Montreal On A Budget: European Flair Without Needing Euros

Montreal Skyline

From Canadian Press:

MONTREAL — For a slice of Europe's old world charm, cafe culture and epicurean delights - minus the long flight and tres grande euro costs - head to Montreal.

The Canadian city, which is actually an island in the St. Lawrence River, has maintained the culture and language established here by the first French settlers in 1642, while adding some new world ingredients.

Stroll down the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, grab a drink during "cinq a sept" (5-7 p.m., the city's version of happy hour) and tuck into a Canadian classic called poutine.

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Tourism Montreal Gets Creative As Economy Slips

Tamy Emma Pépin is one of five people hired by Tourism Montreal to blog about the city. Pépin writes about stores, bars, and men. Photograph by: PHIL CARPENTER, THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Hotels take beating without F1 race.

Montreal's loss of the Canadian Grand Prix was reflected in a sharp drop in tourism to the city last month, with hotel bookings down 11 per cent compared with June of last year, according to Tourism Montreal.

The economic downturn and the new U.S. passport regulations that took effect June 1 were also factors in the decrease, said Martine Lizotte, manager of research and public relations for the tourism agency.

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Montreal: Summer In La Cité

Montreal has more festivals than there are weeks of the year Photo: GETTY

From The Telegraph:

Why go?

To see one of the world's livelier summer cities – Montreal has more festivals than there are weeks of the year – at the peak of its entertaining powers. Though the last riffs of this year's Montreal Jazz Festival have faded, there are plenty of outdoor events coming up in the capital of French-speaking Canada. Tonight, audiences will guffaw at its comedy festival (www.hahaha.com, until July 26), featuring high-profile comedians such as John Cleese and Bill Cosby, as well as emerging talents. Meanwhile, the Montreal World Film Festival is still to come (in August), plus an array of more obscure celebrations and events.

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Montreal As A Vacation Destination

Philippe Dubuc, Gaspar and François Boulay hit the trails of Mount Royal three or four times a week, and they always look this good doing so. John Mahoney / Canwest News Service

Never Too Glam For Poutine -- National Post

Recession jitters will prompt many Canadians to stick close to home on their holidays this year. This is the sixth instalment of our summertime series of Insider’s Guides to some of the country’s top vacation destinations. This week: Montreal.

Philippe Dubuc and François Boulay are effortlessly chic. On this July afternoon, they are sharing a park bench at the foot of Mount Royal - a.k.a. The Mountain - dressed in coordinated black and white. Even Gaspar, their year-and-a-half-old tuxedo standard poodle, seems very much a part of the ensemble.

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Q&A: Montreal And Quebec City With The Kids

From The New York Times:

Question:

We are two adults and two boys (ages 3 and 7) staying a July week in Montreal and Quebec City. We intend to rent an apartment. Any suggestions as to usual places of interest — children’s museums, parks, cruises, etc? We will use public transportation.

Kah Heng Phon,
Teaneck, N.J.

Answer:

Both cities are très family friendly. Montreal has kid- and adult-friendly options like the lovely Mount Royal Park, the Insectarium (4581, rue Sherbrooke Est; 514-872-1400; www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/insectarium), the Biodôme de Montréal science center (4777, avenue Pierre-de Coubertin; 514-868-3000; www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca) and the amusement park Ronde (22, chemin MacDonald; 514-397-2000; www.laronde.com). For more ideas, including dining and hotel options, take a look at “36 Hours in Montreal” by Aric Chen (Oct. 22, 2006). There are several day cruises in Montreal, including the Bateau-Mouche (514-849-9952; www.bateaumouche.ca), with a route around the city on the St. Lawrence River with family discounts.

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Montreal First For Geotourism

Photo of Olmsted Road courtesy Mount Royal website.
Photo from Go Canada

From The Montreal Gazette:

Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay is to officially unveil a new geotourism map of the island this morning – the first urban map of its kind in the world – developed with the U.S.-based National Geographic Society.

In 2007 Montreal became the first city in the world to sign the National Geographic Society’s Geotourism Charter. Geotourism preserves and protects the geographic character of a destination, such as its heritage, culture, environment and well-being of its residents.

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Tourism Montreal Bloggers Aim To Give Tourists A 'Local' Experience

Montreal travel bloggers Daviel Lazure, left, Tamy Emma Pepin, Daniel Baylis, Brendan Murphy and Katerine-Lune Rollet, right, pose for a photo in front of Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Thursday, May 28, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

From The Canadian Press:

MONTREAL — Think you know Montreal?

Whether the answer is yes or no, five web-savvy bloggers hired by Tourism Montreal are betting they can show you things to do that will let you live like the locals. How about free food if you're a woman, or a pedicure where fish eat the dead skin off your feet?

"Because of the economic times, we're trying to promote cheap and cool things to do in the city," says Tamy Emma Pepin, who blogs about "girls' getaways."

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Pedestrian Mall Coming To Old Montreal This Summer

St. Paul Street in Montreal

From The CTV News:

A stretch of St. Paul St. in Old Montreal will closed be to traffic for two weeks this summer to make way for pedestrians.

The proposal was approved at a Ville-Marie borough council meeting Tuesday night.

The pilot project will run from July 17 to Aug. 3.

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Flu Fears Bug Montreal Tourism

Could we see more empty caleches this summer because of the swine flu?
Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, Gazette file photo

From The Montreal Gazette:

Weaker dollar, conventions good for industry.

A big question mark hangs over Montreal’s summer tourism prospects because of swine flu, the city’s tourism agency said Tuesday.

Charles Lapointe, head of Torurism Montreal, said an estimated 80,000 Mexicans visited Montreal last year, and that market is potentially at risk because of concerns about spreading the virus that is suspected to have claimed 152 lives in Mexico and that has now spread to 16 countries around the world.

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Recession Or Not, Montreal Will Party This Summer

From The Guelph Mercury/Canadian Press:

-- or not. There will be music and comedy and much more in the city, which will also see the anniversaries of several of its most successful events.

The Montreal International Jazz Festival is turning 30. The Cirque de soleil, the international fireworks festival and the Montreal Bike Fest, which culminates with the Tour de l'ile cycling event, all turn 25. But that only scratches the surface of what's going on.

Marie-Josee Pinsonneault, a Tourism Montreal spokesperson, reels off a list of attractions, including an exhibition on pirates, an avant-garde music festival and a beer festival where more than 400 types of brew can be sampled.

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Tourists To Montreal Will Be Happy To Get Runaround

Taking a run along de la Commune street in Old Montreal.
Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, Montreal Gazette

From Canada.com:

It sounds like a derisive First Nations name for an interloper with dysentery, but Running Tourist may be an idea whose time has come.

Heather Beauchesne hopes so. The 29-year-old transplanted Saskanoise (on her father's side; her mother is Californian) is launching a service that will take out-of-town fitness enthusiasts on runs through scenic parts of Montreal.

Local joggers will lead groups of 15 visitors on 45-minute runs through the Old Port and Plateau Mont Royal. A $30 weekend membership will include Running Tourist excursions on Saturday and Sunday.

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Montreal Plans Hot Summer

People crowd Montreal streets to enjoy free concerts during Montreal's International Jazz festival in this 2007 photo. Montreal is poised to be festival central this summer, recesssion or not. The Montreal International Jazz Festival is turning 30 this year. (JEAN FRANCOIS Le BLANC / The Canadian Press / File)

The Chronicle Herald:

MONTREAL — Montreal is poised to be festival central this summer, recession or not.

There will be music and comedy and much more in the city, which will also see the anniversaries of several of its most successful events.

The Montreal International Jazz Festival is turning 30. Cirque de soleil, the international fireworks festival and the Montreal Bike Fest, which culminates with the Tour de l’ile cycling event, all turn 25. But that only scratches the surface of what’s going on.

Marie-Josee Pinsonneault, a spokeswoman for Tourism Montreal, reels off a list of attractions, including an exhibition on pirates, an avant-garde music festival and a beer festival where more than 400 types of brew can be sampled.

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Montreal Turns To Bloggers As It Tries To Boost Tourism Business

From Canada.com:

Marketing Magazine reports that Tourisme Montreal wants to hire a "small army of bloggers, videocasters and networkers to promote tourism in the city."

Specifically, they're looking for five people who will use social media to play up Montreal's main attractions for visitors: food, shopping, nightlife, culture, and the gay scene.

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