Montréal is GREAT. Like, seriously great. The scenery is wonderful, the dining is grand and having a good time at our Worldcon will make your experience memorable! (In a good way.) Putting all these together makes Montréal a truly worthwhile place to go to Worldcon. Montreal is very cosmopolitan and being the most “European” city in Canada (and arguably North America as well) gives visitors a chance to experience a multilingual society. French is widely spoken (79% of Quebec residents list French as their first language) but English is not uncommon. And also-it’s just fun to figure out what the signs are actually saying!

Our venue, the Palais des congrès de Montréal, is located between Chinatown and the Old Port, both popular tourist destinations that are conveniently small for those in a rush. The Palais is also a short Metro ride from the Golden Square Mile - the shopping district in Montréal. Our convention hotels are all located within a 4 block walking distance from the Palais, with one of them connecting to the Underground City, a major tourist draw in its own right, so you don’t even have to go outside if you don’t want to.

GASTRONOMY

There are more restaurants (and food stalls) within a comfortable 400 meter (.25 mile) walking distance from the Palais des Congrès than you could comfortably try during a Worldcon, but we recommend you try out the Metro and go to a few of the far-flung greats because what’s a trip to Montréal without trying Montréal-style smoked meat and Montréal bagels from some world-class purveyors?  Tourisme Montreal has some great recommendations acclaimed by locals if you’d like to find out more.

CULTURE

Montreal is a city of architecture and art. If you like old buildings, Montreal boasts some of the oldest in North America. Churches feature predominantly, including the Saint Joseph's Oratory, the largest one in Canada with the second-largest dome in the world. If you like modern architecture Montréal is home to several skyscrapers and theme buildings from Expo 67 including the Montreal Biosphère and Habitat 67. In 2006 Montreal was recognized by the international design community as a UNESCO City Of Design, one the three world design capitals.  Public art abounds.  The Metro is home to a plethora of public art with each Metro station being unique in design and ornamentation featuring some of the biggest names in Quebec culture.  Montréal’s contributions to the circus arts, dance, and comedy are respected worldwide but other performing arts are not neglected; there are numerous playhouses, comedy clubs and music venues to discover as well.

Whether or not this is your first visit to Montréal we hope you have an amazing time discovering some of the great experiences Montréal has to offer as well as enjoying Worldcon!