| With over 53 per cent of the population being bilingual French and English, Montreal is also the second largest French speaking city in the world, behind Paris. Culturally, there are few cities that beat it. Among its internationally renowned festivals are the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, while the museums located in and around the city number in the high 20s. Shoppers will swoon at the sight of its downtown core, with over 3,000 commercial businesses.
Montreal's charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Quebec Province's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.
Montreal has always kept one foot in the countryside, although mighty skyscrapers have sprung up among the city's churches. During the day, Montreal has a typically North-American bustle - though French-speaking Montreal takes pains to retain its linguistic heritage.
Montreal is the second largest city in Canada but is still able to hold on to the character of a smaller town. With its rich history and French culture, Montreal is a mixture of old and new. Montreal has a thriving art community and is renowned for putting on spectacular festivals.
As a unique city to all others in North America, visitors to Montreal will be delighted with what they find. Montreal, one of North America's most beautiful cities, is a glorious collision of cultures. Few cities in the world can lay claim to being as authentically multi-cultural as Montreal.
|