Fast Facts

AAA -- Members of the American Automobile Association (AAA) are covered by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) while traveling in Canada. Bring your membership card and proof of insurance. The 24-hour hot line for emergency road service is tel. 800/222-4357. The AAA card will also provide discounts at a wide variety of hotels and restaurants in Québec province. Visit www.caaquebec.com for more information.

American Express -- In Montréal, 10 travel agencies are licensed to provide American Express Travel Services. One centrally located agency is Excellent Travel at 383 rue St. Jacques (tel. 514/345-1121) on Vieux-Montréal's northern edge; there are no agencies in Québec City. For general information or emergency card service, call tel. 800/668-2639.

Area Codes -- The Montréal area codes are 514 and 428, and the Québec City code is 418. Outside of Montréal, the area code for the southern Laurentides is 450 and the northern Laurentides, from Val-David up, uses 819. The Cantons de l'Est are the same: 450 or 819, depending on how close you are to Montréal. Outside Québec City, the area code for Ile d'Orléans and north into Charlevoix is 418, the same as in the city. You always need to dial the three-digit area code in addition to the seven-digit number.

Business Hours -- Most stores in the province are open from 9 or 10am until 6pm Monday through Wednesday, 9am to 9pm on Thursday and Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturday. Many stores are now also open on Sunday from noon to 5pm. Banks are usually open Monday through Friday from 8 or 9am to 4pm and are closed for the entire weekend. Bankers' hours in Québec City are shorter, from 10am to 3pm. Post office hours vary wildly by location, but are generally open from 9:30am to 5:30pm or 7pm on weekdays. Some are open 9:30am to 5pm on Saturdays, and most are closed on Sundays. While many restaurants are open all day between meals, some shut down between lunch and dinner; check in advance. Most restaurants serve until 9:30pm or 10pm. Bars stay open until 2am or 3am -- and sometimes even later.

Drinking Laws -- The legal drinking age in the province is 18. All hard liquor and spirits in Québec are sold through official government stores operated by the Québec Société des Alcools (look for maroon signs with the acronym SAQ). Wine and beer are available in grocery stores and convenience stores, called dépanneurs. Liquor is sold daily in SAQ stores (hours vary depending on location). Bars can pour drinks as late as 3am, but often stay open later.

Penalties for drunk driving in Canada are heavy. New provisions instituted in 2008 include higher mandatory penalties including a minimum fine of C$1,000 (£500) for a first offense, and for a second offense, a minimum of 30 days in jail. Drivers caught under the influence face a maximum life sentence if they cause death, and a maximum 10-year sentence if they cause bodily harm.

Drugstores & Pharmacies -- A pharmacy is called a pharmacie; a drugstore is a droguerie. A large chain in Montréal is Pharmaprix. Its branch at 5122 Cote-Des-Neiges (tel. 514/738-8464; www.pharmaprix.ca) is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and has a fairly convenient location. In Québec City, Louis-Phillippe & Jacques Royer, at 57 rue Dalhousie, in Vieux-Port (tel. 418/694-1262; www.brunet.ca), is open 9am to 7pm on weekdays, 9am to 5pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm Sunday, and delivers to hotels in the Old City.

Electricity -- Like the U.S., Canada uses 110 to 120 volts AC (60 cycles), compared to the 220 to 240 volts AC (50 cycles) used in most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. If your small appliances use 220 to 240 volts, you'll need a 110-volt transformer and a plug adapter with two flat parallel pins to operate them in Canada.

Embassies & Consulates -- All embassies are in Ottawa, Canada's capital. The U.S. has a consulate in Montréal at 1155 rue St-Alexandre (tel. 514/398-9695) and in Québec City, on Jardin des Gouverneurs at 2 rue de la Terrasse-Dufferin (tel. 418/692-2095). The U.K.'s consulate in Montréal is at 1000 rue de la Gauchetière ouest, Suite 4200 (tel. 514/866-5863), and in Québec City in the St-Amable Complex, 1150 Claire-Fontaine, Suite 700 (tel. 418/521-3000).

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 911 for police, firefighters, or an ambulance. Québec Poison Control Centre is at tel. 800/463-5060.

Fax -- Most hotels have fax machines available for guest use (be sure to ask about the charge to use it). Select FedEx Kinko's outlets (tel. 800/463.3339; www.fedexkinkos.ca) also offer fax services.

Gasoline (Petrol) -- Gasoline in Canada is expensive by American standards, even considering the steep rise in costs in the U.S. in 2008. Europeans will not find the prices a shock. Gas is sold by the liter, and 3.78 liters equals 1 gallon. Recent prices of C$1.40 (70p) per liter are the equivalent of about US$5.30 per gallon.

Holidays -- Canada's important public holidays are New Year's Day (Jan 1); Good Friday and Easter Monday (Mar or Apr); Victoria Day (the Mon preceding May 25); St-Jean-Baptiste Day, Québec's "national" day (June 24); Canada Day (July 1); Labour Day (first Mon in Sept); Canadian Thanksgiving Day (second Mon in Oct); and Christmas (Dec 25).

Hospitals -- In Montréal, hospitals with emergency rooms include Hôpital Général de Montréal, 1650 rue Cedar (tel. 514/934-1934), and Hôpital Royal Victoria, 687 av. des Pins ouest (tel. 514/934-1934), both of which are associated with McGill University. Hôpital de Montréal pour Enfants, 2300 rue Tupper (tel. 514/412-4400), is a children's hospital.

In Québec City, go to the Centre Hospitalier Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, 11 côte du Palais (tel. 418/525-4444).

Hot Lines -- Alcoholics Anonymous is at tel. 514/376-9230 in Montréal and tel. 418/529-0015 in Québec City. The Poison Control Centre is at tel. 800/463-5060 throughout the entire province. Tel-Aide, for emotional distress including anxiety and depression, is at tel. 418/686-2433. Sexual assault victims can get bilingual help 24 hours per day at tel. 514/934-4504.

Language -- Canada is officially bilingual, but Québec province has laws that make French mandatory in signage. About 20% of Montréal's population has English as its first language (about 5% of Québec City's population does) and an estimated four out of five Francophones (French speakers) speak at least some English. Hotel desk staff, sales clerks, and telephone operators nearly always greet people initially in French, but usually switch to English quickly if necessary. Outside of Montréal, visitors are more likely to encounter residents who don't speak English. If smiles and sign language don't work, look around for a young person -- most of them study English in school.

Laundromats -- Laundromats aren't thick upon the ground in tourist districts. In Montréal, one option is Buanderie Chez Bobette in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood at 850 rue Duluth est (tel. 514/522-2612). In Québec City, try La Lavandiere, at 625 rue St-Jean (tel. 418/523-0345), just outside the Old City walls in the Parliament Hill area. Ask your hotel for options, too -- many provide laundry service.

Legal Aid -- Your country's embassy or consulate can provide the names of attorneys who speak English. The U.S. Embassy information line tel. 888/840-0032 works from the U.S. and Canada and costs C$1.59 per minute.

Lost & Found -- Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two.

For lost or stolen American Express cards, call tel. 800/668-2639. For lost or stolen Visa cards, call tel. 800/847-2911. For lost or stolen MasterCards, call tel. 800/307-7309. If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 800/325-6000; www.westernunion.com).

Mail -- All mail sent through Canada Post (tel. 866/607-6301; www.canadapost.ca) must bear Canadian stamps. That might seem painfully obvious, but apparently, a large numbers of visitors, especially from the U.S., use stamps from their home countries. To mail within Canada, letters cost C52¢ (26p). A letter or postcard to the U.S. requires C96¢ (48p). A letter or postcard to anywhere else costs C$1.60 (80p). FedEx offers service from Canada; call or go to its website to find locations (tel. 800/463-3339; www.fedex.com/ca).

Maps -- Good city maps are available for free from the tourist offices. The best detailed street guide of Montréal is the pocket-size atlas by JDM Géo published by MapArt (www.mapart.com), which also makes useful maps for all the regions outside Montréal and Québec City that are mentioned in this book. Find them online, and in shops and gas stations throughout Canada.

Medical Conditions -- If you are entering Canada with syringes used for medical reasons, bring a medical certificate proving that they are for medical use and be sure to declare them to Canadian Customs officials.

Newspapers & Magazines -- Montréal's primary English-language newspaper is the Montréal Gazette (www.montrealgazette.com). The Globe and Mail (www.theglobeandmail.com) is a national English-language paper. The leading French-language newspaper is Le Soleil. For information about current arts happenings in Montréal, pick up the Friday or Saturday edition of the Gazette (www.canada.com/montrealgazette). Most large newsstands and those in larger hotels carry the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and International Herald Tribune.

Police -- Dial tel. 911 for the police. There are three types of officers in Québec: municipal police in Montréal, Québec City, and other towns; Sûreté de Québec officers, comparable to state police or the highway patrol in the U.S.; and RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), who are similar to the FBI and handle cases involving infraction of federal laws. RCMP officers speak English and French. Other officers are not required to know English, though many do.

Smoking -- Smoking was banned in the province's bars, restaurants, clubs, casinos, and some other public spaces in mid-2006. Most small inns and many larger hotels are entirely smoke-free as well. Check before you book if you're looking for a room in which you can smoke.

Taxes -- Most goods and services in Canada are taxed 5% by the federal government (the GST, or Goods and Services Tax). On top of that, the province of Québec tacks on an additional 7.5% tax (the TVQ). A 3% accommodations tax is in effect in Montréal.

Nonresident visitors used to be able to apply for a rebate for the GST tax they paid on most items they purchased in Québec as well as on the taxes they paid for lodging, but that practice was eliminated in April 2007. A new Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program provides limited rebates on the GST for services used during foreign conventions held in Canada, for nonresident exhibitors, and for the short-term accommodations portion of tour packages for nonresident individuals and tour operators. Details are at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/visitors.

Time -- Montréal, Québec City, and all the regions listed in this book as side trips are all on Eastern Standard Time, same as New York. Daylight saving time is observed by moving clocks ahead an hour on the second Sunday in March and back an hour on the first Sunday in November.

Tipping -- Tipping practices in the province are similar to those in the U.S.: 15% to 20% on restaurant bills, 10% to 15% for taxi drivers, C$1 (50p) per bag for porters, C$5 (£2.50) per night for hotel room attendants. Hairdressers and barbers expect 10% to 15%. Hotel doormen should be tipped for calling a taxi or providing other services.

Toilets -- You won't find public toilets on the streets in Montréal or Québec City, but they can be found in tourist offices, museums, railway and bus stations, and service stations. Restaurants and bars in heavily visited areas may reserve their restrooms for patrons. A website called the Bathroom Diaries (www.thebathroomdiaries.com) lists facilities by city, along with commentary (for instance, Indigo Books in downtown Montréal gets an "excellent" rating for its free, clean, safe bathrooms with "very pretty white tiles").

Useful Phone Numbers -- U.S. Dept. of State Travel Advisory: tel. 202/647-5225 (manned 24 hr.)

U.S. Passport Agency: tel. 202/647-0518

U.S. Centers for Disease Control International Traveler's Hot Line: tel. 404/332-4559