Moments in Montreal

Summertime celebrations in Montreal will be highlights for cruise passengers.

 By Fran Golden

This summer, when Montreal celebrates its 375^th anniversary of its founding with free events galore, cruise passengers will find themselves very much part of the action. Cruise ships will dock right in Old Montreal (Vieux-Port) on the St. Lawrence River in a terminal fresh from a major, $60 million ($78 million CAN) facelift that debuts in May.

The one-story, high-tech cruise facility is within walking distance of many of the city’s top historic attractions and is destined to be an attraction itself, as there will eventually (by 2019) be public walkways, a park, and a glass observation tower for views of the city and river.

From the cruise terminal you can walk to Old Montreal’s cobblestone streets, visit museums and art galleries, catch views of glistening modern skyscrapers, eat steak frites and other French cuisine, and peruse a variety of boutiques.

Montreal surprises visitors with its Old World-meets-modern-metropolis ambiance, French influences, lively attitudes, and the fact that this river island is home to nearly 2 million people.

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The city is especially being….

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^{Photo: © Eva Blue}