Americas

[Visited: July 2001]

In North America, Montreal is one of the very few cities to still have a historic city centre. This fact, combined with the very French atmosphere, makes this city one of the most pleasant and charming to visit outside winter. On a lovely summer day, I went for a long walk to take in most sights of the old city centre. I enjoyed walking along the riverside promenade, and I saw the oldest still existing building (first constructed in 1684).
I also visited Place Jacques-Cartier, originally a market place but nowadays a lively square which attract a lot of street vendors and tourists alike. On both sides, a large variety of terraces provide for attractive spots to eat out, something not seen very often in the New World. Personally I found this area a little overtouristed, so I went for a stroll around the old city centre which anyway is easily done on foot.
Close to the oldest building of the city stand the cathedral of Notre Dame, as well as the first skyscraper of North America, opened in 1888. I especially liked exploring the little quiet backstreets. While walking out of the historic centre, I passed the lovely area of Saint-Louis square. This urban area contains a lot of examples of the typical Montreal houses with often colourful stairs in front of them.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Montreal (Canada). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Montreal.
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