City guide: Montréal
Canada’s capital of all things cultural is also the place to enjoy the pick of the country’s culinary offerings.
There’s a wry old saying that sums up the contrasting charms of Canada’s two most populous cities: go to Toronto to make money and go to Montréal for fun. While neither statement does full justice to either city, Montréal has actively embraced its reputation as a bon viveur among Canada’s major urban hubs.
Founded by French colonists in 1642, it may not be the economic powerhouse it was (its harbour was formerly home to the busiest inland port in the world) but the city’s low rents, cultural clout and celebrated joie de vivre continue to lure musicians, artists and innovators from across the country and further afield. Its cuisine is the envy of the country too; a sector buoyed by Québec’s line-up of food producers – drop in on the striking art deco-style Atwater indoor market for a taste of what we mean. Once you’ve filled your picnic baskets, head to the city’s most impressive public space: Mount Royal Park, a hit with summer sun seekers. And now that there’s a plan to reopen three of Montréal’s beaches (all closed due to water pollution in what were formerly shipping lanes), you’ll find a city embracing anew those long-awaited summer months.
1.
Drawn and Quarterly
Top titles
Peruse the books at this graphic-novel publishing house.
2.
Arts Café
Culture club
Lunch spot lined with a library of dog-eared design books.
3.
Clark Street Mercantile
Local style
An array of hand-picked menswear in the Upper Plateau.
4.
Habitat 67
Building blocks
Moshe Safdie’s peerless modernist masterpiece, built in 1967.
5.
Mount Royal
Green space
Landscaped by Central Park’s Frederick Law Olmsted.
6.
Dinette Triple Crown
Take away
Their picnic is a charming lunch option on a warm summer’s day.
7.
Dépanneur
Essentials
Independent grocery stores such as this are a citywide curiosity.
8.
Grand Prix cycling
Make tracks
Cycle along the Jean-Drapeau island park’s Formula 1 track.
9.
Lowell
In the bag
Maker culture at its finest in this handsome outpost in Mile End.
10.
Nora Gray
Buon appetito
Refined Italian comfort food and a wine cellar to envy.
