Visit Montreal

Montreal, the capital of Canada, is one of its largest and busiest cities. People come here from around the world for either work, leisure or study. If you plan to visit Montreal, you will find every kind of accommodation from hostels to five star hotels.

The cultures of Europe and North America blend with each other out here and the result is a very diverse and colorful mix of lifestyles, languages and attitudes. Owing to its cosmopolitan nature and popularity, Montreal has a great nightlife with several bars and lounges where you can make new friends and have fun late into the night.

The people here are stylish and trendy, and have a varied historical and cultural background. The most popular language is French and this city is known for its unique smoked meat sandwiches. In fact, amongst French speaking cities, Montreal is the third largest in the world. Actually much of the charm, fashion and lifestyle here in Montreal is strongly influenced by that of France.

Montreal's reputation as a pleasure capital goes all the way back to the early ‘30s. At that time, since the sale of alcohol was banned in the US, Americans looking for fun and pleasure made Montreal their favorite destination. For those planning to visit Montreal, the good news is that there is no dearth of cheap accommodation options, some as cheap as 25 dollars.

Hostels are very popular amongst tourists looking for a cheap stay. There are a number of useful options listed in Lonely Planet and Travelle.com, where one can really experience the cultural pulse of this city.

There are some exciting cultural events in Montreal. Just For Laughs is a hilarious comedy show that lasts for weeks in July and brings in the best comedians from every corner of the world. Montreal also hosts one of the world's largest jazz festivals in July: the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

For those into sports, Montreal plays host to the Canadian Grand Prix, a famous F1 race. In fact, a lot of people visit Montreal just for this. For the convenience of tourists, a tourist card is available for $9 which allows unlimited travel on the metro and in the buses for a day. A similar 3-day tourist card costs $17.

Whether or not you have chosen to stay in hostels in Montreal, make sure you use the local transport. It is the best way to experience the local culture. All in all, most people who visit Montreal love it for how much it has to offer, no matter what someone's specific tastes.