Montreal revealed
Seven times the size of the United Kingdom, Québec is blanketed in vast forests and dappled with more than one million lakes and rivers. Just outside Montreal, an exciting menu of accessible adventures awaits. Within hours of the city you could be cycling, white-water rafting, hiking or doing almost any other activity you can imagine.
Tremble at Tremblant
Just 130km from Montreal, the Laurentian Mountains form the perfect staging ground for a wilderness adventure. Tremblant Resort, repeatedly ranked the Number One ski resort in eastern North America, fires on all cylinders, year round. The accommodation and facilities here are first class, and the pedestrian village at the base of Mont Tremblant is more French than, well, France itself – winding cobblestone streets, pointy turrets, and a café on every corner. This is also an Activity HQ: hiking, swimming in Lake Tremblant, fishing, canoeing, windsurfing, inline skating, tree-to-tree adventures, mountain biking, hiking, riding, and water sports...guides, instructors and equipment are all readily available. Where else can you leap from an iceberg into a warm lake? (It’s okay, the lake is real but the iceberg isn’t.)
Roll on summer
Close to Tremblant in the heart of the Laurentians, is Canada’s longest, and possibly thinnest, national park. It’s a protected park that’s 200km long – and scarcely 1km wide. The P’tit Train du Nord trail is a former train track, and now a scenic forest trail reserved for hikers and cyclists. Along the north-south trail, the former railway stations have all been renovated and several converted into cafes. For a more gravity-challenging ride, miles of mountain bike trails snake through the region. Indeed, a cycling network called the Green Route (www.routeverte.com) criss-crosses every region of Québec, with some 3,600 km of marked paths, shoulders and designated roadways.
Water, water everywhere
In Québec, the Native Peoples and the first French immigrants travelled and survived in their canoes. Today water travel comes in all sorts of variations – and it’s all about the thrills.
White-water rafting will have you screaming for momma one minute – and begging for another go the next. If that’s what you’re after, come in April or May when the rivers are swollen after the snow melts. For a calmer experience, in the autumn the water levels are low and the maple trees are a fire of reds and yellows. The Red River is a classic rafting destination that runs through the Laurentians. Further top rafting rivers include the Outaouais, Gatineau, Matawin and, of course, the St Lawrence, where downtown Montreal makes an urban backdrop.
If white water strikes too frantic a note, there’s no more authentic wilderness experience than dipping your paddle gently into the great Canadian outdoors. When it comes to canoeing or kayaking, you don’t have to be strong, or coordinated, or even brave. From wild rivers to serene lakes, Quebec’s largest national park, Mont Tremblant National Park, is a refuge of sandy beaches and exciting rivers ideal for canoeing. A regularly scheduled shuttle operates from Tremblant for self-guided river descents. You can also discover the Diable River on a canoe trip accompanied by a park ranger.
Have wind, will boogie
Windsurfing has been around for just a few decades, but it’s already an institution. It’s eco-friendly (no petrol), it’s a good workout (nice biceps), and it’s easier than ever. Like many other sports, technology has worked in our favour to make boards wider and more stable to ride, and sails now come in sizes from two to 12 square metres, matched to your strength and that of the prevailing winds. Just a few days of instruction and practice should have you surfing, turning and staying remarkably dry. Check it out on Lake Tremblant.
A walker’s delight
There are endless possibilities for beautiful walks in Quebec. The National Trail, once completed, will link the Atlantic and the Pacific on a 10,000 km uninterrupted hiking path. Spanning the forests of eight regions in Québec, some 600 km of trails are presently accessible to hikers and cross Gatineau Park, Jacques-Cartier National Park, as well as Mont-Tremblant National Park, the largest protected territory in Québec. Here you can overnight in a hut, canoe, camp, and go fishing.
48 hours in....Monteal
Montréal is a city built on an island in the middle of a river. Nearly 75% of the 1.85 million population are French speaking – along with its original French stock, some 80 ethnic communities contribute to the metropolitan ambience.
Getting there
Canadian Affair (www.canadianaffar.com, 020 7616 9904) offers a seven-night city break package for Montréal and Québec for £475 based on two sharing, including flights. Several carriers fly from UK airports to Montréal, including Zoom (www.flyzoom.com), British Airways (www.ba.com), and Air Canada (www.aircanada.ca).
Serious zeds
First, explore Old Montréal – in the 18th Century a fortified town under French control which fell to British rule in 1760 – from the Nelligan Hotel, a newly-expanded boutique hotel. Contemporary while maintaining its traditional 19th Century Old Montréal architecture, it now has 105 rooms. Its restaurant, Verses, is a perfect spot to begin or end an evening. www.hotelnelligan.com.
Native nosh
Sophisticated restaurants sit alongside traditional French bistros. Don’t leave town without munching a Montréal smoked-meat sandwich. Reuben’s downtown deli is the destination of choice. Poutine, a uniquely Québecois dish, is another must-try. A mess of French fries, gravy and cheese curds, it defies explanation. You either love it or loathe it.
Circus skills
Québec is the home of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil. This summer, Le Cirque’s newest spectacle returns to Montréal with its unique acrobatics and clowning.
Shopaholics
The neo-Gothic Nôtre-Dame Basilica and the Bonsecours Market, overlooking the St Lawrence River, is one of the most beautiful heritage buildings in Canada. The Market once served as United Canada House of Parliament and City Hall. It has been the city’s public market for nearly 100 years and is full of artwork, souvenirs, and antiques.
Joie de vivre
The city welcomes millions to a rolling agenda of summer events. At the Montréal International Jazz Festival watch for Bob Dylan and friends this June-July. Just for Laughs comedy, in English and French, wins awards and kudos each year, as do the Film and the Fireworks Festivals. There is something happening every week, though tickets for big events can sell out well in advance.
Park life
Outdoor options in Montréal include jumping in a boat and shooting the turbulent Lachine Rapids at the western end of the island. On dry land, you can ride the city’s 300 km of scenic bicycle paths.
Tremble at Tremblant
Just 130km from Montreal, the Laurentian Mountains form the perfect staging ground for a wilderness adventure. Tremblant Resort, repeatedly ranked the Number One ski resort in eastern North America, fires on all cylinders, year round. The accommodation and facilities here are first class, and the pedestrian village at the base of Mont Tremblant is more French than, well, France itself – winding cobblestone streets, pointy turrets, and a café on every corner. This is also an Activity HQ: hiking, swimming in Lake Tremblant, fishing, canoeing, windsurfing, inline skating, tree-to-tree adventures, mountain biking, hiking, riding, and water sports...guides, instructors and equipment are all readily available. Where else can you leap from an iceberg into a warm lake? (It’s okay, the lake is real but the iceberg isn’t.)
Roll on summer
Close to Tremblant in the heart of the Laurentians, is Canada’s longest, and possibly thinnest, national park. It’s a protected park that’s 200km long – and scarcely 1km wide. The P’tit Train du Nord trail is a former train track, and now a scenic forest trail reserved for hikers and cyclists. Along the north-south trail, the former railway stations have all been renovated and several converted into cafes. For a more gravity-challenging ride, miles of mountain bike trails snake through the region. Indeed, a cycling network called the Green Route (www.routeverte.com) criss-crosses every region of Québec, with some 3,600 km of marked paths, shoulders and designated roadways.
Water, water everywhere
In Québec, the Native Peoples and the first French immigrants travelled and survived in their canoes. Today water travel comes in all sorts of variations – and it’s all about the thrills.
White-water rafting will have you screaming for momma one minute – and begging for another go the next. If that’s what you’re after, come in April or May when the rivers are swollen after the snow melts. For a calmer experience, in the autumn the water levels are low and the maple trees are a fire of reds and yellows. The Red River is a classic rafting destination that runs through the Laurentians. Further top rafting rivers include the Outaouais, Gatineau, Matawin and, of course, the St Lawrence, where downtown Montreal makes an urban backdrop.
If white water strikes too frantic a note, there’s no more authentic wilderness experience than dipping your paddle gently into the great Canadian outdoors. When it comes to canoeing or kayaking, you don’t have to be strong, or coordinated, or even brave. From wild rivers to serene lakes, Quebec’s largest national park, Mont Tremblant National Park, is a refuge of sandy beaches and exciting rivers ideal for canoeing. A regularly scheduled shuttle operates from Tremblant for self-guided river descents. You can also discover the Diable River on a canoe trip accompanied by a park ranger.
Have wind, will boogie
Windsurfing has been around for just a few decades, but it’s already an institution. It’s eco-friendly (no petrol), it’s a good workout (nice biceps), and it’s easier than ever. Like many other sports, technology has worked in our favour to make boards wider and more stable to ride, and sails now come in sizes from two to 12 square metres, matched to your strength and that of the prevailing winds. Just a few days of instruction and practice should have you surfing, turning and staying remarkably dry. Check it out on Lake Tremblant.
A walker’s delight
There are endless possibilities for beautiful walks in Quebec. The National Trail, once completed, will link the Atlantic and the Pacific on a 10,000 km uninterrupted hiking path. Spanning the forests of eight regions in Québec, some 600 km of trails are presently accessible to hikers and cross Gatineau Park, Jacques-Cartier National Park, as well as Mont-Tremblant National Park, the largest protected territory in Québec. Here you can overnight in a hut, canoe, camp, and go fishing.
48 hours in....Monteal
Montréal is a city built on an island in the middle of a river. Nearly 75% of the 1.85 million population are French speaking – along with its original French stock, some 80 ethnic communities contribute to the metropolitan ambience.
Getting there
Canadian Affair (www.canadianaffar.com, 020 7616 9904) offers a seven-night city break package for Montréal and Québec for £475 based on two sharing, including flights. Several carriers fly from UK airports to Montréal, including Zoom (www.flyzoom.com), British Airways (www.ba.com), and Air Canada (www.aircanada.ca).
Serious zeds
First, explore Old Montréal – in the 18th Century a fortified town under French control which fell to British rule in 1760 – from the Nelligan Hotel, a newly-expanded boutique hotel. Contemporary while maintaining its traditional 19th Century Old Montréal architecture, it now has 105 rooms. Its restaurant, Verses, is a perfect spot to begin or end an evening. www.hotelnelligan.com.
Native nosh
Sophisticated restaurants sit alongside traditional French bistros. Don’t leave town without munching a Montréal smoked-meat sandwich. Reuben’s downtown deli is the destination of choice. Poutine, a uniquely Québecois dish, is another must-try. A mess of French fries, gravy and cheese curds, it defies explanation. You either love it or loathe it.
Circus skills
Québec is the home of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil. This summer, Le Cirque’s newest spectacle returns to Montréal with its unique acrobatics and clowning.
Shopaholics
The neo-Gothic Nôtre-Dame Basilica and the Bonsecours Market, overlooking the St Lawrence River, is one of the most beautiful heritage buildings in Canada. The Market once served as United Canada House of Parliament and City Hall. It has been the city’s public market for nearly 100 years and is full of artwork, souvenirs, and antiques.
Joie de vivre
The city welcomes millions to a rolling agenda of summer events. At the Montréal International Jazz Festival watch for Bob Dylan and friends this June-July. Just for Laughs comedy, in English and French, wins awards and kudos each year, as do the Film and the Fireworks Festivals. There is something happening every week, though tickets for big events can sell out well in advance.
Park life
Outdoor options in Montréal include jumping in a boat and shooting the turbulent Lachine Rapids at the western end of the island. On dry land, you can ride the city’s 300 km of scenic bicycle paths.
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