Travel to Montreal

Flying to Montreal

Canada’s national airline Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) operates direct flights to Montreal from Belgium, Germany, USA, Mexico, China, France, the Bahamas, Switzerland and the UK. Other airlines operating direct flights to Montreal from the UK include Air Transat and British Airways. Among the airlines offering direct flights from the USA are American Airlines, Delta and United. Cheap flights are available to Montreal during winter and 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 - 7 hours; New York - 1 hour 20 minutes; Los Angeles - 5 hours 10 minutes; Toronto - 1 hour 10 minutes; Sydney - 20 hours 30 minutes (including stopover).

Travel by road

Traffic drives on the right. The minimum driving age is 16.

Montreal is well served by a network of autoroutes (motorways). 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).

An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required for visits of less than six months. You must carry proof of insurance. 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: +1 514 873 7620; www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca) provides further information.

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

Emergency breakdown services

CAA-Québec (tel: +1 514 861 1313 or +1 800 222 4357).

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.

Coaches

Buses depart from Gare d'autocars, 1717 rue Berri.

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 USA.

Trailways of New York (tel: +1 800 858 8555; www.trailwaysny.com) runs direct coaches from New York City.

Megabus (tel: +1 866 488 4452; www.megabus.com) operates coaches between Montreal and various destinations in Ontario, including Toronto.

Time to city

To Toronto - 5 hours; Ottawa - 2 hours; New York City - 7 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

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: +1 514 989 2626; 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).

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 three days a week in each direction. Amtrak runs daily trains from New York.

Journey times

To Halifax - 22 hours; Quebec City - 3 hours 30 minutes; Ottawa - 1 hour 50 minutes; Toronto - 5 hours 10 minutes; New York - 10 hours 30 minutes.