Attractions

Montréal is a feast of choices, able to satisfy the desires of physically active and culturally curious visitors. Hike up the city's mountain, Mont-Royal, in the middle of the city, cycle for miles beside 19th-century warehouses and locks on the Lachine Canal, take in artworks and ephemera at some 30 museums and as many historic buildings, attend a Canadiens hockey match, party until dawn on rue Crescent and the Main, or soak up the history of some 400 years of conquest and immigration: It's all here for the taking.

Getting from hotel to museum to attraction is fairly easy. Montréal has an efficient Métro system, a logical street grid, wide boulevards, and a vehicle-free underground city that all aid in the swift, largely uncomplicated movement of people from place to place.

If you're planning to check out several museums, consider buying the Montréal Museums Pass.

For families with children, few cities assure kids of as good a time as this one. There are riverboat rides, the fascinating Biodôme -- which replicates four distinct ecosystems -- the creepy-crawlies of the Insectarium, a sprawling amusement park, the Centre des Sciences de Montréal down by the water, and magical circus performances by the many troupes that come through this circus-centric city.

Tip: Note which museums have restaurants or cafes so that you can plan a meal there. Remember, too, that most museums, though not all, are closed on Monday.

A 20-minute drive east on rue Sherbrooke or an easy Métro ride from downtown is Olympic Park (in a neighborhood called Hochelaga-Maisonneuve). It has four attractions: Stade Olympique (Olympic Stadium), Biodôme de Montréal, Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden), and Insectarium de Montréal. All are walking distance from each other, and there's a free shuttle in summer. You could spend a day touring all four sites, and kids will especially love the Biodôme and Insectarium. Combination ticket packages are available, and the Biodôme, Jardin, and Insectarium are all included in the Montréal Museum Pass. Underground parking at the Olympic Stadium is C$12 (£6) per day, with additional parking at the Jardin Botanique and Insectarium.

Money Savers

* Buy the Montréal Museums Pass. Good for 3 consecutive days, this pass grants entry to 31 museums and attractions, including most of those mentioned in this chapter. The full price, C$50 (£25), includes unlimited access to public transportation; pay C$45 (£22) for just the museums. There are no separate rates for seniors or children. The pass is available at all participating museums, many hotels, and the tourist offices at 174 rue Notre-Dame (in Vieux-Montréal) and 1255 rue Peel (downtown). To find out more, go to www.montrealmuseums.org.

* Visit Vitrine Culturelle de Montréal for last-minute ticket deals. The discount ticket office for Montréal cultural events opened in summer 2007 at 145 rue Sainte-Catherine ouest in Place des Arts. More at tel. 866/924-5538 or www.vitrineculturelle.com.

* Flash your AAA card. Members of the American Automobile Association get the same discounts as do members of its Canadian sister organization, the CAA. That includes reduced rates at many museums, hotels, and restaurants.

* Time your trip to coincide with Montréal Museums Day. On the last Sunday in May, more than two dozen museums welcome visitors for free in a citywide open house. Free shuttle buses run between the venues as well.

Cirque du Soleil: Montréal's Hometown Circus

The whimsical, talented band of artists that became Cirque du Soleil began as street performers in Baie-St-Paul, a river town an hour north of Québec City. These stilt-walkers, fire-breathers, and musicians raised a small ruckus with one pure intention: to entertain. The troupe formally founded as Cirque du Soleil ("Circus of the Sun") in 1984 and celebrates its 25th year in 2009.

In that time, it has matured into a spectacle like no other. Using human-size gyroscopes, trampoline beds, trapezes suspended from massive chandeliers, and the like (but no animals), Cirque creates worlds that are spooky, sensual, otherworldly, and beautifully ambiguous.

More than 1,000 of the company's acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, clowns, and dancers tour the world. Resident shows are established in Las Vegas and Orlando, Florida. But the company's offices are in Montréal in the northern Saint-Michel district, not far beyond the Mile End neighborhood.

And they're not just offices: Cirque has been developing a small campus of buildings in this industrial zone since 1997. All new artists come here to train for a few weeks to a few months and live in residences on-site. The complex has acrobatic training rooms, a dance studio, workshops in which the elaborate costumes and props are made, and a space large enough to erect a circus tent indoors. Some 1,800 are employed at the Montréal facility, including more than 300 who work on costumes alone.

The company doesn't have regular performances in Montréal, alas. For information about where you can find a show, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.