Montreal is a wonderfully diverse and enticing city. We all really like it here and hope you enjoy as much as we do. If you have any specific questions about city logistics or looking for recommendations don’t hesitate to contact us.
Getting around
Walking
- McGill street by Ed Bilodeau
Montreal is a city that’s made for walking. Both the Delta hotel and the conference centre are located in the heart of downtown where you will find most everything you need within a 15 minute radius.
If you are looking to take a walk and get out of the city Mount-Royal park is just 15 (uphill) minutes away.
Walking tours
If you have an extra day or even a few hours there are many wonderful walking tours of the city but we’d recommend Local Montreal or you can take a thematic one that follows the early years of author Mordecai Richler.
Bicycles
- Bixi docking station By JasonParis
Montreal is home to the Bixi one of the first public bike sharing systems in North America. With over 5,120 bikes spread out over 411 stations and over 500 kms of bike paths it’s a nice way to get around and see the city. You can purchase 24 hours of access to a bicycle from any of the stations using a credit card. This gives you an unlimited number of 30 minutes rides over a 24 hour period. If you expect to use it alot there are options for 72 hour and weekly subscriptions.
Bicycle helmets are not included so bring your own or ride at your own risk (the (unfortunately) common Montreal option).
Editor’s note: Bixi’s are very popular in Montreal so sometimes it can be difficult to find either a bike or a dock. I’d recommend giving yourself a 10 minute buffer if you are trying to get somewhere at a specific time. If you have a smartphone with Canadian data using one of the iPhone or Android apps is a great way to get real time data about where bikes and docks are available.
Bike tours
Fitz & Follwell offers some wonderful city based bicycle tours that take you through the Plateau neighborhood. For a longer ride we’d recommend starting in Old Montreal and going along the Lachine Canal, a National Historic site.
Eating
Montreal and food. It’s a complicated relationship dipped in butter. We’ve made a custom map highlighting a few restaurants and bars that are in the area of the conference. This will expanding as we approach October but don’t be afraid to ask for specific recommendations!
View Access 2012 – Montreal eats & treats in a larger map
General recommendations
- Tourisme Montreal operates a surprisingly good blog that offeres lots of reviews on where to eat and drink in the city
- For the iPhone users National Geographic made an Taste of Montreal app.