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Downtown Montreal

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Travel to Montreal

Flying to Montreal

Flights to Montreal takes between six and seven hours from the UK. Three airlines offer direct flights to Montreal from the UK - British Airways, Air Transat and Thomas Cook. Cheap flights are available to Montreal during the spring. The peak summer time is the most expensive time to visit the city. Consider visiting in the autumn when temperatures are still pleasant.

Flight times: 

From London - 6 hours 30 minutes; New York - 1 hour 20 minutes; Los Angeles - 5 hours; Toronto - 1 hour 10 minutes; Sydney - 20 hours 25 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Montreal is well served by a network of autoroutes (motorways). Traffic drives on the right. Road signs are international but are usually in French. Maximum speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on rural highways and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. It is illegal to turn right at a red light on the island of Montreal; however, these turns are legal elsewhere in the province (unless posted otherwise).

The minimum driving age is 16 years. An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required for visits of less than six months. Proof of insurance must be carried. Non-residents may be covered for compensation under the province's no-fault insurance if driving a vehicle registered in Quebec or a province or US state with a reciprocal arrangement. The Société de l'Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) (tel: (514) 873 7620; www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca) provides further information.

Information on road conditions is available from the Ministère des Transports (tel: 1 888 355 0511; www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca).

Emergency breakdown service:

CAA-Québec (tel: (514) 861 1313 (Montreal area only); CAA/AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or 222 from most mobile phones).

Routes:

Highways 20 and 40 (the Trans-Canada Highway) are the main east-west routes through the city, arriving from Quebec City to the east and Toronto (via Highway 401) and Ottawa (via Highway 417) from the west. US I-87 from New York City becomes Highway 15 at the border, south of Montreal.

Driving times:

To Toronto - 5.5 hours; Ottawa - 2.5 hours; New York City - 7.5 hours.

Coaches:

Buses depart from Station Centrale (Central Station), 505 boulevard de Maisonneuve East (tel: (514) 842 2281; www.stationcentrale.com/en). Facilities include ATMs, a bureau de change, bars and restaurants, car hire, Internet access, left luggage and coach passes.

Orléans Express (tel: 1 888 999 3977; www.orleansexpress.com) is the main coach company within Quebec. Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca) runs services from Canadian destinations west of Ottawa as well as the United States. Other coach operators include Adirondack Trailways (tel: 1 800 776 7548; www.trailwaysny.com) from New York City and Coach Canada (tel: 1 800 461 7661; www.coachcanada.com) from Toronto.

Travel by rail

Services:

Montreal is located along the Quebec City-Windsor railway corridor. Both economy and first-class (VIA 1) cars are available on corridor trains, which link Montreal with Quebec City to the east, and Ottawa and Toronto to the west. The carriages are clean and quiet, with large windows that confer a sense of the country's vastness; VIA 1 fares include a surprisingly good meal and complimentary Canadian wines. The Ocean is the Montreal-Halifax train, which offers departures six days a week. The Montreal-Gaspé train is another scenic overnight trip, with three departures a week. Amtrak runs daily trains from New York and Washington, DC.

Montreal's Gare Centrale (Central Station), 895 rue de la Gauchetière West, offers a food court and is directly linked to the Metro and the city’s underground network of shops and hotels. Trains arriving from the west also stop at the basic Dorval Station, near the airport.
 

Operators:

VIA Rail (tel: (514) 989 2626 or 1 888 842 7245; www.viarail.ca) is Canada's national rail service provider. Services from the USA are operated by Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com).

Journey times:

To Halifax - 23 hours; Quebec City - 3.5 hours; Ottawa - 3 hours; Toronto - 5 hours; Windsor - 9 hours.

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