MONTREAL, "THE CITY OF SAINTS"
BY CLAY LARROY
Travel is so much more that simply hopping on a flight to
a new destination. If you plan it correctly, it could be a thrilling time
you'll never forget. Planning a trip is fun as there are tons of things to do
and see. Do you know how to plan a trip effectively? Packing light is key to
making your travels as easy and free of stress as possible. Bring one carryon
bag that includes everything you need, not necessarily everything you want. Your
smart packing will pay off when you are happily carrying one bag around on
vacation instead of lugging around multiple bags around Canada. When you want to plan a vacation
contact me!
Getting There By Rail
Services
Montreal's
Gare Centrale (Central Station), 895 rue de la Gauchetière West, offers a food
court and is directly linked to the Metro and the city's underground network of
shops and hotels. Trains arriving from the west also stop at the basic Dorval
Station, near the airport.
Operators
VIA Rail (tel: (514) 989
2626 or 1 888 842 7733; www.viarail.ca) is
Canada's national rail service provider. Services from the USA are operated by
Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com).
Montreal
is located along the Quebec City-Windsor railway corridor. Both economy and
first-class (VIA 1) cars are available on corridor trains, which link Montreal
with Quebec City to the east, and Ottawa and Toronto to the west. The carriages
are clean and quiet, with large windows that confer a sense of the country's
vastness; VIA 1 fares include a surprisingly good meal and complimentary
Canadian wines. The Ocean is the Montreal-Halifax train, which offers
departures six days a week. The Montreal-Gaspé train is another scenic
overnight trip, with three departures a week. Amtrak runs daily trains from New
York and Washington, DC.
Journey Times
To
Halifax - 23 hours; Quebec City - 3.5 hours; Ottawa - 3 hours; Toronto - 5
hours; Windsor - 9 hours.
Getting
There By Road
Overview
Montreal
is well served by a network of autoroutes (motorways). Traffic drives on the
right. Road signs are international but are usually in French. Maximum speed
limits are 100kph (62mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on rural highways and
50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. It is illegal to turn right at a red light on
the island of Montreal; however, these turns are legal elsewhere in the
province (unless posted otherwise).
The minimum driving age is
16 years. An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not
legally required for visits of less than six months. Proof of insurance must be
carried. Non-residents may be covered for compensation under the province's
no-fault insurance if driving a vehicle registered in Quebec or a province or
US state with a reciprocal arrangement. The Société de l'Assurance Automobile
du Québec (SAAQ) (tel: (514) 873 7620; www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca)
provides further information.
Information on road
conditions is available from the Transports Quebec (tel: 1 888 355 0511; www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca).
Emergency
CAA-Québec
(tel: (514) 861 1313 (Montreal area only); CAA/AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or 222
from most mobile phones).
Routes
Highways
20 and 40 (the Trans-Canada Highway) are the main east-west routes through the
city, arriving from Quebec City to the east and Toronto (via Highway 401) and
Ottawa (via Highway 417) from the west. US I-87 from New York City becomes
Highway 15 at the border, south of Montreal.
Time To City
To
Toronto - 5.5 hours; Ottawa - 2.5 hours; New York City - 7.5 hours.
Coaches
Buses depart from Station
Centrale (Central Station), 505 boulevard de Maisonneuve East (tel: (514) 842
2281;www.stationcentrale.com/en). Facilities include ATMs, a
bureau de change, bars and restaurants, car hire, Internet access, left luggage
and coach passes.
Orléans Express
(tel: (514) 395 4000 or 1 888 999 3977; www.orleansexpress.com)
is the main coach company within Quebec. Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca)
runs services from Canadian destinations west of Ottawa as well as the United
States. Other coach operators include Adirondack Trailways (tel: 1 800 776
7548; www.trailwaysny.com) from New York City and Coach Canada (tel: 1 800 461
7661; www.coachcanada.com)
from Toronto.
Getting
Around
Public Transport
Montreal is served by a
métro system, an extensive bus network and commuter rail services. Public
transport services for Montreal are run by the Société de Transport de Montréal
(STM) (tel: (514) 786 4636; www.stm.info).
Commuter rail and off-island bus services are coordinated by the Agence
Métropolitaine de Transport (www.amt.qc.ca).
The
Montreal métro is clean and efficient, and consists of four lines and 68
stations, 10 of which are linked to Underground City. The average wait time
between trains is eight minutes and three minutes during rush hour. It is
integrated with the STM bus routes that crisscross the island. The metro and
buses run approximately 05:30-12:30 and are supplemented by a limited system of
20-night bus routes. You can transfer between the métro and bus at no extra
cost, using the same magnetized ticket and within 120 minutes. Off-island buses
have separate fare structures. Ideal for tourists are the one-day and three-day
fare cards, which provide unlimited use of bus and métro systems, including the
747-airport shuttle.
Taxis
Hailing
a taxi is never a problem in Montreal and there are obvious taxi ranks dotted
about. Tipping is expected. Two recommended taxi companies are Taxi Diamond
(tel: (514) 273 6331) and Taxi Hochelaga (tel: (514) 256 9033).
Driving
Montreal
drivers have a bit of a reputation with the rest of Canada as being somewhat
reckless. If you choose to drive, stay alert and don't be afraid to use your
horn. Parking can be pesky and pricey. Street parking costs $1-$3 per hour,
0900-1800 and parking lots charge between $10-$20 per day.
Car Hire
In
general, drivers must be at least 21 years old and possess a national driving
licence, credit card and insurance. An International Driving Permit is not
required.
Car hire firms in Montreal
include Avis (tel: (514) 866 2847 or 1 800 321 3652; www.avis.com);
Discount (tel: (514) 798 7235; www.discountcar.com);
Hertz (tel: (514) 938 1717; www.hertz.com) and Thrifty (tel: (514) 845 5954;www.thrifty.com).
Bike Hire
Montreal has an extensive
network of cycle routes and a popular bike hire scheme known as BIXI (tel: 1
877820 2453;www.bixi.com/home).
Cyclists (residents and tourists alike) can rent a bike for a fixed time from
400 different bike docks in the city at a small fee between April and November.
Growing up, mostly in Montreal, I was an only child of loving parents.
Rudolph A. Marcus
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