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CANADA TOURISM GUIDE (MONTREAL)

Montréal is a feast of choices, able to satisfy the desires of both physically active and culturally curious visitors. Depending upon what interests you and how much time you have, you can hike up imposing Mont-Royal in the middle of the city, cycle for miles beside the Lachine Canal, take in artworks and ephemera at some 20 museums and as many historic buildings, attend a Canadiens hockey match, party until dawn on rue Crescent and The Main, or soak up the concrete and spiritual results of some 400 years of conquest and immigration. And with riverboat rides, the fascinating Biodôme (which replicates four distinct ecosystems), a sprawling amusement park, the Vieux-Port Science Centre, puppet and magic shows, and unique Cirque du Soleil performances, few cities assure kids of as good a time as this one.

Once you've decided what you want to do, getting from hotel to museum to attraction is pretty easy: The superb Métro system, a fairly logical street grid, wide boulevards, and the vehicle-free underground city all aid in the swift, largely uncomplicated movement of people from place to place.

Montréal's 350th birthday was celebrated in 1992 with the opening or expansion of many of its attractions. Efforts to enhance the cultural offerings have continued since then. If you're not in town on Montréal Museums Day, check out the Montréal Museums Pass, which allows entry to 30 of the city's museums and attractions, and is available year-round. Good for 3 consecutive days, the pass costs C$39 (US$31) and includes access to public transportation. That's double the price of a couple of years ago, but still a good deal for diligent sightseers, especially since it now includes a 3-day Métro pass. It is sold at all participating museums, at the Infotouriste Centre on Square Dorchester, and at many Montréal hotels. For further information, call tel. 877/266-5687 from outside Montréal or 514/873-2015 within the metropolitan area.

When planning your visit, you might want to note in the listings which museums have restaurants so that you can plan a meal in addition to your museum visit. Most museums are closed Mondays.

Downtown

Cathédrale-Basilique Marie-Reine-du-Monde
No one who has seen both will confuse Montréal's "Mary Queen of the World" Cathedral with St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but a scaled-down homage was the intention of Bishop Ignace Bourget, who oversaw its construction after the first Catholic cathedral burned to the ground in 1852. Construction lasted from 1875 to 1894, its start delayed by the bishop's desire to place it not in Francophone east Montréal but in the heart of the Protestant Anglophone west. The resulting structure covers less than a quarter of the area of its Roman inspiration. Most impressive is the 76m-high (249-ft.) dome, about a third of the size of the original. The statues standing on the roofline represent patron saints of the region, providing a local touch. The interior is less rewarding visually than the exterior, but the high altar is worth a look.

Christ Church Cathedral
This Anglican cathedral, which is reflected in the shiny exterior of the postmodernist Tour de Catedral office tower, stands in glorious Gothic contrast to the city's glassy downtown skyscrapers. Sometimes called the "floating cathedral" because of the many tiers of malls and corridors in the underground city beneath it, the building was completed in 1859. The original steeple, too heavy for the structure, was replaced by a lighter aluminum version in 1940. Christ Church Cathedral hosts concerts throughout the year, most frequently from mid-January to August on Wednesdays at 12:30pm.

Musée McCord d'Histoire Canadienne
Associated with McGill University, the McCord Museum of Canadian History showcases the eclectic -- and not infrequently eccentric -- collections of scores of 19th- and 20th-century benefactors. More than 29,000 costumes, numerous artifacts, and 750,000 historical photographs are rotated in and out of storage to be displayed. In general, expect to view furniture, clothing, china, silver, paintings, photographs, and folk art that reveal rural and urban life as it was lived by English-speaking immigrants of the past 3 centuries. The First Nations room displays portions of the museum's extensive collection of objects from Canada's Native population, including jewelry and meticulous beadwork. Exhibits are intelligently mounted, with texts in English and French, although the upstairs rooms are of narrower interest. There's a popular cafe near the front entrance.

Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal
Montréal's Museum of Contemporary Art, the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to contemporary art, moved into this new facility at the Place des Arts in 1992. "Contemporary" is defined here as art produced since 1939. About 60% of the permanent collection of some 6,000 works is composed of the work of Quebecois artists, but it also includes examples of such international painters as Jean Dubuffet, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Larry Poons, and Antoni Tàpies, as well as photographers Robert Mapplethorpe and Ansel Adams. A few larger pieces are seen on the ground floor, but most are one flight up, with space for temporary exhibitions to the left and selections from the permanent collection on the right. No single style prevails, so expect to see installations, video displays, and examples of Pop, Op, and Abstract Expressionism. That the works often arouse strong opinions signifies a museum that is doing something right. The museum's restaurant, La Rotonde, has a summer dining terrace.

Musée des Beaux-Arts
Montréal's Museum of Fine Arts is the city's most prominent museum, opened in 1912 in Canada's first building designed specifically for the visual arts. The original neoclassical pavilion is on the north side of Sherbrooke. Years ago, museum administrators recognized that the collection, now totaling more than 30,000 works, had outgrown the building. That problem was solved in late 1991 with the completion of the striking new annex, the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion, directly across the street from the original building. Designed by Montréal architect Moshe Safdie, the new pavilion tripled exhibition space, adding two sub-street-level floors and underground galleries that connect the new building with the old. Throughout the museum, works are nearly always dramatically mounted, carefully lit, and diligently explained in both French and English.

For the best look at the results of the addition, enter the annex, take the elevator to the top, and work your way down. The permanent collection in the annex is largely devoted to international contemporary art and Canadian art created after 1960, and to European painting, sculpture, and decorative art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. On the upper floors are many of the gems of the collection. On the fourth floor are paintings by 12th- to 19th-century artists, including Hogarth, Tintoretto, Reynolds, Brueghel, El Greco, Ribera, and portraitist George Romney. On the third floor are works -- representative, if not world-class -- by more recent artists, including Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Léger, and Rodin. The principal temporary exhibitions are also mounted on this floor. On the subterranean floors are works by 20th-century modernists, primarily those who rose to prominence after World War II, including the Abstract Expressionists and their successors.

From the lowest level of the new pavilion, follow the under-street corridor, passing primitive artworks from Oceania and Africa along the way, and then take the elevator into the original building, with its displays of pre-Columbian ceramics, Inuit carvings, and Amerindian crafts. Across the street, you'll find a street-level store with an impressive selection of quality books, games, and folk art, and a good cafe.

Parc du Mont-Royal
Montréal is named for the 232m (761-ft.) hill that rises at its heart -- the "Royal Mountain." Joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, skaters, and others use it throughout the year. On Sundays, hundreds congregate around the statue of George-Etienne Cartier to listen and sometimes dance to impromptu music. In summer, Lac des Castors (Beaver Lake) is surrounded by sunbathers and picnickers (no swimming allowed, however). In wintertime, cross-country skiers follow the miles of paths and snowshoers tramp along trails laid out for their use. The large, refurbished Chalet du Mont-Royal near the crest of the hill provides a sweeping view of the city from its terrace and the opportunity for a snack. Up the hill behind the chalet is the spot where, tradition says, de Maisonneuve erected his wooden cross to establish the first colony here in 1642. Today the cross is a 30m-high (98-ft.) steel structure visible from all over the city, illuminated at night.

Vieux-Montréal (Old Montréal)

Basilique Notre-Dame
Big enough to hold 4,000 worshipers and breathtaking in the richness of its interior furnishings, this magnificent structure was designed in 1824 by James O'Donnell, an Irish-American Protestant architect from New York. So profoundly was O'Donnell moved by the experience that he converted to Catholicism after the basilica was completed. The impact is understandable. Of the hundreds of churches on the island of Montréal, Notre-Dame's interior is the most stunning, with a wealth of exquisite detail, most of it carved from rare woods that have been delicately gilded and painted. O'Donnell, one of the proponents of the Gothic revival style in the early decades of the 19th century, is the only person honoured by burial in the crypt.

The main altar was carved from linden wood, the work of Victor Bourgeau. Behind it is the Chapelle Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart Chapel), much of it destroyed by a deranged arsonist in 1978 but rebuilt and rededicated in 1982. The altar, with 32 panels representing birth, life, and death, was cast in bronze by Charles Daudelin of Montréal. A 10-bell carillon resides in the east tower, while the west tower contains a single massive bell. Nicknamed "Le Gros Bourdon," it weighs more than 12 tons and has a low, resonant rumble that vibrates right up through your feet. It is tolled only on special occasions.

Although you can go through on your own, guided tours in English are offered at various times throughout the day, beginning with one at 9am. Sound-and-light shows are presented nightly Tuesday through Saturday.

Hôtel de Ville
City Hall, finished in 1878, is relatively young by Vieux-Montréal standards. The French Second Empire design makes it look as though it was imported stone by stone from the mother country. Balconies, turrets, and mansard roofs decorate the exterior. The details are seen particularly well when the exterior is illuminated at night. It was from the balcony above the awning that an ill-mannered Charles de Gaulle proclaimed, "Vive le Québec Libre!" in 1967, thereby pleasing his immediate audience but straining relations with the Canadian government for years. The Hall of Honour is made of green marble from Campagna, Italy, and houses Art Deco lamps from Paris and a bronze-and-glass chandelier, also from France, that weighs a metric ton. The hall also has a hand-carved ceiling and five stained-glass windows representing religion, the port, industry and commerce, finance, and transportation. The mayor's office is on the main floor.

Le Centre des Sciences de Montréal
This ambitious complex occupies a new steel-and-glass building running the length of King Edward Pier. Focusing on science and technology, it employs a variety of interactive displays and a cinema, as well as a popular IMAX theater, to enlighten visitors about the life sciences, energy conservation, and 21st-century communications. With its extensive use of computers and electronic visual displays, it is no surprise that youngsters usually take to the exhibits more readily than their elders. Admission fees vary according to combinations of exhibits and movie showings.

Marché Bonsecours
Bonsecours Market, an imposing neoclassical building with a long facade, a colonnaded portico, and a silvery dome, was built in the mid-1800s and first used as Montréal's City Hall, then for many years after 1878 as the central market. Its uses have never been decided with finality since then. Essentially abandoned for much of the 20th century, it was restored in 1964 to house city government offices, and in 1992 became the information and exhibition centre for the celebration of the city's 350th birthday. It continues to be used as an exhibition space, with shopping stalls and three restaurants with terraces. The architecture alone makes a brief visit worthwhile.

Musée du Château Ramezay
Claude de Ramezay, the 11th governor of the colony, built his residence at this site in 1705. The château was the home of the city's royal French governors for almost 4 decades, but in 1745, Ramezay's heirs sold it to a trading company, who left parts of the original structure but altered others considerably. Fifteen years later, it was taken over by the British conquerors. In 1775, an army of American revolutionaries invaded and held Montréal, using the château as their headquarters. Benjamin Franklin, sent to persuade the Quebecois to rise with the American colonists against British rule, stayed in the château for a time, but failed to persuade the city's people to join his cause. After the American interlude, the house was used as a courthouse, a government office building, a teachers' college, and headquarters for Laval University, before being converted into a museum in 1895. Old coins and prints, portraits, furnishings, tools, a loom, Amerindian artifacts, and other memorabilia related to the economic and social activities of the 18th and first half of the 19th century fill the main floor. In the cellar are the vaults of the original house. Descriptive placards appear in both French and English. After a recent 6-month renovation, it reopened with a restored garden and cafe.

Place Jacques-Cartier
Across the street from the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), this plaza is a focus of summer activity in Vieux-Montréal. The area has two repaved streets bracketing a centre promenade that slopes down to the port past venerable stone buildings from the 1700s. Outdoor cafes, street performers, flower sellers, and horse-drawn carriages that gather at the plaza's base recall a Montréal of a century ago. Montrealers insist they would never go to a place so overrun by tourists -- which makes one wonder why so many of them do, in fact, congregate here. They take the sun and sip sangria on the bordering terraces on warm days, enjoying the unfolding pageant just as much as visitors do.

Pointe-à-Callière (Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History)
A first visit to Montréal might best begin here. Built on the very site where the original colony was established in 1642 (Pointe-à-Callière), the modern Museum of Archaeology and History engages visitors in rare, beguiling ways. The triangular new building echoes the Royal Insurance building (1861) that stood here for many years. Go first to the 16-minute multimedia show in an auditorium that actually stands above exposed ruins of the earlier city. The show is accompanied by music and a playful bilingual narration that keeps the history slick and painless (if a little too chamber-of-commerce upbeat).

Pointe-à-Callière was the point where the St-Pierre River merged with the St. Lawrence. Evidence of the many inhabitants of this spot -- from Amerindians to French trappers to Scottish merchants -- was unearthed during archaeological digs that took more than a decade. Artifacts are on view in display cases set among the ancient building foundations and burial grounds below street level. Wind your way on the self-guided tour through the subterranean complex until you find yourself in the former Custom House, where there are more exhibits and a well-stocked gift shop. Allow at least an hour for a visit.

New expansion has incorporated the Youville Pumping Station, across from the main building, into the museum. Dating from 1915, it has been restored to serve as an interpretation centre. The main building contains L'Arrivage cafe and affords a fine view of Vieux-Montréal and the Vieux-Port.

Vieux-Port
Montréal's Old Port, a once-dreary commercial wharf area, was transformed in 1992 into a 2km-long (1 1/4-mile), 53-hectare (131-acre) promenade and park with public spaces, bicycle paths, tram rides, exhibition halls, and a variety of family activities. Harbour cruises also leave from here. To get an idea of all there is to see and do, hop aboard the small, free Balade tram that travels throughout the port. At the far eastern end of the port is a 1922 clock tower, La Tour de l'Horloge, with 192 steps leading past the exposed clockworks to observation decks at three different levels (admission is free). Most cruises, entertainment, and special events take place from mid-May to October. Information booths with bilingual attendants assist visitors during that period. The Vieux-Port stretches along the waterfront from rue McGill to rue Berri. Quadricycles, bicycles, and in-line skates are available for rent.


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