Doing business
Be prepared for a very French ambience to a city where English is largely secondary to French, even though virtually everyone speaks both languages fluently. All road signs are in French so a smattering of the language would be useful for those hiring vehicles. Montréal is like a European city in North America and business meetings are conducted with the former being the dominant ideology.

Cool hotel
Away from the big chain hotels, the St-Martin Particulier is a medium-sized option new to Montréal’s portfolio since just last June. It’s located in the heart of downtown close to plenty of businesses and convention facilities and, at 123 rooms, it's big enough to offer a bar and restaurant. It also offers free-of-charge wired and wireless internet access.
www.lestmartin.com

Hip restaurant
In a city overflowing with great restaurants the choice is endless but one of the newest and best is Le Hangar in Wellington Street between downtown and old Montréal. It’s the latest offering of Québec celebrity chef Louis-François Marcotte of top restaurant Le Local fame. Le Hangar is in a softly lit old warehouse with high stools and tables or a bar facing the kitchen. The bistro-style food and service are both excellent.
www.resto-lehangar.com

Happening bar
Montreal has no shortage of these either so it might seem strange to suggest a hotel bar – an InterContinental at that – but the boutique feel of the newly renovated Montréal hotel is atypical. Even less typical is the Sarah B (Bernhardt) Absinthe Bar, the only hotel bar to serve the liquor with all the theatrical paraphernalia it demands.

Getting there
Air Canada offers daily two-class flights between London Heathrow and Montréal-Pierre Elliott International Airport with a 14.25 departure. Return timings are a 19.40 departure with a 07.30 arrival in London the next day. British Airways also operates daily on the route.

Getting downtown
The L’Aerobus Shuttle runs between the Montréal–Trudeau Airport and downtown Montréal on the half hour in both directions between 09.00 and 21.00. Outside these times, it departs on the hour in both directions. Cabs are plentiful and reasonably priced taking around 35 minutes to downtown outside rush hours.

The details
The province of Québec is Canada’s largest. Its major cities are Montréal and Québec. Winters can be cold but summers can be hot, much more so than the UK. The Canadian dollar is now almost on a par with the US dollar.

Insider's Tip
“Québec law includes ‘the fundamental right of every person to have all firms doing business in Québec communicate with him or her in French’, but rest assured that virtually everyone speaks good English although a nod to your schoolboy/girl French will be well received.”

Must-see sights
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaelogy and History is built right over the remains of the birthplace of Montréal and is a great place to get a real feel of the city’s Anglo-French development. The multimedia show projected above the ruins is the icing on the cake of an hour or two well spent.

The Carbon Cost
A return economy flight from London to Montréal will produce 1.12 tonnes of CO2. Offset this with The Carbon Neutral Company from £22.50.

Compiled by Alan Orbell

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