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Photo Credit: Unknown
General Information About Montreal
Montreal's Location
Considered to be the Paris of North America, Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and the second largest in Canada. It is the only French-speaking metropolis in North America and the second largest French speaking city in the world. The population of the island of Montreal is about 1.8 million and the population in the greater Montreal region is around 3.3 million. The province's metropolis is a great mixture of cultures from all across the globe. Montréal ( as it is also called ) is internationally renowned and tourists come from all over the world to visit the city, regardless of the season. There are a large number of events and festivals in Montreal. Year round, there are music, humour, gastronomy, sports, as well as international-scale events. Everybody celebrates: residents and visitors alike.
Montreal's Languages
Montreal is home to the second-largest French-speaking population in the western world, with Paris being the largest. However, you don't have to speak French to visit Montreal. If you can't understand a word of French, you'll still enjoy Montreal. Most montrealers are bilingual. All the museums have guided tours in English. All events are partly in English. Most restaurants have bilingual menus. There are a dozen radio and television stations in English. You can also get local, national and international papers in English.
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Montreal's Weather
The temperature in Montreal varies a lot from one season to the next and even during each season. Winters, which really starts in mid-November and usually ends in late-March early April, are cold. The months of January and February are the coldest. Spring temperature varies a lot during the day, it starts out cool (around freezing temperatures) but goes up to 15°C. Autumns (starting late August) are basically the same, cool in the early mornings, warms up during the afternoons then cools down at night. Summers are hot and especially humid. Many people love the fact that Montreal is one of those few places in the world where you can truly enjoy all four seasons. From its cold harsh winters to its colourful autumn and sweet summers, Montreal truly is a unique city. Average temperatures vary from -13°to -5°C in the winter and 18° to 27°C in the summer.
Montreal's Time Zone
Montreal is in the Eastern time zone of North America, 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time during the summer (Eastern Daylight, EDT) and 5 hours during the winter (Eastern Standard, EST). As of 2007, Daylight Savings Time is observed from the second Sunday in March till the first Sunday in November.In French, it is usual to see times quoted in 24-hour format, e.g. 20h30 is the same as 8:30 p.m. Keep this in mind for the times of events and for parking restrictions noted on official signs.
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Montreal's Stores
Most stores in Montreal are open from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. There are exceptions: many large pharmacies, some grocery stores and some bookstores stay open late all week, and some smaller boutiques may open their doors later in the morning.
When to visit Montreal
The best time to visit Montreal is in the summer, when even the nights can be sultry and the whole city seems to be partying, as the festival season moves into high gear. The cooler autumns bring out the colours in the leaves and are a great time to visit the forested Laurentians or the rolling hills of the Eastern Townships.Even the cold and snowy winters can be enjoyable – not least for people who like ice skating. Ice skates are an integral part of every young Montrealer’s sports equipment, which is why the city authorities maintain more than 150 skating rinks in the region every winter. On sunny afternoons and picturesque wintry evenings, large skating rinks, such as those in La Fontaine Park, the Old Port, Mont-Royal Park and Maisonneuve Park, are popular meeting spots where families, friends, lovers, amateur skaters and accomplished athletes enjoy Montreal’s beautiful winter days.
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Holidays in Montreal
For A complete list of observed Holidays, you can visit the Montreal Tourist Info website Most of the information regarding holidays was obtained from their website.
Observed Holidays
- New Year's Day - January 1st.
- Good Friday - Easter Friday
- Victoria Day/Journée nationale des Patriotes - Monday before or on May 24 in honour of both Queen Victoria's birthday
- St-Jean-Baptiste/Fête de la Saint-Jean/Fête Nationale - Quebec's national day
- Canada Day - also moving day in Montreal
- Labour Day - the first Monday in September
- Thanksgiving - the second Monday in October.
- Christmas - Dec. 25
Some stores open on holidays, although Christmas is all but universally a closing day. Boxing Day, Dec. 26, is commonly given as a holiday, as is January 2. Easter Monday seems to be declining in importance and is mostly observed now only by government offices, which also close on Remembrance Day, November 11. Most businesses stay open on November 11, but ceremonies are held to honour war veterans and a minute of silence is traditionally observed at 11 a.m.
Montrealers often also observe Valentine's Day (February 14), Mother's Day (second Sunday in May), Father's Day (third Sunday in June) and Halloween (October 31), although these are not legal holidays. Depending on their origins, Montrealers might also celebrate Muslim or Jewish holidays, the Asian lunar new year, or other saints' days or national holidays. A major parade is held on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick's Day (March 17).
Montreal has a long-standing tradition of ending residential leases on June 30. As a result, July 1 is moving day for a significant percentage of tenants in the city. The last two weeks of July are the construction holiday, and many other unionized workers take these two weeks off as well.
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GENERAL TOURIST INFORMATION