Montreal in general by fairy_dust
Montreal is one of the oldest cities in Canada, and has a distinctive European flair. I've been told that aside from Paris, it is the largest French-speaking city in the world, but don't worry if you don't know much French. Most people are bilingual and it's easy to get by with just English (though the French-speaking people do appreciate it when foreigners at least attempt to speak French!). It is a very artistic and historical city, Old Montreal especially with its old buildings and architecture, cobblestone streets, and buskers/street performers in the summer. Montreal is also very cosmopolitan - pretty much any ethnic group can be found there, and though the most common languages are French and English, many immigrants still keep their first language even if they learn French or English. There are ethnic neighbourhoods where many of these immigrants live, such as Chinatown, and these are like a piece of their home country outside of that country. For example, in Chinatown, you'll find dim sum restaurants and Chinese writing on all stores and other public places.
Summertime is the best time to visit Montreal even if the weather sometimes gets very hot (over 30 celsius). There are all sorts of festivals in summer, and the places most worth visiting like Old Montreal are filled with activity. But winter is not boring either. Even in the cold snowy weather, it's still worth a visit. At night, the city is lit up by the Christmas lights in the trees, which makes the winter nights very beautiful.My best memories of Montreal include walking around Old Montreal, especially in the evenings and at night. I love places with lots of people and activity, so I loved this part of town. I especially loved the artistic/historical flair of Old Montreal.
I also loved going out salsa dancing at Club 6/49 on St. Catherine Street. Being a die-hard salsa dancer, I just had to take the opportunity to go to a salsa club, since there are none where I currently live.
