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An irresistible blend of European charm and North American effervescence, Montréal's architecture enchants the visitor with its harmonious contrast of old and new.
With some 3.7 million inhabitants and 80 distinct ethnic cultures, Montréal is a resolutely international city. A world leader in a wide range of industries, including aeronautics, information technology and biotechnologies, the city is also renowned for innovation in medicine, multimedia and the arts.
Getting around the city on a day-to-day basis is hassle-free. Its streets, underground pedestrian network and subway system are safe and easy to navigate. The best way to get to know the city is on foot, through any one of its many colourful and vibrant neighbourhoods—diverse expressions of the inhabitants’ joie de vivre. Montrealers are naturally charming and quite often multilingual, always ready to strike up a conversation and share a moment of friendship.
This spontaneous hospitality has made Montréal the site of many exciting international festivals, which — much like the city and its inhabitants — are a manifestation of pure passion!
Be sure to be well prepared before leaving for Canada for the people coming from outside the country, read the visitor section to be aware of the new Canadian border regulations. For a complete list of attractions and activities to do in Montreal during your stay for the Kinetik Festival, see the sections below.
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Canadian Border :: |
All the travelers coming to Canada will have to show a valid passport to enter in Canada. All travelers with any criminal records will be denied access to Canada.
For the U.S. travelers coming by plane to Canada, passport will be required. For the ones arriving by land (car / train), you will need a valid passport to enter Canada. Be aware that no one without passport will be granted access by land to Canada.
For the Mexican travelers, since August 2009 visitor visa are now required to enter Canada as tourist. They are quite easy to get at your local Canadian embassy, but be sure to do your request in time to get them well ahead of the festival dates.
Visas are not required to visit canada except for the countries found on the list on this web site
For more information on regulation on how to enter Canada, visit the official Canadian Immigration web site
Please note that Kinetik Productions will not granted any refund on tickets / passes purchases if visitors are blocked at the Canadian border because of criminal records or the lack of passport or visitor visa if they are needed.
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Montreal Airport :: |
The Montreal airport his Pierre-Éliotte Trudeau (YUL). The cost to go by taxi from the airport to Montreal downtown is around 35$ CAD. A special bus service (L'aérobus) is available with different's destinations at a lower cost of 14$ CAD. You can also take the Montreal public bus service (STM / Bus 204) for a ride to the Lionel-Groulx Metro station at a 2.75$ CAD cost.
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Montreal Train Station :: |
For the one arriving by train to Montreal, the Montreal train station is directly positioned in downtown Montreal near the Bonavature Metro Station. You will find services by VIA Rail Canada and Amtrak.
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Montreal Metro / Bus service :: |
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) operates both the Metro and the bus services in Montreal, thus there is free transfer possible between bus and Metro.
Metro service starts at 05:30 am and stops at 01:00 am on weekdays and Sunday, and 01:30 am on Saturday . Cost for the Metro and Bus is 2.75$ CAD.
[stm web site ] [metro plan ]
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Montreal Hotels :: |
Grand Plaza Montreal Centre-Ville [website]
505 Sherbrooke St. East
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2L 4N3
Near Sherbrooke and St-Denis streets, in the proximity of Usine C venue (less than 10m by feet). Direct access from Sherbrooke Metro. Perfect for visitors coming to the festival without car. Kinetik Festival special rate at $149 CAD + taxes per night for double room for two people occupancy.
reserve online via this link or on the phone at this number: 1-800-561-4644
with this promo code: PKF
Hyatt Regency Montreal [website]
1255 Jeanne-Mance,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H5B 1E5
Directly on in Complex Desjardins and Montreal underground system. Direct access to green Line Metro (same as Usine C). Located in Downtown Montreal near China Town and Place des Arts. Indoor swimming pool, gym and sauna. Kinetik rate at $125 CAD + taxes per night for double room for two people occupancy.
Hotel is at 4 metro stations from Usine C (or 20m by feet). If you’re going with a car, ask for long term parking in the Complex Desjardins to save on it.
reserve online via this link or on the phone at this number: 1-888-421-1442
with this promo code: 2496989
hotel reservation at both hotels are good from May 10 to May 18 2010 upon availability of guestrooms.
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The poutine...
A dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy (usually brown gravy) and sometimes other additional ingredients. The curds' freshness is important as it makes them soft in the warm fries, without completely melting. It is a quintessential Canadian comfort food, especially but not exclusively among Québécois.
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Montreal top 4 poutines (Kinetik Productions choices) ::
Banquise (more than 25 kind!) 24h restaurant
994 rue Rachel Est
Montréal, QC H2J 2J3
(514) 525-2415
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Frite Alors! (belgium fries)
433 Rachel E, Mtl
Montréal
(514) 843-2490 |
Le Resto du Village 24h restaurant
1310, rue Wolfe coin Ste-Catherine
Montréal, Québec, H2L 3J3
(514) 524-5404 |
Club Sandwich 24h restaurant
1570 rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Montréal, QC H2L 2J2
(514) 521-1419 |
The Smoked Meat...
World famous Schwartz's, serving the best smoked meat from the original recipe
of spices since 1928.
Imagine walking through the door and taking a step back 75 years into "Main Street" history in Montreal. A "true" Montreal landmark that has welcomed celebrities and visitors from all over the world.
3895 boulevard St-Laurent
Visit: www.schwartzsdeli.com
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The Bagel...
Since 1957, the St-Viateur Bagel Shop has depended on its loyal clientele to help build, expand and maintain its reputation for having the best bagel in North America.
www.stviateurbagel.com
St. Viateur Bagel Shop
263 St-Viateur Ouest
St. Viateur Bagel & Café
1127, avenue du Mont-Royal Est
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Neighbourhood: Downtown
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Chinatown
Corner of Saint-Laurent Blvd. and De La Gauchetière
METRO: Place-d'Armes
Chinatown’s dates back to the 1860s when Chinese immigrants came to Canada to work in the mines and on the railroads. The narrow streets are lined with shops selling exotic foods, traditional crafts, martial arts accessories. The large arches at the entrance to the district and the pagodas on the Holiday Inn roof are reminders of traditional Chinese architecture.
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Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
185 Sainte-Catherine Street West [website]
METRO: Place-des-Arts
Canada's premier museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal is a superb place to discover the wealth of Québec creativity and leading international trends. Discover art created by contemporary artists using painting, drawing, engraving, sculpture, photography, installation, film and video.
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Complexe Desjardins
150 Sainte-Catherine Street West
METRO: Place-des-Arts
Built in 1976, the complexe Desjardins is home to 3 office tours, 110 boutiques
and restaurants, a hotel and an immense public square where a myriad of events
are held all year long. The complexe is located in the heart of downtown, the
city’s cultural core and the underground pedestrian network.
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Sainte-Catherine Street
METRO: McGill
Downtown has always been identified with Sainte-Catherine Street, Montréal's renowned commercial thoroughfare. Stretching for 15 kilometres across the city from east to west, the Street is lined with the major department stores, shops and restaurants that have been the pride of Montréal for more than a century. No fewer than nine métro stations (the green line running parallel) serve the Street, allowing visitors to discover diverse neighbourhoods as they travel along.
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Underground Pedestrian Network
METRO: McGill
The name “the Underground City” refers to the vast network of pedestrian walkways below the city. There are 33 kilometres of connecting passageways beneath downtown, with the métro (subway), commuter trains and buses also converging here. The passageways serve a more leisurely purpose as it provides access to 40 entertainment venues and attractions. The concept began in 1962 with the lower level shopping mall in Place Ville Marie. With the coming of Expo 67, Montréal’s dream of a métro finally became reality.
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Christ Church Cathedral
635 Sainte-Catherine Street West
METRO: McGill
A fine example of neo-Gothic architecture, Christ Church Cathedral was built
between 1857 and 1859. It now stands over an underground shopping centre, while
a post-modern tower designed to suggest the features of a cathedral stands
behind it.
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McCord Museum of Canadian History
690 Sherbrooke Street West [website]
METRO: McGill
The McCord Museum is home to one of the finest historical collections in North America. It possesses the most important First Nations collection in Québec, the foremost collection of Canadian costumes and textiles, and the Notman photographic archives, unparalleled in the world. This collection is an inspiration for anyone seeking to explore the history of Canada.
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Cours Mont-Royal
1455 Peel Street
METRO: Peel
Built in 1922, the 1,100-room Mount Royal Hotel was the largest in the British
Empire. This elegant building is now part of a multipurpose complex housing
boutiques, restaurants, apartments and offices.
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Crescent Street
METRO: Peel
North of de Maisonneuve Boulevard, the Street’s sumptuous Victorian architecture housing luxury boutiques, haute couture showrooms and art galleries has been carefully showcased, giving the Street a distinctive touch of elegance. To the south, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, outdoor cafés and pubs add frivolity and excitement.
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Mary Queen of the World Cathedral
Corner of René-Lévesque Blvd. and Mansfield Street
METRO: Bonaventure
Inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, this Catholic cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century in the heart of what was then the city's Anglo-Protestant sector. Inside, a superb gilded neo-baroque baldachin overlooks the altar. In the transept, paintings by Georges Delfosse illustrate the historic beginnings of Montréal.
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The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1379-1380 Sherbrooke Street West [website]
METRO: Guy-Concordia
The attractive and encyclopedic permanent collection of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts r brings together works from all continents and all periods. From its new rooms devoted to Napoleon and the First Empire to glass sculptures, arts of Africa and beautiful pre-Colombian art objects, the Museum's collection illustrates the most various aspects of artistic creativity.
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Canadian Centre for Architecture
1920 Baile Street [website]
METRO: Guy-Concordia
The Canadian Centre for Architecture is an international research centre and museum recognized for the richness of its collections and the quality of its exhibitions. The CCA has received numerous awards for the design of its building, which includes the Shaughnessy House, one of the rare 19th-century Montréal houses open to the public.
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Neighbourhood: Old Montréal and Old Port
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City Hall
275 Notre-Dame Street East
METRO: Champ-de-Mars
Montréal City Hall has a more turbulent history than its peaceful façade suggests. The building went up between 1872 and 1878, and survived a severe fire in 1922. And it was from this balcony that French President General de Gaulle uttered his famous “Vive le Québec libre!” (Long live free Québec) during a state visit in 1967. Take a moment to admire the Hall of Honour or, better yet, sign up for a guided tour. At dusk, when it is lit up it is absolutely spectacular |
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Marché Bonsecours
350 Saint-Paul Street East
METRO: Champ-de-Mars
The Marché Bonsecours was inaugurated in 1847. A symbol of Montréal’s heyday, this imposing building was the city’s main agricultural marketplace for over a century. It also housed a concert hall and even served as a city hall. Its symmetrical composition and Greek Revival portico, tin-plated dome and simple and varied details make it a perfect illustration of the neo-classical style in favour at the time. |
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Saint-Paul and de la Commune Streets
METRO: Champ-de-Mars
For years, Saint-Paul Street was Montréal’s main street. Many of the buildings, which date from the 19th century and some of which were warehouses, have been renovated and today serve as boutiques, artists’ studios and even homes. The street overflows with warm, inviting restaurants offering traditional Québécois fare. The cobblestone street, particularly east of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, is crowded with horse-drawn carriages. |
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Bank of Montréal
119 Saint-Jacques Street West
METRO: Place-d'Armes
Founded in 1817, it is the oldest banking institution in the country. The imposing facade of its head office, dating back to 1847, evokes the power of ancient Rome. Redesigned in 1905, the lavish interior echoes the success of this institution. Visitors are also welcome at the Bank of Montréal Museum.
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Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal
110 Notre-Dame Street West
METRO: Place-d'Armes
A masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture, Notre-Dame Basilica was built between 1824 and 1829. The magnificent interior in wood and the boldly modern design of the Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur Chapel, captivate hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows illustrate biblical passages as well as 350 years of parish history.
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Pointe-à-Callière, Archaeology and History
110 Notre-Dame Street West [website]
METRO: Place-d'Armes
Pointe-à-Callière is a national historic site rising above the actual remains of the city's birthplace. It takes visitors on an authentic archaeological tour from the 14th century, when Natives camped on the site, right up to the present. They'll see Native artefacts, the city's first Catholic cemetery, its first marketplace, and lots more. The Museum's contemporary building is linked by an underground passage to the Ancienne Douane, Montréal's first Custom House, leading through an archaeological crypt safeguarding more than six centuries of history, beneath the raised portion of Place Royale.
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Centre d'histoire de Montréal
335 Place d'Youville [website]
METRO: Square-Victoria
The history of Montréal, starting in 1535, comes to life in this charming museum. Sound environments, spectacular old images, visual effects, personal testimonies and intriguing artefacts.
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Square Victoria
Corner of Viger Avenue and Beaver Hall Hill
METRO: Square-Victoria
Created during the 19th century, the Square was named after Queen Victoria
(1819-1901). The monument dedicated to the illustrious monarch was the work of
British sculptor Marshall Wood and was unveiled in 1872. The entrance to the
métro station in the Square bears an authentic Paris métro railing. The Art Nouveau casting was designed by Hector Guimard in 1900 and was offered to the City of Montréal by the City of Paris, on the occasion of the 1967 World Exhibition.
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Montréal Convention Centre
1001 Jean-Paul-Riopelle Place
METRO: Place-d'Armes
The Montréal Convention Centre welcomes its visitors in a building that combines beauty and functional and whose architecture builds on transparency and light. Among the highlights are the Lipstick Forest, a forest of pink trees, imagined by artist Claude Cormier, and its front panels of coloured glass. Like a window, the reflected game of light colors in the interior as well as outside the Palais.
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Neighbourhood: Plateau Mont-Royal
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du Mont-Royal Avenue
METRO: Mont-Royal
Mont-Royal Avenue is one of the main arteries of the Plateau. One finds a terrific range of original boutiques with products not seen anywhere else, along with restaurants and cafés that cater to people who enjoy good food and good conversation with friends.
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Saint-Denis Street
METRO: Mont-Royal
With its sidewalk cafés, lively bar scene, trendy boutiques and fine restaurants, Saint-Denis Street is an important shopping street. Designers, art shops and bookstores all beckon. And when shopping is done, strollers can rest their feet and watch the world go by from a sunny outdoor café!
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Saint-Laurent Boulevard
METRO:St-Laurent
Saint-Laurent Boulevard, also known as “The Main” is one of the most with-it streets in Montréal. It’s where you go to enjoy the rich variety and texture of city life. Take a culinary tour around the globe in its many restaurants. Delight in the creativity of its talented designers. Let yourself go into its bars and clubs. Its authentic personality and architecture are the product of over 300 years of history.
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Mount Royal Park
METRO: Mont-Royal BUS: 11
Inaugurated in 1876, the splendid Mount Royal Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the highly skilled designer behind New York's Central Park and many other major parks in the U.S. It is an ideal site for admiring a wide variety of plants and birds or for enjoying outdoor activities.
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Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal
3800 Queen-Mary Road
METRO: Côte-des-Neiges
Saint Joseph's Oratory atop Mount Royal is one of the world's most visited shrines. The basilica's huge dome reaches 97 metres and is second only in height to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. The sheer size of it contrasts sharply with its frail founder, Brother André, the humble doorkeeper who had initiated its construction in 1904. The shrine devoted to Saint Joseph consists of a primitive chapel, a votive chapel, a crypt and a basilica large enough to accommodate 10,000 worshippers.
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Neighbourhood: Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
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Montréal Botanical Garden
4101 Sherbrooke Street East [website]
METRO: Pie-IX
With an outstanding collection that boasts more than 22,000 species and varieties of plants, the Montréal Botanical Garden is considered one of the world's best gardens. Over 180 acres, it features 10 exhibition greenhouses and over 30 outdoor gardens. The Chinese and Japanese Gardens offer exotic landscapes, whereas the Tree House displays Québec's abundant forest wealth.
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Musée du Château Dufresne
2929 Jeanne-d'Arc Street [website]
METRO: Pie-IX
Built between 1915 and 1918, Chateau Dufresne is a beaux arts-style private mansion which was owned by members of the Montréal' French Bourgeoisie. Today, it houses the Château Dufresne museum, dedicated to Montréal's history. The building boasts an interior decor painted by artist Guido Nincheri and is testament to the tastes of the roaring twenties’ bourgeoisie
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Montréal Insectarium
4581 Sherbrooke Street East [website]
METRO: Pie-IX
This museum invites you to discover the fascinating world of insects. It houses a prestigious collection of several thousand living and preserved insects from every corner of the earth. The Montréal Insectarium is considered the largest of its kind in North America.
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Montréal Tower / Olympic Park
4141 Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue [website]
METRO: Viau
Built for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, the Olympic Stadium is the Park’s centrepiece, a bold design by French architect Roger Taillibert. A funicular-type elevator brings visitors to the top three observation floors of the Tower, the tallest inclined tower in the world, which offers a spectacular view of the city.
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Biodôme de Montréal
4777 Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue [website]
METRO: Viau
Since it first opened in 1992, some 15 million visitors have travelled through this "house of life", a unique concept in the world. Here, plants and animals by the thousands, cliffs and waterways, even the climate itself recreate with stunning realism the four finest ecosystems of the Americas.
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