Montreal, QC


Montreal, known for its dynamic cultural scene, is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world and the most bilingual city in North America.  Visit Mont Royal (the “mountain,” to locals) a park which towers high above the city, then head downtown to explore elegant boutiques, department stores and shopping complexes.  Discover old Montreal, an area that displays some of North America’s most remarkable architecture with a concentration of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century buildings.

Things To Do

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Founded in 1860 as the Art Association of Montreal by a group of Montreal art collectors and patrons, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is one of Canada’s most prominent museums. Its encyclopedic collection brings together over 41,000 works from antiquity to today. These works include paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, photography and decorative art objects created by artists in Quebec, Canada, and from around the world.

This activity is available on the following cruises:


Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832. The city’s growth was spurred by the opening of the Lachine Canal and Montreal was the capital of the United Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849. Growth continued and by 1860 Montreal was the largest city in British North America and the undisputed economic and cultural center of Canada. Annexation of neighboring towns between 1883 and 1918 changed Montreal back to a mostly Francophone city.

During the 1920s and 1930s the Prohibition movement in the United States turned Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol. As with the rest of the world, the Great Depression brought unemployment to the city, but this waned in the mid-1930s, and skyscrapers began to be built. World War II brought protests against conscription and caused the Conscription Crisis of 1944.

Montreal’s population surpassed one million in the early 1950s. A new metro system was added, Montreal’s harbor was expanded and the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened during this time. More skyscrapers were built along with museums and international status was cemented by Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics. A major league baseball team, the Expos, played in Montreal from 1969 until 2005 when the team relocated to Washington, DC.

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Key Facts:

Montreal is an island – one of more than 400 on the St. Lawrence River.

During the American Civil War, Montreal was a prominent center for Confederate activity and sympathy.

Montreal has the second highest number of restaurants per capita in North America (after New York City).

Montreal hosted the 1976 Olympics. This was the first time the Olympics were held in Canada.


Links: – Official Montreal Tourism Website.