Flight to Montreal (YUL)

Flying to Montreal: tips and information for your trip

Whether you’d like to come in the summer to enjoy the many festivals, terraces, and the sunny city or in the winter for the ice rinks, cross-country skiing and to explore the underground galleries – Montreal, this perfect mix of European and American cultures, attracts more than ten million tourists each year. With the kindness of Quebec residents, its nature, the hockey matches, its festivals, its multiculturalism, its poutine, this city won’t disappoint you. So fly to Montreal with Brussels Airlines!

What to do in Montreal?

1. Go to the Mount Royal: you can’t miss it, it’s the hill overlooking the city. You can climb to the Kondiaronk lookout at the top of Mount Royal, where you will find a spectacular view of the city. You can then go to Beaver Lake, which is particularly beautiful in autumn as its trees burst into fall colours. This lake turns into an ice rink in winter.
   
   
2. To the south-west is the Oratory of St. Joseph. It is one of the most prestigious buildings in Montreal. Its Italian Renaissance architecture is worth seeing and don’t miss the opportunity to watch the sunset from the terrace.
   
   
3. Go to the Underground City: during the cold weather, you can take refuge in these subterranean shopping centres, 32 km of connected passages, which form a city under the city.
   
   
4. For the Olympic Games of 1976, Montreal built the Olympic Stadium and Montreal Tower. This 165-metre inclined tower is among the tallest in the world; you go up with a funicular. At the top, you will enjoy a view of the entire Montreal area. For sports fans, it is even possible to follow a guided tour of the 1976 Olympic Games.
   
   
5. Spend the afternoon in the Mile End, located in the colourful district “The Plateau”: trendy second-hand shops, vegan restaurants, art galleries, Italian cafes… We suggest stopping for a bagel at Fairmount or St-Viateur.
   
   
6. Browse the busy streets of Old Montreal: stop at Notre-Dame Basilica and historic Jacques-Cartier Square. You will be blown away by the liveliness of its cobblestone streets and unique buildings. It’s a great place to take a break and eat at one of its restaurants.
   
   
7. The Biodome, a large dome-covered area, is the former Olympic Games velodrome of 1976. This place now hosts five ecosystems with more than 250 species of animals, a place that the children will love.
   
   
8. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the eighth-most visited museum in North America. With its five pavilions, you can discover various artistic disciplines such as arts, music, film and design. If you want to listen to music, the museum complex includes a 460-seat concert hall.
   
   
9. Take a pleasant bike ride along the Lachine Canal. You can rent Bixi bikes, which are self-service. The Bixi rentals are free for under 30 minutes, with reasonable rates for periods of over 30 minutes.
   
   
10. Spend the day at the Botanical Garden; this garden of 74 hectares has more than 22,000 species of plants and about thirty thematic gardens. It can be visited all year and, in addition, admission is free.

Practical information for your trip

• Flights via Brussels Airlines land at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. To get to the city centre, you can take the 747 bus. This bus line is available every day, 24 hours. You can also take an Uber, a taxi or rent a car.
  
• Currency: Canadians use the Canadian dollar.
• Telephone calls and Wi-Fi: +1. Wi-Fi is available at all major hotels and restaurants.
• Electric sockets require the American-style plug with two thin prongs.
• Travel Information: When visiting, make sure you have a valid passport. Visitors from visa-exempt countries require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Dos and Don’ts in Montreal

• Do not forget to tip! Taxes are about 14% and it’s recommended to give around the same amount in tips.
• If you plan to visit several museums, you can buy a “Montreal museum card”, which will give you access to the 38 museums of the city for 3 days.

Local phrases & essential vocabulary

Montreal is a French-speaking city, but its residents use some local wording. Here is a small Quebec lexicon:

• Good morning: bon matin
• Hey: allo
• You’re welcome: bienvenue/ça fait plaisir
• Goodbye/see you later: à la revoyure
• Have a nice day: bonjour
• To ask for the bill: demander une facture
• A drink: breuvage
• A car: char
• A dollar: piastre (pronounced “piasse”)
• Nothing: pantoute
• A beer: une broue
• I need some help:je suis mal pris

Cultural events

Montrealers are great fans of festivals and there are many throughout the year. Here are a few:

• Montréal en lumière: One of the biggest winter festivals in the world, this festival showcases light, arts, restaurants and also offers outdoor family activities. It is held every year in the Quartier des spectacles.
  
  
• Piknic Electronik: Every Sunday during the summer, DJs and artists will animate Parc Jean-Drapeau with electronic music.
  
  
• Igloofest: This electronic music festival takes place during the winter, during the last three weekends in January at the Old Port of Montreal.
  
  
• Montreal International Jazz Festival: 10 days of music, 500 concerts – this festival was voted the biggest jazz festival on the planet by the Guinness Book of World Records. It takes place between late June and early July.
  
  
• Blue Metropolis: This is an international multilingual literary festival. It is a charitable organization that aims to connect people around literature with international awards, author meetings, readings, writing workshops, lectures, literary shows and exhibitions. It takes place at the beginning of May.

When to go to Montreal?

Montreal has a humid continental-type climate. Summers can be particularly hot and winters particularly cold, with temperatures as low as -35° Celsius. The period when the climate is most pleasant is from May to September.

What to eat in Montreal?

• Poutine: this dish originated in Quebec and consists of three ingredients, fries covered with melted cheese and brown sauce or sometimes meat broth. You will find traditional poutine at Patati Patatat and poutines revisited at La Banquise.
  
  
• Bacon and beans: these beans are mixed with bacon, onions, molasses and maple syrup; afterwards, they are slowly baked.
  
  
• La tourtière: this is a traditional dish for Christmas and New Year’s Day. This meat pie consists of a pie shell garnished with beef or pork. It is usually served with ketchup.
  
  
• Crunch ears – also known as “bacon ears”, this is a traditional dish made with salted bacon chips and grilled in a pan or fried in oil.
  
  
• Shepherd’s pie: this is a casserole with a layer of cooked meat, corn and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven.
  
  
• “The unemployed pudding”: this is prepared by pouring maple syrup on the dough, which gets imbibed. It is often accompanied by a scoop of ice cream.
  
  
• The beaver tail: a doughnut in the form of a beaver tail, topped with maple syrup, chocolate and jam.
  
  
• Beers: Quebec is a major beer producer. The two best known are “Molson Canadian” and “Labatt Blue”. But Montreal is mostly full of microbreweries.
  
  
• The “Bloody Caesar”, a vodka cocktail, mixed with tomato juice and clam broth, chilli sauce and Worcestershire sauce as well as lemon zest and ice cubes. This mixture may seem surprising, but all Montrealers are crazy about this drink.
  
  
• Brunches: Montrealers love brunch. The best-known place to eat is called L’avenu and is located in the Plateau district. But be careful, you will probably have to wait, there is always a line.