FUN FACTS Did you know? 18 The legal drinking age in Montréal is 18. Bars and restaurants can serve beer and alcohol from 11 a.m. to 3 in the morning. A popular local snack is poutine (French fries with cheese curds topped with gravy) – absolutely delicious!

JOHN LENNON and held their legendary What others call “pastrami”, Bed-In for Peace we call smoked meat in Montréal at the Fairmont the (By the way, our smoked meat Queen Elizabeth hotel from sandwiches are to die for!) May 26 to June 2, 1969. 80 languages In total, 80 languages are spoken in the Montréal region, including French, English, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Chinese, German, Portuguese, Eye contact in Montréal differs An entrée here Creole and Vietnamese. from that in other major cities. is actually an appetizer. Whereas discretion is the order of the day elsewhere, Montréalers do not shy away from making eye contact with strangers. Greeting a Montréal is among the French-speaking 10 best cities person from in the world for Montréal outdoor dining, can be confusing for visitors. The according to American travel customary way to greet friends in guide publisher, Frommers. Montréal is to kiss them on both According to die-hard foodies, cheeks, starting with the right, nothing beats a Montréal whereas Canadians in other bagel. The secret to its baked provinces tend to keep their perfection? Wood stove, eggs distance and simply shake hands. in the dough and a steady hand in the kitchen. tango With the highest number of tango dancers and dance halls on the continent, Our “underground city” has over 33 km (20,5 miles) of Montréal is the tango pedestrian walkways, indoor areas and tunnels linking capital of North America. 10 subway stations, 2 train stations and 2 bus termini, 18 skyscrapers, 10 major hotels, 2,000 businesses, 265 restaurants, numerous cinemas and exhibition halls, and more than 10 000 parking areas. Pepper your speech with a little parlez-vous in Montréal! YOUR STARTER KIT TO THE LOCAL LINGO Montréal has oodles of IF YOU WANT TO SAY… THE FRENCH VERSION cosmopolitan chic and European Hello Bonjour flavour. But did you know that [Pronounced: Bo-JOUR] Montréal is also the world’s Goodbye Au revoir second-largest French-speaking [Pronounced: oh-rev-WARR] city after Paris? Conversation Please S’il-vous-plaît [Pronounced: see-voo-PLAY] here flows easily–in English, Thank you Merci French and many other [Pronounced: mare-SEE] languages. With this easy See you soon À la prochaine crash-course of French [Pronounced: a-la-pruh-SHENN] phrases, you can wow the locals when you’re here. IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU: YOU SHOULD ANSWER:

Pour quel événement The name of the event you are êtes-vous à Montréal ? in Montréal for (What brings you to Montréal?

D’où venez-vous ? The name of the city or country (Where are you from?) you are from.

Voulez-vous… ? (Would you like…?)

/ … un café au lait ? Oui, s’il vous plaît ! (a coffee with milk?)

/ … goûter la poutine ? Oui, s’il vous plaît ! (to try some poutine?)

/ … une table sur la terrasse ? Oui, s’il vous plaît ! (a table on the patio?) Visit for more MTL.ORG / … un verre de vin ? Oui, s’il vous plaît ! about the Montréal experience. (a glass of wine?) [Pronounced: Wee, see voo play!]