What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Montreal & Quebec City

Québec City's 400th anniversary celebrations continued to the very end of the 2008, with a New Year's Eve outdoor choral concert that included Paul McCartney, Céline Dion, and Charles Aznavour, as well as a 15-minute musical fireworks show launched from the Plains of Abraham. Giant puppets and costumed and masked actors in the style of the Carnival in Venice cavorted in the streets, locals and visitors ice skated on a rink in Place D'Youville, and outdoor terraces on Grande-Allée hosted all-night dancing. Sure, it was freezing cold, but that didn't deter families, teens, and young adults from coming out in throngs.

Planning Your Trip to Montréal & Quebec City

U.S. Passport rules will be amended again on June 1, 2009. Currently, everyone traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada is required to present a passport, passport card, or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative document. Starting in June, the same requirements will apply to everyone 16 years of age and older traveling by land or sea, including trips by car, bus, or cruise ship. Those under 16 will be able to continue using only a U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate at land and sea borders. Details are online at http://travel.state.gov.

Finally, travelers should know that Québec is the first province to introduce a law mandating that residents have radial snow tires on their cars in winter. The law will be effective each winter from mid-December until March 15 for all cars registered in the jurisdiction. Visitors and their cars are exempt, but the law does give you an indication of how seriously rough the winter driving can be.

Where to Dine in Montréal

One of our favourite spots, La Montee de Lait, has moved from its teeny storefront on the Plateau to downtown Montréal. The new space doubles its capacity. It has a new name, too: La Montée, 1424 rue Bishop; (tel. 514/289-0021; www.lamontee.ca) leaving behind "de Lait" and, presumably, its former cheese-centric menu. We've heard great things about the new Le Local, 740 rue William (tel. 514/397-7737; www.resto-lelocal.com), located in the loft and factory district west of avenue McGill, at the edge of Vieux-Montréal. Visually, it's a blend of rustic and modern touches, with big industrial windows, art by locals, and low, moody lighting. Top notch Montréal food writer Lesley Chesterman has a new food blog at www.lesleychesterman.com. It's full of interesting restaurant reviews, photos, shopping advice, and recipes.

Exploring Montréal

Many are in mourning for the Grand Prix, which will no longer be making an annual stop in Montréal. In previous years, Montréal spentthree days in June focussing on the auto race, when more than 100,000 people poured onto Ile Notre-Dame, into hotels and restaurants. Hotel prices doubled or even tripled, and as much as C$100 million came into the city on those days, making it the biggest tourism event of the year.

Money killed the deal in November. According to the Montréal Gazette, "Montréal ... had offered Ecclestone $20 million for 2009, increasing to $24 million in 2013 -- a total of $110.5 million over five years. Formula One CEO Bernie Eccelstone's price: a bank or government guarantee of $175 million over five years, plus all revenues from racetrack advertisements and VIP loges above the pit lane -- an estimated extra $16 million to $20 million per year."

Montréal Mayor Gérald Tremblay said, "I'm very, very disappointed for Montréal, for Quebec, and for Canada. The Grand Prix gave us international visibility. I'm also very, very disappointed for the Formula One fans."

The Gazette reports that tourism officials are looking for other events, even if nothing will entirely fill the void. "There's nothing of that scale, internationally," said Tourism Montréal president Charles Lapointe.

Montréal Shopping

Montréal visitors are now able to shop longer on weekends: stores in downtown Montréal will now stay open until 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Previously, shops throughout the city were required to close at 5pm on weekends. The change in law, announced in November 2008, is part of a government-sanctioned pilot project to stimulate tourism, according to CBC News. The new hours apply to stores located within the zone roughly bounded by rue St-Urbain in the east, avenue Atwater in the west, rue Sherbrooke in the north, and parts of St-Antoine, St-Jacques and Notre Dame streets in the south.

Exploring Quebec City

There's some talk of extending one of the big hits of the annual year-long celebration: Robert Lepage's art installation "Moulin à images," a massive and hugely popular nighttime projection of images and photographs onto industrial grain silos in Vieux-Port. If you missed it, Google "moulin à images" to see some spectacular photos.

Another part of Québec City's 400th anniversary that will definitely continue into 2009 and beyond is the central Espace 400e pavilion, which will become a Parks Canada discovery center. It will debut on June 26, 2009, and will be open daily 10am-5pm until September 7 and then 11am-4pm until October 11, when it will close for the winter. An exhibit entitled "Moving with the River" will tell the story of the millions of travelers who passed through Québec City, inspired by the dream of a new life in Canada. In addition, there will be an exhibit on Canada's nationwide network of parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas. Prices have not yet been established. Call tel. 418/648-3300 for details closer to the opening date or email parcscanada-que@pc.gc.ca.

Talk with fellow Frommer's travelers in our Quebec and Montreal Forum today.