Gaulle.

Understand
Montreuil's moniker of sur-Mer hints at its past status as a port town. While it has never been on the seafront, the river Canche was wider and deeper until the late Middle Ages, permitting seagoing vessels to use Montreuil as a harbour. After this period, the Canche silted up and Montreuil became fully landlocked. The river's port is now further downstream at Étaples.

By car
Originally a stop on the main Paris to Calais road, the N1 now bypasses the town. If arriving via the A16, leave at exits 25 or 26. There are car parks in the centre of town but they are likely to be full at popular times.

Do

Walk along the ramparts that surround the town. There is no fence or other protective barrier along the edge of the ramparts, so this walk is best done when it is light and not after a few glasses of wine. Explore the cobbled streets and squares within the town.

Buy
Shops are located around the market square, Place de General de Gaulle. Market on Saturday.

title: Montreuil-sur-Mer


text:
Montreux

Montreux is mostly known for its world-famous two-week-long Jazz Festival, but it is well worth a wander through, if only to get to the scenic Château de Chillon or to get to the hiker's paradise of Hauts de Montreux.

By plane
Geneva Cointrin International Airport is the closest major airport to Montreux, and serves direct flights from most major European hubs, as well as a few cities in Canada and the United States, North Africa, and the Middle East. From Geneva, it's a little more than an hour by car, and less than an hour by train.

The railway station in Geneva is connected to Geneva International Airport. From the arrivals hall turn left (inside the building) and you will walk through a shopping mall where the railway platforms are one floor below.

By train
Montreux is served by direct rail services from Geneva, Lausanne, Visp and Brig, and is easily accessible via rail connection from almost anywhere else in Switzerland. See Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) site for timetable info.

By train
The Montreux–Oberland Bernois railway (MOB) is one of the longest established of the Swiss narrow gauge railways and runs from platforms 5 and 6 of the town's main line station to Zweisimmen via the resort town of Les Avants, Montbovon, Château-d'OEx, Saanen and Gstaad. The company, which operates 1/3 of the Golden Pass route to Lucerne along with the BLS and the Zentralbahn brought under its sales banner, the cog-wheel Montreux - Glion - Rochers-de-Naye Railway and its associated funicular from nearby Territet, the Les Avants - Sonloup funicular and the lines of the former CEV from Vevey into the hills.

The trains on the Rochers-de-Naye line stop running to and from the top around 18:00 but they'll shut down early if the weather's bad, so don't count on one to carry you out of a sudden early evening rainstorm.

The MOB operates local, stopping, trains and a regular service of panoramic trains with coaches having large picture windows and glass sections reaching into the roof, which are great for the views. Twice a day the line runs a classic service using either original coaches built before World War I or some built later to the same design, a throw back to the days of the Orient Express. First and Second class fares, single and return, are available on all trains with no extra charge for the panorama or classic trains. Well worth the ride and a cup of tea or coffee in the buffet car.

The best deal to date has to be the Jazz Train, which runs on various days throughout the Jazz Festival (see above). The train goes from Montreux to Gstaad, and you can buy tickets for three of the carriages, where jazz bands play live during the journey. Once in Gstaad there is an opportunity to sample some local products and pretend to be a millionaire (Gstaad is that kind of place) before a return trip with more live jazz.

Pretty much anything heading north and/or east of Montreux will lead to some combination of charming Swiss villages, such as Château d'Oex and invigorating Swiss landscapes. Despite the heavy Golden Pass advertising scheme, most of the visitors are small groups of locals, not the hordes of tourists you'll find in nearby, but hard to get to Chamonix or Interlaken. Many of the mountain-top restaurants double as 'buvettes' - something between a refugee hut and a hotel - where you can stay the night, often for much less than you'd pay for a lakeside hostel.

By foot
The waterfront and the old town are best accessed by foot. If you like to take a little longer walk, the castle is a few kilometers southeast from the city center along the shore of Lake Geneva. From the old town you can walk uphill to the waterfall Les Gorges du Chauderon.

By bus
There are a couple of bus lines in and around Montreux, operated by the company VMCV. Their website is however only available in French.

See

 * The Riviera Promenade. Stroll along it and challenge yourself to recognise each tree and flower. The city gardeners create each vegetal sculptures on a special theme. On week days the quai are the perfect place to roller skate from Clarens to Villeneuve.

Do

 * Cruises. Take a cruise on the unique Belle Epoque paddle steamers and discover Lavaux from the lake. Timetable at Compagnie Générale de Navigation's website.
 * Take a journey at the "alpage". Up High but not so far away, spend a night at a true "alpage", have a dinner with the "armailli", sleep on straw, and if you are awake early enough, milk the cows, watch the cheese making on woodfire and if you are lucky turn the "batte à beurre". Nothing can beat a spoon of cream served with a wooden spoon carved by a local artisan. Don't miss the L'Etivaz cheese, of course. Information: Olivier et Huguette Yersin. Tel. +41 79 230 30 77

Hiking
The mountains around Hauts-de-Montreux are threaded with forest trails, isolated villages, caves, grottos, and wildlife. Any of the train stops will lead to several hiking options. For a real hiker's hike, tackle the four hour, 1000-metre climb from Caux to (2045 m above sea level). Saner folks might want to get off at, just below the peak (1875 m above sea level), where you can enjoy the views and fresh air without the huffing and puffing. You can walk the trails up there which are not difficult, one being across to The Alpine garden which is very beautiful with nearly 800 varieties of plants and flowers.

 * Another option is to go to Vevey & take funicular to or a train to . From Les Pleiades, enjoy the amazing views including the majestuous Mont-Blanc.
 * Go to Chexbres and walk to Cully to discover the "à pic" scenery of Lavaux vineyards.
 * Another option is to go to Vevey & take funicular to or a train to . From Les Pleiades, enjoy the amazing views including the majestuous Mont-Blanc.
 * Go to Chexbres and walk to Cully to discover the "à pic" scenery of Lavaux vineyards.

Learn
Montreux is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Therefore you can learn French in Montreux in some language schools including ESL.

Buy
Every Christmas Montreux hosts an excellent Christmas market for several weeks over the holiday period. The main road through the town (Grand' Rue) and the lakeside path are lined with wooden chalets where you can find anything to buy from local wine (free tasting sometimes on offer) to chocolates (of course) and local crafts. The atmosphere is magical, your kids can visit Père Noel (Father Christmas). With all the regular shops also open you could do all your Christmas shopping in one trip and get some unique presents into the bargain.

For the cheapest souvenirs in Montreux, check out the Kiosque Biblique, which is housed in a small wooden chalet next to the Eurotel. It's not always open because it's run by volunteers, but it always offers a friendly welcome to everyone and has lots of free Christian literature in many languages.

Budget

 * If you turn left as you leave the débarcadère (where you get of the boats) you will see a small outdoor café selling drinks and Mövenpick ice creams. If you buy something there you can sit under the spreading vine that shelters the café from the sun and watch the world go by. As long as it's not too busy you can sit there as long as you like - drinks and ice creams are about Fr. 3.50 each.
 * If you turn left as you leave the débarcadère (where you get of the boats) you will see a small outdoor café selling drinks and Mövenpick ice creams. If you buy something there you can sit under the spreading vine that shelters the café from the sun and watch the world go by. As long as it's not too busy you can sit there as long as you like - drinks and ice creams are about Fr. 3.50 each.
 * If you turn left as you leave the débarcadère (where you get of the boats) you will see a small outdoor café selling drinks and Mövenpick ice creams. If you buy something there you can sit under the spreading vine that shelters the café from the sun and watch the world go by. As long as it's not too busy you can sit there as long as you like - drinks and ice creams are about Fr. 3.50 each.

Go next

 * Vevey — a lovely city in a cove, and the corporate home to the Nestlé chocolate and food empire.
 * Lavaux — terraced vineyards and one of the prettiest landscapes anywhere stretching between Lausanne and Vevey.
 * Lausanne — a university town and home to the International Olympic Committee.
 * Château d'Œx — a ski town that also offers a wide range of multi-season sporting activities.
 * Yvorne — yet another wine growing region, this one on the slopes of the Vaudois Alps.
 * Montreux is the western end of the luxurious Golden Pass scenic train line going all the way to Lucerne.

title: Montreux


text:
Montrose

There is more than one place called Montrose:

United States of America

 * Montrose (Colorado) - A town in Colorado.

Scotland

 * Montrose (Scotland) - A town in Angus in North East Scotland.

title: Montrose


text:
Montrose (Colorado)

Montrose is a town in the Uncompahgre Valley in Southwestern Colorado. It is a gateway to both Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to its east and Telluride and other ski areas in the San Juan Mountains to the south. It is also home to the West Elks American Viticultural Area (AVA), part of Colorado's Wine Country and the highest wine vineyards in North America.

Understand
Montrose is the second-largest town in western Colorado. Located on the valley floor, Montrose is surrounded by the photogenic mountain ranges of the Uncompahgre Plateau to the west and snow-capped San Juan mountains to the south.

The Uncompahgre Valley was the ancestral home of the Ute nation. But in the late 1870s, the lure of the gold and silver deposits in the area proved too great for the white settler population to resist. Tensions boiled over with the Meeker Massacre in 1879. Pushed to the breaking point by the Federal government's attempts to disband their nomadic way of life, the Utes killed several whites and launched the so-called Ute War. Initially successful, the Utes were forcibly relocated to Utah, and the southwest corner of Colorado, near Cortez.

Two months after the Utes were evicted, in December 1881, the town was founded. In the early days, Montrose was known variously as Pomona, Dad’s Town, and Uncompahgre Town.

Eventually, the town was named after Sir Walter Scott's historic novel, "A Legend of Montrose" because the area reminded Joseph Selig, the town founder, of Scotland's lake country.

Montrose served as a supply depot to service mining towns like Ouray, Silverton, Telluride and Durango in the San Juans, raising cattle and sheep to feed the miners. By 1882, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Co built a narrow gauge railroad from Montrose to Silverton.

Besides mining and ranching, orchards were a part of the area's agricultural history. The mines went into decline, and agriculture became the center of Montrose's economy. Settlers worked the fertile valley soil producing fruits, grains and vegetables. By the late 20th century, grape growers had discovered the area's potential for raising white wine varietals, and Colorado's wine industry migrated south from Grand Junction and Palisade. The West Elks American Viticultural Area was formed in 2001. Ranging from 5,400 feet (1646 m) to 6,400 feet (1951 m) above sea level, West Elks comprises the highest vineyards in North America.

Montrose now serves as a recreational hub for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts. Leisure travelers can hike, camp or enjoy boating and fishing in the surrounding national parks, forests and recreation areas. The town is a laid back mix of ranchers, farmers, ski bums, aging hippies and jocks.

The busy tourist months are in the summer, with most travelers just passing through in the winter on their way to Crested Butte and Telluride.

By plane

There are also airports in Denver and Grand Junction.

 * Denver International Airport, . Commonly referred to as DIA. It is located about 20 miles to the east of downtown. Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines all maintain hubs at the airport in Concourses A, B, and C respectively. Most other major domestic carriers also have service here.
 * Grand Junction Regional Airport,, otherwise known as Walker Field, is served by six airlines with nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Some service is seasonal.

By car

 * US 50 runs east-west through town, from Grand Junction to the west and east to Gunnison and Pueblo.
 * US 550 comes in from Albuquerque ending at the corner of Townsend Avenue and Main Street, in Montrose.

Get around
If you want to travel around town, then you will need to rent a vehicle. Prices are the same as across the United States. Downtown Montrose is easily navigated by foot.

Skiing

 * Crested Butte
 * Telluride

Wine Tasting

 * Visit Colorado's Wine Country. Colorado is home to over 70 wineries and its own indigenous vineyards, the highest in North America. Wine lovers can enjoy many vineyards around Montrose, as well as several scenic day trips to many of the small towns that grow their own grapes. These lovely little communities include Palisade, Paonia, Grand Junction and Hotchkiss.

Internet Access
Most Starbucks, hotels and coffee shops throughout the region offer wireless Wi-Fi access. But if you don't have a computer, try the public libraries.

Go next

 * Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - A deep, narrow gorge twelve miles east of Montrose via US 50 and Colorado 347.
 * Curecanti National Recreation Area - The visitor center is located just off US 50 on the access road to Morrow Point Dam, 20 miles east of Montrose.
 * Grand Mesa National Forest - Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat top mountain. Located 45 miles north of Montrose.
 * Ouray - This National Historic District and lovely town has natural hot springs, fine shopping and restaurants. It is only a 45-minute drive south to the grand San Juan Mountains.
 * Uncompahgre National Forest - Over a million acres comprise some of the most spectacular views. Located south of Montrose.

title: Montrose (Colorado)


text:
Mont-Saint-Hilaire

Mont-Saint-Hilaire is a town of about 19,000 (2020) near Montreal, east of the Richelieu River, in La Vallée-du-Richelieu, Quebec. It is distinguished by a resort on the east bank of the Richelieu River, agrotourism (orchards, vineyard, cider house, apple products, market gardening products), its three museums, its places of worship, the Centre de la Nature Mont Saint-Hilaire, and its nautical infrastructure (docks, landing stages, launching ramps, boat storage) promoting pleasure boating.

Mont-Saint-Hilaire is also the name of the mountain in the town, which overlooks the entire region. It is picturesque and has numerous hiking trails.

Understand
Mont-Saint-Hilaire is an important apple-growing region. There is also a significant deposit of the semi-precious mineral sodalite near Mont-Saint-Hilaire.

History
At all times in history, the Richelieu River has proven to be a natural nerve centre and cross-border route between the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain in the United States. This legendary valley contains vestiges of the Amerindian era, of commercial or pleasure navigation, as well as wars and skirmishes between Indigenous people, French, British and Americans.

Thousands of artifacts have been found in the Richelieu River Valley, dating from the Amerindian era, reaching its peak 21,000 years ago. Following the arrival of Europeans in America, the way of life of the Indigenous people was transformed, at first mainly thanks to the metal tools imported from Europe.
 * Prehistory

The first map of the region was drawn by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. The town of Sorel was founded in 1642. In 1665, the Chambly road was laid out between the towns of Chambly and Longueuil by the troops of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières; it is the first motorable road in Canada. The construction of the Saint-Ours canal (1843) and the Chambly canal (1849) proved to be a significant lever for Canada-United States cross-border trade via the Richelieu, over more than 100 years. At the end of the 19th century, the railways supplanted river transport on the Richelieu.
 * Colonization

Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville was granted lordship over the region in 1694. By 1745 a mountain village had been formed with the first chapel being built in 1798 near the Richelieu River. In 1822, a ferry operating between Beloeil and Mont-Saint-Hilaire came into service. A bridge, enabling Beloeil and St. Hilaire to be connected by rail, was built in 1848 by the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway. The Campbell family, owners of the mountain after that of Rouville, sold the mountain to a British officer, Brigadier-General Andrew Gault, in whose ownership it remained for 45 years. Gault then bequeathed the mountain to McGill University before his death in 1958.

In 1864, Canada's worst rail disaster occurred here when a passenger train passed a red signal and fell off an open swing bridge into the Richelieu River, killing around 99 people.

Designated the valley of the forts, the valley of the Richelieu River was the scene of military operations during the two Franco-Iroquois wars (1643-1667 and 1684-1701), the intercolonial wars (1689-1760), the American Revolution (1775-1776), the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783) and the War of 1812-1814.
 * Wars and Rebellion of 1837-38

The 1837-38 Patriot Rebellion followed many secret assemblies in the early 19th century aimed at establishing full democracy and French-speaking rights.

Geography
Mont-Saint-Hilaire extends over from the east bank of the Richelieu River from the railway bridge over the Richelieu River. The distance is between the summit of Mont Saint-Hilaire and that of Mont Rougement; and  with the summit of Mont Saint-Bruno.

The limit of Mont-Saint-Hilaire stops at the foot of Mont Saint-Hilaire (east side); thus the distance between the Richelieu River (at the height of the bridge) and the eastern limit of the municipality is.

Local information

 * Mont-Saint-Hilaire Town Council website

By car
Autoroute 20, a freeway, passes along the northern side of the Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Autoroute 20 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway between Longueuil and Rivière-du-Loup.
 * From Montréal (35 km, time: 44 min. Take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (southbound); take boulevard Taschereau (westbound); take route 116 (eastbound) to the village of Saint-Hilaire.
 * From Quebec (220 km, time: 2 hr 16 min). Take Autoroute 20 (westbound) up to Saint-Hilaire; take Grande-Allée (westbound); take the 116 (westbound).

By train
Mont-Saint-Hilaire is served by the Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter rail station on the Réseau de transport métropolitain's (RTM) Mont-Saint-Hilaire line. To get there from Montreal if you do not have a car, the easiest approach is to take the AMT commuter trains from Montreal's Gare Centrale (Central Station). Prices and timetables can be found here, and it should cost around $8 each way. As the local train station is 4-5 km from the trailhead, the most effective means to get there is to hitchhike or take a taxi.

By bus

 * EXO serves the municipalities/cities of the Richelieu valley, in particular (nearby) Otterburn Park, McMasterville, St-Hyacinthe, Beloeil, and Mont-Saint-Hilaire. See the website for schedules.

Get around
Local bus service is provided by the RTM's Vallée du Richelieu sector.

Eat
Several restaurants or dining rooms in the Montérégie have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have demonstrated great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as the display of the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g. by reservation, drive-thru service), required health measures (e.g., vaccination record, mask, distancing), other services (e.g., caterer, shops, accommodation, access for disabled, wi-fi, take-out, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site.

Go next

title: Mont-Saint-Hilaire


text:
Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel (often written Mont St Michel, with other variations) is a small UNESCO World Heritage site on an island just off the coast near Avranches in the region of Lower Normandy in northern France. The island is best known as the site of the spectacular and well-preserved Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Michel at the peak of the rocky island, surrounded by the winding streets and convoluted architecture of the medieval town.

Understand
Mont Saint-Michel was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

History
Mont-Saint-Michel was used in the 6th and 7th centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-Breton culture and power, until it was ransacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in AD 460.

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called "monte tombe". According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.

The mount gained strategic significance in 933 when William "Long Sword", William I, Duke of Normandy, annexed the Cotentin Peninsula, definitively placing the mount in Normandy. It is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry which commemorates the 1066 Norman conquest of England. Harold, Earl of Wessex is pictured on the tapestry rescuing two Norman knights from the quicksand in the tidal flats during a battle with Conan II, Duke of Brittany. Norman Ducal patronage financed the spectacular Norman architecture of the abbey in subsequent centuries.

In 1067, the monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel gave its support to duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. It was rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel, including a small island in the west of Cornwall, which was modelled after the mount, and became a Norman priory named St Michael's Mount of Penzance.

During the Hundred Years' War, the English made repeated assaults on the island, but were unable to seize it due to the abbey's improved fortifications. Les Michelettes – two wrought-iron bombards left by the English in their failed 1423–24 siege of Mont-Saint-Michel – are still displayed near the outer defence wall.

When Louis XI of France founded the Order of Saint Michael in 1469, he intended that the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel be the chapel for the Order, but because of its great distance from Paris, his intention could never be realized.

The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of pilgrimage waned with the Reformation, and by the time of the French Revolution there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican régime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836, influential figures – including Victor Hugo – had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a historic monument in 1874. The Mont Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979, and it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.

Get in
You can no longer drive along the causeway. A car park has been built on the mainland (€14 per car) and access to the mount is either on foot across the causeway (about a mile), or by one of the free Passeur shuttle buses which run frequently from 07:30 to 12:00. However, there is quite a long walk from the car park to the shuttle stop and at the mount end there is a walk of several hundred metres to the entrance. The causeway has been completely demolished and the buses are now crossing to the mount via a bridge.

By car
Driving is probably the cheapest and easiest way of visiting Mont Saint-Michel, although the queues for entry to the car park are often very long. Within the region of Normandy, drive from Caen along the A84 south-west to Pontorson, then continue a few more kilometres to Avranches. Merge with the D43, following the signs to Mont St-Michel at its end.

Parking costs: €17 (Sep 2023) and is good for 24 hours, no re-entry. This fee includes a shuttle bus from the car park to the foot of the Mont; these buses can get very crowded but the journey is no more five minutes. If you're fit enough to walk 3 km before you start your visit, then follow the flat and well-marked path from your car to the Mont. The views as you approach along the edge of the salt marsh and then across the causeway are spectacular.

Driving times: Paris the total driving time is about 4 hours. Caen about 1½ hours.

By bus
Keolis Bus run regular day-trips here Apr-Sept from Rennes (connecting with trains from Paris) and Saint-Malo. For visitors without their own vehicle this will be the most convenient route.

There are no direct train services between Paris and Mont St-Michel, but it is possible to travel to Pontorson by train and then complete the last leg of the journey by bus. The best option is the TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, where a bus run by Keolis Emeraude provides a 90-minute transfer to the island (there are 4 departures from Rennes per day, most departures are timed to match to the arrival of the TGV in Rennes but it is always better to check the timing for last minute changes). The bus station is immediately outside the Rennes train station, at a bus terminal building on your right, after leaving the station by the north exit. The bus costs €12.70, with a reduction to €9.53 for people under 25 or older than 60, and it's free for children under 12. Bus tickets are sold by the driver when boarding the bus, and in advance at the bus terminal. On off-season Sundays, the Rennes connection is often unavailable; take the TGV to Dol-de-Bretagne (listed by RailEurope as DOL, France), then the Keolis bus to Mont Saint-Michel, which costs €6.60 for adults, €4.95 for under-25 or over-60, free for children under 12.

All buses stop at the car park, where you can have transfer to the free Passeur shuttle to get close to the base of the mount. You can also ask the driver if you want to stop at the hostel before Mont St-Michel. The trip into Mont Saint-Michel in the morning can be jammed with traffic. Similarly, expect to be in a traffic jam on the way out as there is only one road leading into and out of the site. During summer, the jam can be up to an hour or more when there are lots of visitors. This meant that you may run a risk of missing your return train to Gare Montparnasse if you are on a day trip from Paris. There is a good chance that the train might wait for the returning bus from Mont Saint-Michel in the afternoon if the timing is slightly off.

Another option is to take a SNCF train to the Pontorson—Mont St-Michel train station (up to 4 a day), with a stopover in Rennes. The is no more than 10 minutes from Mont St-Michel by car. Buses between the train station and Mont St-Michel car park are available several times a day and are timed to meet the train. You can also take bus 308 from Granville via Genêts and Avranches to Mont St-Michel.

By bike
Parking for bicycles is free, and the ride from Pontorson to the mount is not particularly difficult.

By taxi
Taxis are prohibitively expensive for long journeys, unless you can split the fare with other travellers. A one-way taxi trip from Mont St-Michel to Rennes will cost about €135. A cheaper option is to take a taxi to the Dol De Bretagne station and change trains at Rennes to get to Paris.

Get around
The only way around Mont St Michel is on foot, and there are two gates into the walled city. The, the main gate at the end of the causeway, leads straight to the , which is packed chock-a-block with souvenir shops and tourists. Escape right up the stairs to the, which are a little less packed and offer great views of the mudflats. The lesser-used, to the left of the main gate, is the quietest route up. All three routes converge at the abbey on top of the island.

If you get your feet dirty in the sand, there is a place for washing your feet directly to the right after entering the Porte Échauguette (which is the gate to the left of the main gate).

Do
Many companies provide guided walks across the bay of Mont St-Michel during low tide. Walks are done barefoot, and in shorts due to the muddy ground and potentially knee-high water. Walks are typically one-way, start at a beach such as Genêts, and end after reaching the mount. Foot-washing stations are provided at the mount to clean muddy feet. Guided roundtrip walks starting from the mount are also available and typically last 3-4 hours. Most walks are conducted in French, so check carefully before booking. A list of guides is provided here.

On the mount
The culinary specialities of Mont Saint-Michel are omelettes, whipped until frothy and light, and saltmarsh lamb (agneau de Pré Salé) dishes from the sheep that wander around the coast. None of the eateries on the island are particularly good (and they are all vastly overpriced) so if you are planning on staying on the mount, you might prefer eating in a town in the surrounding countryside.

The old town at the base of the abbey hosts a wide selection of restaurants, cafés, fast food outlets and other food venues. Mont Saint-Michel is more than slightly a tourist trap with regard to refreshments and travellers' needs - check a number of places for the best deal before ordering. Even then, do not rely on good service.

On the mainland
On the approach road to the mount is a small area of shops, restaurants and supermarkets, although not cheap, they are less un-reasonably priced than getting food on the island. There is also (limited) car parking there.

Sleep
Mont Saint-Michel has a number of small hotels within the island township. A selection of much larger hotels are available on the mainland opposite the island. There is a free shuttle bus that connects these hotels to the island between 07:30 and midnight, running every few minutes. There are also hotels in the nearby town of Pontorson. Many visitors choose to daytrip from Rennes or Saint-Malo instead as the island can be comfortably covered in a few hours. The car park allows motor homes to stay overnight as part of their standard parking fee.

Crowds
Due to the tourist nature of the mount it can get very busy, especially in high summer. Because of the steep steps up to the abbey, people can sometimes feel unwell, and may want to rest in the numerous gardens throughout the mount with plenty of seats. Keep walking when others are behind you as causing a blockage is likely to annoy them.

Sunday is a good day to avoid visiting the mount as it tends to be the most popular day of the week. It is also best to avoid the middle of the day as coach tours arrive around 10:30 and leave around 16:00, so visiting outside of these hours is advisable to miss the largest crowds.

Information
The local Office de Tourisme is in the Corps de Garde des Bourgeois (the Old Guard Room of the Bourgeois), at the left of the town gates. Open daily all year except for Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Another helpful tourist office is open during the daytime next to the car park where the free Passeur shuttle buses pick you up. Left luggage lockers are accessible 24-hours, cost €1, and the coin is returned upon retrieving your luggage.

Stay safe
The tidal mudflats surrounding the island contain areas of deep mud and quicksand. Visitors to the island are advised not to attempt crossing the flats by foot. However, if you decide to attempt the crossing, be prepared to take off your shoes and clean up your feet afterwards, as the flats are extremely muddy. The tide here is one of the fastest-rising in Europe, and as such you should never attempt any walks on the sands without checking the tide tables. It is also advisable to only attempt the crossing with a qualified guide.

The mount has several steep staircases, sheer drops, and uneven ground. Keep your children under close watch and ensure that you pay due attention at all times.

Go next

 * Avranches - the nearest large town with botanical gardens
 * Saint-Malo - a walled maritime city in nearby Brittany

title: Mont Saint-Michel


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Montserrat

The British Overseas Territory of Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean, south-east of Puerto Rico.

This island was a very popular tourist destination until Hurricane Hugo caused widespread damage in 1989 and then in 1995, the island's volcano, Soufrière Hills, became active. A large part of the island was evacuated as a result. There have been on-going volcanic eruptions in the southern half of the island since that time, and that part of the island (the exclusion zone) is now ash-strewn and inaccessible.

The northern half of the island is untouched, as beautiful as it ever was, green and lush; visiting it is perfectly safe. The active volcano (which can be viewed from a good distance) has become a tourist attraction in its own right. Montserrat is still well worth visiting, and the locals go out of their way to be encouraging and welcoming to tourists.

Understand
Colonisation dates to the 1600s; a gun battery was strategically placed at Carr’s Bay in 1624 to defend the island against approaching ships. Montserrat was initially an agricultural economy; plantations and sugar mills were common in the 1700s with sugar cane juice and molasses processed for local consumption and export. Later, the well-to-do built their estate houses on the island; an elaborate main house was often a landmark because of its size and numerous rooms. In 1857 Joseph Sturge established the Montserrat Company, which cultivated lime fruit for export and sold small plots of land to settlers. Various old churches date to the late 19th or early 20th century. The first air charter flights on the island began in 1956; an eleven-hole golf course (now defunct) opened in the Belham River Valley in response to growth in tourism in the 1960s. A well-equipped recording studio, established by Beatles producer George Martin in 1979, attracted a long list of popular musicians in its one decade of operation. Tiny Montserrat promoted itself as "the way the Caribbean used to be".

Montserrat has been hit hard by the four elements, both from without and from within. First the wind and waves of Hurricane Hugo swept through in 1989, damaging 90% of the island's structures. Then the earth and fire welled up in 1995, with the volcano of Soufrière Hills forcing the long-term evacuation of 2/3 of the island's population, and closing the old airport and seaport in June 1997.

The capital, Plymouth, is now covered by 40 feet of ash, earning its nickname "the new Pompeii", and much of the rest of the southern part of the island is now quite uninhabitable and unusable. Government offices have since been set up in Brades on the northwest shore of the island, out of harm's way. Much of the island's population has returned, with the UN estimating 4,500 in 2019, compared to the pre-Hugo/Soufrière high of over 12,000. A new town is being built at Little Bay and the new port there is being expanded.

Climate
Temperatures year-around average between 76–88°F (24–32°C), with constant cooling breezes. Rainfall is a little more common from July to November. This is also the hurricane season, like elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Landscape
Montserrat is small, but getting larger. The erupting volcano is gradually extending the southern end of the island. The northern part of the island is mostly quite hilly.

Tourist information

 * Visit Montserrat website

Regions and settlements
Montserrat had traditionally been divided into three parishes; since the 1995 volcanic eruption, only one (Saint Peter, which is Northern Montserrat) is inhabited.

Villages in the northern part of the island include:

 * – The de facto capital
 * – The new port, which is rapidly expanding to become a new town

The northern zone of Montserrat has a number of different beaches. Each one has its own appeal and all are worth visiting.

The old capital town, Plymouth, was in the south and has been destroyed or buried by volcanic eruption. While the Soufrière Hills Volcano Hazard Zone in the south is (de-facto) never publicly accessible, the level of access to Central Montserrat Hazard Zones in the centre of the island is variable, based on current volcanic activity levels.

The Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) has divided the at-risk areas of the island into zones as part of a Hazard Level System. A map on MVO's website (mvo.ms) updates frequently to indicate the level of permitted access for each zone by one of four colours: green (unrestricted), yellow (daytime access or transit), orange (controlled access), and red (authorised access only).

Entry requirements
Proof of citizenship is required, such as a passport. CARICOM, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States citizens may present a driver's licence or other government photo ID; all others require passports. All visitors must have tickets for departure, proof of accommodation, and funds to cover their expenses while on Montserrat.

Citizens from Afghanistan; Aland Islands; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Belarus; Benin; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Colombia; Comoros; Congo; DR Congo; Cote D'Ivoire; Croatia; Cuba; Djibouti; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Georgia; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Jordan; Kazakhstan; North Korea; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Lebanon; Liberia; Libya; Madagascar; Mali; Mauritania; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Nepal; Niger; North Macedonia; Oman; Palestine; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Reunion; Russia; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Syria; Tajikistan; Thailand; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan; Venezuela; Vietnam; Yemen will require an eVisa, which can be obtained from the Montserrat Government website. The cost of applying is $50. Citizens of other countries can travel to Montserrat visa-free.

Several tour operators in Antigua offer day excursions to Montserrat, including observation of the Soufrière Hills volcano. Charter helicopters from Antigua offer another way to view the volcano.

Antigua-based day tours, such as Carib-World Travel and Jenny Montserrat Tours, typically package existing scheduled flights or ferry runs to reach Montserrat. Any same-day boat tour will therefore be limited to days with more than one scheduled ferry run (Tu Th, sometimes Sat). Once in Montserrat, the tours typically offer a view of the volcano sites or a boat tour to Plymouth.

Antigua's customs departure taxes are EC$37.50/US$15.00 per person. Montserrat departure taxes are EC$10.00/US$4.00 per person for same-day trips, higher for an overnight stay. Many of the advertised package prices do not include this extra cost.

By plane
Fly Montserrat (phone: +1 664 491-3434) operates scheduled flights twice daily between Antigua and Montserrat's  in the north of the island. BMN Air also regularly serves Montserrat from Antigua, in addition there are charter flights from many other Caribbean islands by the two former airlines and Trans Anguilla Airways. Antigua, in turn, has flights from elsewhere in the Caribbean, Canada, the United States and United Kingdom.

The Britten Normal Islander aircraft seat nine people with very limited luggage space for a 20 minute flight with amazing views of Antigua, Montserrat and other islands in the distance. Approx US$118 (one-way, adult), US$201.90 (return). Private charters Antigua-Montserrat from US$950 (one way).

By boat
The primary transportation (the new port) is at Little Bay, north of Brades. Since 2014, Little Bay has been the target of redevelopment. Regular ferry service from Antigua was interrupted in April 2016, but has returned under a new operator; check the schedule in advance. On some public holidays there may be boat tours with fantastic views of the volcano, pyroclastic flows, abandoned and destroyed towns as well as beautiful scenery.

 * Jeans for Freedom has infrequent "discovery days" from Guadeloupe
 * Jeans for Freedom has infrequent "discovery days" from Guadeloupe

By car
Traffic drives on the left. Montserrat has one main two-lane road that winds along the coast on the east and west sides of the island. Cars can be rented from several businesses. Traffic is light (there are no traffic lights) but there are only two gas/petrol stations on the island. In 2011, a 4-door Suzuki Vitara (residents would call it a Jeep) rented for approx US$250 per week.

A temporary Montserrat driver's licence can be obtained at the police station in Brades or Salem, all that is required is a completed form, presentation of your home country/territory licence, and a payment of US$20 or EC$50.

Other
Bicycle rentals are also available. Taxis and buses run, mostly during the day. Hitch-hiking, during the day and early evening is safe and considered normal - just point your finger in the direction you are going.

Walking, while safe and possible to all points, is quite an arduous task, as the roads traverse very steep hills. Locals tend to walk within a local village or housing area, but find other transport from village to village.

Talk
The people of Montserrat all speak English (British variety), albeit with a local accent.

Nature
The ! An observation area on Jack Boy Hill on the eastern side gives a view of the ash flows covering the old airport. Huge boulders may sometimes be seen, crashing down the slope in a cloud of dust. Tours into the exclusion zone are sometimes possible on Monday through Friday but require a permit to be arranged days in advance. This depends entirely on the official volcano risk level as assessed by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory staff. If you are able to go into the exclusion zone you will pass through a landscape of abandoned homes and fields, see the volcano close-up, and gaze down at the old capital of Plymouth, now buried in ash and mud.

The Soufrière Hills Volcano Hazard Zone covers the southern part of the island of Montserrat. The unpredictability of the Soufrière Hills Volcano has made 2/3 of the island a high-risk place to go due to lava bombs (flying rocks), pyroclastic flows and lahars, and so the Montserrat authorities have excluded people from this area. The Central Montserrat Hazard Zones (to the north) are also considered to still be vulnerable to the effects of volcanic phenomena, although full or partial access (usually daytime only, during times of low volcanic activity) may be allowed to these various zones depending on hazard levels. If you still want to have access to controlled areas, you'll need to get a license from the Royal Montserrat Police Force. File an application at the Salem Police Station.

Boat tours around the island are one way to see what remains of the capital city and airport, although they are not permitted to stop or disembark in Plymouth. Various operators include Hubert ‘Buffy’ Buffonge in Little Bay (+1 664 492-1590) and Danny Sweeney in Old Towne (+1 664 496-0574); tour duration is about two hours.

Do
Montserrat is blessed with natural beauty, with lush tropical forests crossed by trails of varying difficulty. Many can be enjoyed on your own, however, some require a guide to make the path clear. Stop by the National Trust or Tourist Information for a map. Montserrat is known for its quiet beaches. Check out each one, they are all different. The island is surrounded by reefs; snorkelling and scuba diving can be enjoyed from shore or by boat. Redonda, a steep uninhabited island 15 miles to the Northwest of Montserrat, is a scuba destination with six-foot barrel sponges, Eagle Rays, Stingrays, and the occasional nurse shark.

Little Bay, Montserrat's only seaport, has a good solid pier where boats dock but no breakwater (a £14.4 million upgrade is planned for completion in 2021). As scuba and tour boats operate from this pier, tours may be cancelled for a day or two if there's a strong southerly wind with big swells. Once the weather changes, the boats can get out. Be prepared to go hiking, sightseeing, or just relaxing by the pool or at the beach while waiting for the seas to calm enough for the boats to be able to leave Little Bay.

Scuba Montserrat in Little Bay offers diving, snorkelling, daily diving, full courses, clear bottom kayaks, volcano boat tours and equipment. Green Monkey Dive Shop is permanently closed as a hotel is to be built on their Little Bay site. The Tourist Board has listings of local guides for other boat tours or land excursions.

Carr’s Bay Gun Battery is now a picnic area; the ruins of the master's house at Carr’s Plantation remain visible at Little Bay.

Among radio amateurs, a confirmed country or island contact with a Montserrat VP2M callsign is a rare catch. Fewer than two dozen active "ham" operators live on the island. The Montserrat Amateur Radio Society can provide a local callsign to a visiting, foreign-licensed radio amateur on eight weeks notice. Over a busy ham radio contest weekend, CQ CQ CQ DE VP2M... might get a few thousand responses as hams worldwide seek a rare contact for the logbooks.

Iguanas are everywhere! Large ones, too. Don’t worry; they won’t bother you (unless you try to feed them). Just be aware, and do not be afraid.

Money
The currency of the country is the East Caribbean dollar, denoted by the symbol: "$" or "EC$" (ISO currency code: XCD), which is also used by seven other island nations in the Caribbean. The EC dollar is subdivided into 100 cents. It is pegged to the United States dollar at an exchange rate of US$1 = EC$2.70.

Coins circulate in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 cents and 1 dollar. Banknotes circulate in denominations of 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars.

Often, accommodations are priced in the more valuable US dollar, so the designation EC$ is useful to distinguish the two.

Items for sale in shops are generally 'expensive' compared to US and European standards.

Shops take cash, and may not accept debit cards. Also as a bonus, the ferry service only takes cash!

There are only two ATMs on the island, but the Bank of Montserrat cannot withdraw from international accounts (not even UK). As with the rest of the Caribbean the Royal Bank of Canada charges a flat fee of US$4.50 to withdraw, so if you want to avoid fees or being in a cashless state, stock up in your previous ECD currency country!

Eat
Most establishments are casual. Some bars on the beach are okay with folks walking right in sand and all. There are no international fast-food chains on Montserrat. In additions to the ones listed here, many places to sleep also have a restaurant.

Most meal choices consist of chicken or seafood, with most having a red meat option, though the type of meat varies greatly. Few places are open at night for dinner, and most of those that are require reservations (not because they're fancy or expensive, but because business is slower and they want to ensure they have fresh food available.)

Goat Water is a dish enjoyed on Montserrat. Despite the name, it's actually a spicy goat meat and bread fruit stew.

Drink

Sleep
Accommodation on Montserrat is a bargain compared to many of its less geologically active neighbours, as the island is anxious to re-establish its tourism industry. The tourism board has listings of private villas for as little as US$700/week. Beware of hidden "service charges", as a few properties have been known to tack on an extra 10% in addition to the room cost and taxes.

Prices do not include the 7-10% tax on accommodations unless otherwise indicated.

Stay safe

Like almost all Caribbean islands, Montserrat may experience a tropical storm or even a hurricane during the season from June to November.

Volcanic eruptions still pose some danger, though volcanic activity is primarily on the level of a nuisance. Travel to the Soufrière Hills Volcano Hazard Zone on the south end of the island is generally not permitted, for safety reasons. The Montserrat Volcano Observatory monitors current risk assessments and exclusion zone limits.

Montserrat is considered to be the safest Caribbean island (as of 2019) based on the number of crimes or murders reported to law enforcement agencies. General safety precautions, including not walking in an alleyway at night, are advised.

Stay healthy
No vaccinations are required to enter Montserrat unless coming from a country that has suffered a cholera or yellow fever epidemic.

Tap water is drinkable.

Go next

 * Antigua – the only island with scheduled air and boat transport from Montserrat.

title: Montserrat


text:
Montserrat (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Montserrat:

Caribbean

 * Montserrat - an island in the Caribbean, southeast of Puerto Rico

Spain

 * Montserrat (Spain) - a mountain top monastery in Catalonia, Spain.

title: Montserrat (disambiguation)