Montreal is a stylish city with a vibrant cultural life, lots of entertainment, restaurants and provides plenty of reasons to visit.
Montreal is the largest French speaking city after Paris. Montreal borders the St. Lawrence River which flows almost north and south at that point, not east and west. Ste-Catherine and boulevard René-Lévesque run from "east" and "west," with the dividing line being boulevard St-Laurent, which runs from "north" and "south." Boulevard St-Laurent is in the center of the city and it divides the Montréal city into East and West.
Old Montreal and the old port are the oldest parts with a number of sights that can be visited. The Ste-Catherine street downtown between Square-Victoria and Guy Street is the main shopping area. The Mont-Royal park provides views of Montreal. St-Laurent boulevard street which is north of Sherbrooke street is an area of restaurants and bars/clubs. Ile Ste-Hélène and Ile Notre-Dame islands ahve the La Ronde amusement park.
In 1535, the French explorer Jacques Cartier landed on Montreal Island. Montreal was founded in May 1642 as a missionary colony. By 1760 the city's population of French origin had reached about 4,000. In 1760 Montreal surrendered to British forces and a small group of enterprising merchants took over the fur trade.
