Spectator Sports

Montréalers are as devoted to ice hockey as other Canadians are, with plenty of enthusiasm left over for soccer, U.S.-style football, and the other distinctive national sport, curling. They liked baseball too, but not enough: In 2005, the Montréal Expos, plagued by poor attendance, left for Washington, D.C., where they became the Nationals. (Fun fact: Pioneering black athlete Jackie Robinson played for the Montréal Royals in 1946, and there's a sculpture of him outside of Olympic Stadium.) The biggest single event on the Montréal sports calendar is its version of the Indy 500, the Grand Prix car race that roars into town for 3 days every June .

Popular Canadian Pastimes: Name That Sport! -- "With Ontario leading 6 to 4 in the 10th end, Manitoba skip Jennifer Jones prepared for her last shot. Manitoba had three rocks in the house, but Ontario had shot rock and had two guards sitting near one another, high atop the house, toward Jones; another guard sat just outside the rings. Jones was left with one option: She hit and rolled off the lone Ontario stone outside the rings to remove Ontario's shot rock near the button."

So was the verbatim report in The Globe and Mail of the Canadian women's championship game in February 2005. Manitoba won, 8 to 6.

The sport? Curling.

Auto Racing

For 3 days -- in 2008, it was June 6, 7, and 8 -- Montréal's entire focus is on the Grand Prix, the FIA's only stop in Canada. Each day, more than 100,000 people pour onto Ile Notre-Dame, where a permanent track is installed (the rest of the year the circuit is used by cyclists and walkers). The race cars make 70 laps at up to 318kmph (198 mph). In the rest of city, particularly rue Crescent in downtown, Formula 1 cars are on display, streets are shut down, and revelers party deep into the night. Hotel prices typically double and most require 3-night stays. It's estimated that C$100 million (£50 million) funnels into the city on these days, making it the biggest highlight on the tourism industry's calendar. One-day tickets cost as little as C$25 (£13), with the best 3-day tickets costing C$495 (£248). Details and tickets are at www.grandprix.ca.

Meanwhile, since 2007, the NASCAR Busch Series (www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca) comes to Montréal for 2 days in early August on the same track as the Grand Prix, bringing more than 40 top drivers and race cars. One-day general-admission tickets cost C$30 to C$40 (£15-£20), with 2-day tickets between C$55 and C$165 (£28-£83).

Football & Soccer

What Americans call soccer most of the rest of the world calls football, and there's a big fan base for that kind of football in Montréal -- not surprising, given the city's wide and varied immigrant population.

Montréal doesn't have a team in the Major League Soccer network, but it's on the list of possible expansion cities. The Montréal Impact (tel. 514/328-3668; www.montrealimpact.com) is part of the United Soccer League's First Division and plays at Saputo Stadium, rue 4750 Sherbrooke est, near the Olympic Stadium. Tickets are C$10 to C$40 (£5-£20).

Meanwhile, there's also U.S.-style professional football in Canada. The website for the Montréal Alouettes (French for "larks") claims, somewhat dubiously, that "Montréal is synonymous with football," citing that "the first recorded game ever played in North America was on the downtown cricket grounds on Oct. 10, 1868." The team does enjoy considerable success, frequently appearing in the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League's version of the U.S. Super Bowl. The "Als," as they're fondly known, play at McGill University's Percival-Molson Memorial Stadium from June to November. Tickets start at C$25 (£13). Details are at tel. 514/871-2255 and www.montrealalouettes.com.

Hockey

The beloved Montréal Canadiens play downtown at the Centre Bell arena. The team has won 24 Stanley Cups (the most recent in 1992-93), and the season runs from October to April, with playoffs continuing into June. Tickets are usually priced from C$23 to C$198 (£12-£99). Check www.canadiens.com for schedules and ticketing or call tel. 514/790-1245.

Tennis

The Rogers Cup tournament (tel. 514/273-1515; www.rogerscup.com) comes each July and August to the Uniprix Stadium, which is near the De Castelnau and the Jarry Métro stops, with singles and doubles matches. The stadium's Centre Court holds more than 11,000. To make the tournament more green, the stadium provides 175 bike-rack slots and 24-hour bike surveillance, free public transit tickets to all spectators, and a downtown shuttle service.