Travel Information

Where is Montréal?

Bon Secours

Located on an island in the Saint Lawrence river, Montréal is close to the Canadian and U.S. border.  Found at 45°30′ N / 73°36′ W, Montréal is the largest city in the Province of Québec, and the second largest city in Canada.  Its metropolitan population is 3,360,000.

The highest point on the island is Mount Royal (232 m/761 ft).  The mountain is surrounded by a large park and is visible from most of the downtown area.

Montréal is a gateway city served by Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (Montréal-Trudeau, YUL), at which many non-stop flights arrive daily from the US and Europe.

What cities are nearby?

Montréal is:

• 200 km (125 miles) from Ottawa, Ontario (Capital of Canada)
• 263 km (163 miles) from Quebec City, Quebec (Capital of Quebec)
• 358 km (222 miles) from Albany, New York (Capital of New York)
• 520 km (329 miles) from Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
• 529 km (329 miles) from Boston, Massachusetts (US)
• 613 km (381 miles) from New York City, New York (US)

Visit Google maps or Mapquest for other travel distances.  Note that our ‘State’ code for Mapquest is QC.

You will need a passport

All international travellers (including U.S. citizens) should carry a passport when visiting Canada.  Canada also requires visitors from some countries to obtain a visa.

After June 1, 2009, the U.S. will require passports for departure and re-entry to the U.S.  Because these new security requirements have increased passport demand and processing delays, we recommend that all Anticipation attendees apply for a passportnow rather than wait until the last minute.

Montréal Airlines

These airlines serve Montréal-Trudeau airport.

Getting from Airport to Hotel

So you’ve claimed your bags and made it through Customs.  Here’s how to get to your hotel.

Rail Travel to Montréal

Anticipation has designated VIA Rail Canada (serving British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) as its official railway service provider.  Between August 1st and August 15th, 2009, Anticipation attendees can claim a 10% discount off the best available round-trip fare to Montreal in Comfort Class/VIA1 or Sleeper Class.  The discounted fare is restricted to a maximum of two passengers per party, and no stopovers are allowed except on trains 001 and 002, which allow one stop.  When booking your travel, you must create a login profile, then reference our event confirmation number, 11469, during the booking process to get the discount.

What can you do in Montréal?

There are lots of places to visit and things to discover in Montréal.

You can visit our nature museums, art and history museums and others. You can tour the city, shop, see a show or find a great place to eat

For more links, visit del.ici.ous Montréal

You can also check out this article about the city.

Canada Sightseeing Tours

Plans are being made for non-official 9 to 14 day sightseeing tours of Canada in conjunction with the Worldcon.

Restaurants

We’re working on a Restaurant Guide, but for now we have some good links and we’re getting more.

• Montréal Restaurants. Slow loading page, but it has a large restaurant listing with maps.  Sortable by neighborhood, cuisine, and price.
• Kosher. Listing Restaurants, bakeries, caterers, and markets.
• Chowhound. Kosher, with a blog and reviews/recommendations.
• halal. Listing Restaurants, with other links.

Nature Museums

• The Biodome. An oasis in the heart of the city, the Montréal Biodome recreates some of the most beautiful ecosystems of the Americas.
• The Botanical Gardens. With its collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivated exhibits, 10 exhibition greenhouses, and some thirty thematic gardens, the Montréal Botanical Garden ranks as one of the world’s largest and most spectacular botanical garden.
• Dow Planetarium. Visit Montréal’s own night sky simulator.  See the night’s stars the way they are, the way they were and the way they will be.
• The Insectarium. The Insectarium plays a cultural and scientific role, displaying entomological collections for the public and disseminating entomological and environmental knowledge and research findings.

Art and History Museums

Centre d’histoire

• McCord Museum. Founded in 1921 by David Ross McCord, The McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history.
• Pointe-à-Callière Museum. The Montréal museum of Archeology and History features seasonal exhibits that explore and expand our knowledge of history.
• Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. Conserving Art for All to Share. The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, true to its vocation of acquiring and promoting the work of Canadian and international artists past and present, has a mission to attract the broadest and most heterogeneous public possible, and to provide that public with first-hand access to a universal artistic heritage.
• The Montréal Museum of Contemporary Art. A major Canadian institution dedicated exclusively to contemporary art, the Musée offers a varied program ranging from presentations of its Permanent Collection to exhibitions of works by Québec, Canadian and international artists.  The Permanent Collection comprises some 7,000 works, including the largest collection of art by Paul-mile Borduas.  Through Education and Documentation Department, the museum presents a host of educational activities to further connect the general public with contemporary art. The Musée also stages numerous multimedia events, including performance, new dance, experimental theatre, contemporary music, video and film.
• Stewart Museum. Situated at the Fort on Île Sainte-Hélène near Montréal, the Stewart Museum tells the history of the discovery, exploration and development of Canada, and its close relationship with the civilizations of Western Europe, which gave it birth.

More sites to visit

• The Canadian Center for Architecture. An international research center and museum devoted to architecture.
• Montréal Science Center. The Montréal Science Center highlights and explains recent Canadian innovations and inventions both within the exhibition halls and in its public areas to show them off and make visitors more aware of the know-how of our local industries.
• The Montréal tourism board. The website for the Montréal tourism board is the gateway to the city of Montréal on the web.  It includes links to hotels, events, and much more.
• The Canadian Tourism Commission. The Canadian Tourism Commission works to increase awareness of and interest in Canada as a premiere four-season tourism destination.

See the city

• Old Montréal.  The original settlement for the city, it is still a thriving district with many shops and restaurants.
• Mount Royal Park. The largest park in the city.  Walk up to the cross at the top, or just hang out around Beaver lake.

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What’s New

Aug 12, 2009

The convention is over; thank you for joining us!

Thank you for joining us! Please post links to your convention reports or photos to the Anticipation Livejournal, or let us know on Twitter. And we hope to see a lot of you at Aussiecon 4

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Aug 9, 2009

Hugo Winners Announced

The 2009 Hugo winners have been announced.

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Aug 7, 2009

Anticipation to offer “Taster” memberships

Heard about World Science Fiction Conventions (Worldcons) and think they sound cool but not sure they’re worth the money? Then Taster memberships are for you.