Montréal the city

A hotbed of culture and creativity, Montréal is an irresistible mix of European chic, cutting-edge culture and unique urban vibe. Duality lies at the heart of Montréal, expressed through its French-English history, centuries-old and modern-day architecture, and traditional and avant-garde styles.

Montréal is where high-tech meets haute cuisine, where sleek skyscrapers and tiny boutiques nestle together, and where major international festivals and cool indie scenes happily co-exist and thrive.

Of course, it's the people—more than 3.7 million citizens representing 80 cultural groups—that give Montréal its legendary passion, joie de vivre and warmth. Daily, Montréalers love and live their city, from the bustling downtown to the cobbled streets of Old Montréal to the many vibrant neighbourhoods city-wide.

Some facts about Montréal

Located on an island in the St. Lawrence River, Montréal is the most bilingual metropolis in North America and the second largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. Today, 53% of the population of Greater Montréal is bilingual (French and English) and 20% use a third language (in addition to French and English). Montréal consistently gets top rankings for university research in Canada – small wonder for a city with two French-language and two English-language universities!