Question: Do Americans need a passport to visit Montreal?

[brentspeak]

Or is a driver's license enough? (I've never been to Canada)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. I just brought my driver's license (I was there over New Years)

However, soon they're going to require a passport. They might even require one already.

[Callalily]

2. If you're flying,

most definitely. Not sure if you cross the boarder via car.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. Yeah, we just drove up there.

[brentspeak]

6. What's it like in Montreal? They don't look down on Americans if

they don't speak French, do they? (Somebody at work claimed so, but I'm taking that with a grain of salt.)

[PeterPuck]

9. depends on the area

Some parts of Montreal are very English. Most people in Montreal are bilingual and will be able to accomodate English speakers. I wouldn't say they would look down on American tourists.

Passports are not required.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. We only had problems with one snarky waiter and oddly enough the

mystery voices in a parking garage.

Most of the people we met were really nice and willing to play games of pool with us, point us to the good weed, etc. And this was over New Years when hoardes of drunk Americans show up and proceed to wreak havoc on the city.

[querelle]

12. Native Montrealer Here..........

We do not look down on American tourists who can't speak French. We do however look down on Canadian anglos who come to our city and DEMAND service in English because this is an English country goddammit! Canada is most emphatically NOT an English country. It is a bilingual country. My people were one of the two founding cultures of this great country but we are often treated as dogshit by the English majority. Although I no longer live in Montreal (I'm in Ottawa now because I work in the diplomatic corps), this subject still burns my ass. No fucking wonder we have Quebec separatists...........

Q

[KurtNYC]

15. Some suggestions

I go to Montreal at least once every year. I'm going next Thursday 8/24 btw. They have the highest number of restaurants of any city in north america. Between that competition and a kind of liberated french palate, the food is excellent almost everywhere in the city. Here are some recommendations:

Start by getting a 3-day transit pass (about $17CA). You can get them at Beri-UQAM but if you ask at one of the other metro stations, in my experience, they will just tell you to buy one at Beri-UQAM and let you in free. The pass is good on subway and busses.

St. Louis Square and Prince Arthur - in the early evening ride the Metro to Sherbrooke. Walk through St. Louis park and check out the musicians on the west end; also the painited turrets on the houses beside the park. Then proceed through the pedestrian only blocks of Prince Arthur. There are lots of restaurants here (I have never eaten at any of them because they seem too touristy in a city full of great food) and they are almost all BYOB (meaning wine). A great gelato place is there too.

Marche' Jean Talon - is the green market (and now gourmet market) in the Little Italy section of Montreal. Metro to Jean Talon then ask; the market is within 2 blocks of the stop but is not obvious from the Metro station. Free samples of all the great local produce and yet another great gelato stall. Or if your travels take you closer to Atwater Market go there.

Take the #11 bus to the top of Mount Royale and walk down -- Metro to Mont Royal and then get the #11 bus to the summit. Walk to the Chalet, check out the view of the city, the river and Vermont, then walk down the front of the mountain. The park was designed by Olmstedt (the same guy that did Central Park) but they didn't build it exactly as he planned it. Neat view and neat park anyway. If it is Sunday morning, check-out Tam Tam on the east end of the park by Avenue du Parc.

Walk down St Denis in the evening. Thriving little bars and restos.

Check out Rue Laurier for the more upscale side of town. Patisserie Gascogne features decadent french bakery fare.

If you have kids (and even if you don't), check out Place Jacques Cartier in the old port. Street performers (buskers), artists, and tourists. Cobblestone streets, ancient churches and lots of space that is converted (preserving the stone walls).

For foodies: (as if I haven't listed enough food options) try one of Montreal's better or trendier restaurants. Better = Au Petit Extra http://www.au-liondor-montreal.com/petitextra/fr/index.... trendy = "Area" (1429 Amherst)in the Village: http://www.rest-area.qc.ca / Btw. unlike most of the restaurants in the middle of the island, they don't speak English at Au Petit but they can translate the menu for you if need be.

Go to Ilse St Helene and the Casino. These islands were home to Expo 67 and now are a park in the middle of the river. Gardens, left over pavillions, parkland, etc.

Stay at a Bed and Breakfast - cheaper and you will meet locals and travelers over breakfast.

Some useful links:
A foodie look at Montreal: http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/movfeast_mont...
The Montreal Mirror (their english language version of ~The Village Voice: events, news, local flavor):
http://www.montrealmirror.com /
Site for the International Film fest (8/24 thru 9/4/06) which will include free outdoor screenings:
http://www.ffm-montreal.org/en_index.html
A list of Bed and Breakfast with links to their sites (the rest of this site is very good also): http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/

[querelle]

16. Kurt.......

Where do you stay while in Mtl?

Q

[KurtNYC]

18. I usually go for a week and get a weekly rate

at the Hotel St. Andre' (very convenient to Beri UQAM).

But when I went with family I have stayed elsewhere including an auberge in the old city which is in converted stables opposite the Marche Bonsecours (once)-- the name escapes me. Nice but $230CA a night now (!) Also a hotel on Crescent (once; with family) which was a mistake since Crescent gets very noisy from 3am to 6am.

[querelle]

21. May I Make A Recommendation?

Le Zebre au coin du rue Rachel et de la Fontaine. It's owned by a couple of friends of mine. Very nice place. An old Victorian mansion converted into a B&B. I always stay there because one of the things I always insist on is a private bathroom. All of their rooms have private baths. Also, the breakfasts are to die for.

Here is a link to their site:

http://www.bblezebre.com/

Q

[KurtNYC]

22. I tried them but they were booked

for the dates I wanted. I just picked them from their website linked off of the tourisme site. Nice looking rooms (and website). I wound up here instead:

http://www.montrealbedandbreakfast.ca/a/rooms.htm

Got a favorite restaurant?

[brentspeak]

17. Thanks for that info

[u4ic]

4. You don't need a driver's license in Montreal

to drive, anyway...

:hide:

[querelle]

14. Not True

It just seems that way. We Quebecers drive "creatively".

Q

[Nickster]

5. My wife just got back from there last week. You can still travel with a

driver's license and birth cert, but the feeling was that if you had a passport, things would move much smoother. She grabbed one about a month before she left and everything was smooth as glass. I believe January is when it becomes mandatory to have a passport. If you check the Dept of State website, they have all the details.

[qnr]

7. Here's a link to the State Department page on the subject.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1170.html

[brentspeak]

10. Thanks for the link

They had this to say:

(Passport required by):

* January 8, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
* December 31, 2007 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Not really, but I sure as hell wouldn't leave the country without one.

Not even to Canada - not any more. I want to make sure I can get back in.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. A driver's license AND a certified birth certificate or naturalization.

They can refuse to let you back in without proof of citizenship and a state issued ID with photo to verify that you are the same person listed on the birth or naturalization certs.

As of Jan 1 2008 you will need a passport.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

[CrushTheDLC]

19. Passports are not (yet required) but.....

...there are some overzealous Canadian border guards who think they should be. I got harrassed for a while the last time I went North about "crossing international borders" and all.

Considering it costs about $100 to get a passport, it's ridiculous that it should be required to travel anywhere on this continent. If I didn't know better, I would think that Chimpy was trying to discourage people from visiting Canada. Of course now that Little Stevie Wonderbush and the neocons are in charge up there, he might have changed his mind.

[sakabatou]

20. It's probably best to do so

I did that back last year when I went through the border.