The 'real' Montreal, though, exists in neighborhoods that celebrate their ethnic origins like Little Italy and Chinatown, and especially the multicultural Plateau Mont-Royal. Boulevard St-Laurent ('The Main'), which runs through the Plateau and divides Montreal into east and west, is the city's most lively street, where the shops, bars and ethnic restaurants draw crowds until well into the night.

Montreal is well represented in all the traditional manifestations of high culture - symphony, opera and ballet - but truly stands out in experimental theatre and contemporary dance. One of its most notable exports is the internationally acclaimed Cirque du Soleil who still occasionally performs in Montreal.

The Just For Laughs Comedy Festival began as a two-night French-language comedy show and has grown to an event that lasts almost two weeks and draws more than 470,000 people. It's always a festive occasion when the traveling circus troupe Cirque du Soleil returns home to Montreal with its mesmerizing crew of fire eaters, jugglers, acrobats, clowns and artists.

The nearby islands in the St Lawrence - Ile Ste-Hélène and Ile Notre-Dame - were the site of the Expo 67 World Fair, and now comprise the city's largest park. The other tourist must-see is the legacy of another international event: the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Big 'O' (the Olympic Stadium) has the world's tallest inclined tower, and is next door to the city's Botanical Garden.

Outside of Montreal, The Eastern Townships lie 80km to the east of Montreal, on the border with New England. Some of the province's most picturesque countryside is here, dotted with nineteenth-century villages settled by Loyalists from the United States who refused to rebel against King George III.

In the winter, cross-country skiing, and downhill skiing are all possible. The Laurentides (Laurentians) this region, to the north of Montreal is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world and now a major North American skiing center and a popular spot for hiking and cycling.

Our French immersion language program allows you plenty of time to discover the culture French speaking Montreal.