Old Montreal

Wander over to busy St. Paul Street and shop. Bakeries, souvenirs and a variety of art objects are all for sale. Consider staying at one of the lovely Bed and Breakfast establishments in the area. From there you can easily make your way over to the Bonsecour Market in the morning.

Visiting Place Royal, a former market on the spot that Montreal was founded in 1642, there is a sense of the old European traditions. But there are up-to-the-minute shops and restaurants as well.

You can visit the popular IMAX theater and see a show in French or English, as you prefer. Walk down to the I-Sci science center and take in some of the exhibits, if you're interested in the most modern sights. Check out the Habitat, an avant-garde housing complex built for the 1967 World's Fair.

Now that you've sampled some of Old Montreal's modern sights, let's get back to the traditional.

Want a candlelight dinner while you enjoy the breeze off the nearby St. Lawrence river? No problem. Prefer a dash of lunch at a sidewalk cafe while the mimes entertain you? Equally easy. Enjoy a glass of wine while the jugglers toss flaming torches in the air and catch them with ease.

Stroll over to one of the many sights within Old Montreal, such as the Musée d'Archéologie et d'Histoire (Museum of Archeology and History) at 350 rue Royal. You'll come away with a rich knowledge of the city's history. Ancient graves, pieces of Montreal's original fortification wall and much more are housed here.

Or, go visit the Notre-Dame Basilica and be awe-struck by the Gothic Revival facade outside or the astounding carvings and sculpture inside. The 7,000 pipe organ will uplift you, while you explore the altar at the top of the spiral staircase, intricately carved with prophets of the Old Testament.

As the light filters in through the stained-glass windows, you can explore the high balcony and get a look at the huge, gilt-topped columns and life-sized sculptures on the crucifix.

Take a tour of the Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, built as a shrine to the city's sailors. Many a widow has come here to pray for her loved one lost at sea.

Stroll around and visit some of the over 300-year-old houses that still exist here. Down by the river edging the city you'll see many of them that look out on the port, once one of North America's most active.

At The Clock Tower catch a tour boat to explore the port from the seaward side. Don't miss seeing the old City Hall at 275 Notre Dame Street East or the Old Customs House at 400 Place d'Youville.

Located between the downtown business district and the waterfront, Vieux Montréal is easy to find. Just take the Metro (Montreal's subway) and exit at Place d'Armes or Champ de Mars.

Old Port

Known officially as the Quai du Vieux-Port, this section of Old Montreal (Vieux Montréal) is paradoxically one of the most up-to-date portions of the city. Like many cities bordered by large bodies of water, whether the Pacific Ocean as in San Francisco, or the Atlantic in New York, activities abound.

Many of the sights and things to do don't depend on proximity to water. But for some reason, whether it's the invigorating, cool breeze or just the 'coastal attitude', the Old Port is like its cousins: buzzing.

Also like many docks in old cities, Old Port was once just a run-down wharf. Since 1611, it had been used as a trading post for French fur trappers and Scottish merchants. The area is sited at the edge of Old Montreal, the section that formed the original city founded in 1642.

But in 1992 the 1.2 miles (2 km) and 130 acres (53 hectareas) area along the St. Lawrence River was renovated. The result was to become one of Montreal's major attractions for tourists and locals alike.

There are dozens of reasons for that popularity.

Since the Old Port is just that, there are (not surprisingly, but delightfully) cruises galore. Bateau-Mouche offers an evening dinner cruise or an all day trip. Le Petit Navier takes you on the first electrically propelled commercial boat in Canada for an historical tour on the water. Or, you can board one of the jet boats of Jet Boating Montreal and brave the white water of Lachine Rapids.

Anyone who has been to Las Vegas (or seen one of the TV specials) will be familiar with Cirque du Soleil. This dazzling combination of circus and theater has a touring show it brings to Montreal. Like nothing you've ever seen, it has to be experienced. Montrealers are long familiar with the troupe, since the city is its original home.

There are many activities that are free or nominally priced, too.

When the weather is warm, as it often is in Montreal in the spring and summer seasons, you'll see skateboarders, cyclists and pedestrians aplenty. But if the crowds get to be too much, just hop aboard the Ferry to the park on Île Ste-Hélène. Or, anytime of the year, enjoy the iSci, Montreal's science center at King Edward Pier.

For a grand view, climb the 192 steps to the top of The Clock Tower (La Tour de l'Horloge) and take in the waterfront and surrounding islands. Montreal is itself one of the larger islands. Built in 1922 in memory of the merchant mariners killed during WWI, it offers a lovely view.

Take a horse carriage ride and listen to the driver tell you all about some of the 300-plus year-old houses that dot the area. Many of them are still in use!

Over seven million visitors per year visit Old Port and with all this (and much more) to do it isn't hard to see why.

Lachine Canal

Using waterways to move goods, aid industry or simply for transportation has been done for centuries. But the excellent canals and ports used today didn't always exist, and sometimes creating them took generations. So it is with the Lachine Canal in Montreal.

One area of this complex of islands in Quebec contain a natural feature called the Lachine Rapids. Like most rapids, they can be fun for adventurers, but they're a real problem for commercial activity. As early as 1689, less than 50 years after the city's founding, enterprising locals tried to forge a canal around them. But, owing to government resistance, lack of funds and absence of engineering knowledge it took over a hundred years to become a reality.

But in 1825, the Lachine Canal did finally open, linking Montreal's harbor to the Ottawa River. Down the canal moved ships large and small bringing goods, transporting people and providing the area with a much needed efficient waterway. It served that purpose for over 100 years, until finally in 1959 it was obsoleted by the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Not surprisingly, the canal and surrounding area then took a turn for the worse, becoming run down and useless. But in 1988, the federal government began efforts to revitalize Lachine Canal, planting trees and creating a small, thin park along its edge. Today, those efforts have blossomed into one of Montreal's most popular tourist attractions.

Lachine Canal now offers everything from a leisurely walk amid beautiful scenery to kayaking and boat rides and other water-related fun things to do. Private boat owners can take pleasure craft down the canal. Commercial tourist companies offer tours that provide historical overviews of the many old factories that dot the shore.

There are even upscale condos one can buy to enjoy the view. Part of the condos is an existing 150-year old historic tower that was once used to manufacture bullets. Molten lead droplets were let go from the top, forming spheres under gravity and hardening in the cool water 100 feet below.

Since 2002, the canal area has offered visitors a view into Montreal's fascinating past. The Fur Trade at Lachine is a National Historic site that provides insight into the active exchange that took place along its shores more than two hundred years ago. Part of the tour provides a look at stone warehouses of the Hudson Bay company and others dating from the early 19th century. Not far away there are beautiful old railway bridges, tunnels and pedestrian bridges to explore.

The park area is also an active archaeological site with scientists and interested parties working to uncover aspects of Quebec's past. Part of the effort involves opening up the huge triangular entrance to the once-active locks that allowed large cargo ships to reach the area.

Kayaking is a popular activity, too. Visitors can join two to six man kayak teams and paddle their way down the canal for a trip that can go on for hours. Many other companies offer two hour and longer relaxing cruises. They sail up and down the canal on comfortable ships along the 14km (8mi) stretch from Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis.

But one of the most pleasant and popular things to do at Lachine Canal is simply take a bicycle tour down the shore and enjoy all the great scenery, snapping a few photos. It isn't hard to imagine what it looked like 200 years ago, since much of the area is relatively unchanged.

The canal entrance and tours are near Atwater Market in Old Port, with easy access to public transportation. Just take the Metro (Montreal's subway) to Square Victoria.