Moving to Montreal

Hello my wonderful neighbors to the North. I am making a semi permanent move to Montreal in a few months and would love any insight and tips anyone might have for living in Montreal. Thanks in advance...

 

So many great things and areas to experience. You don't need it, but learning a little French would be a plus.
Give us some insights into what your likes are for some recommendations that are more specific than "go to Vieux Montreal" or "Mount Royal has great views."
Those things are true, but if you're going to be a resident, I'm sure you'll want better. I recommend watching "Montreal Mon Amour Mon Histoire" for a history introduction, and "Bad Blood" for some entertainment with more than a bit of seedy truth. Buy your boots and winter coat once you're there most places further south don't have anything warm enough for Montreal winters. And get at least a Habs hat.

Any idea where you will be living?

 

The Westmount area is the premier neighbourhood, and Mont-Tremblant is the local circuit. There is a respectable car scene and I am sure Ferrari Quebec will take good care of you.

 

Services and stores will often speak only French eventhough they speak English. Government agencies will reluctantly, if atall, communicate in English. Winters are brutal, starting in early November and ending in May. Lots of snow. Sking is great in the Laurentians, north of ther city. And in summer, cottage life is varied. Traffic congestion is ominpresent due to perpetual construction that never gets completed. Roads are abysmal. Forget about driving a super car as there are endless potholes. Old Montreal has a European flavor and restaurants, if they ever open fully, are generally of high calibre.

 

I've been to Montreal as a tourist several times. In stores and restaurants, they'll greet in French, but quickly turn to English when they figure out you don't speak it. Not sure about dealing with government.

 

I know Montreal well. Born there and lived there for the first 22 years of my existence. Family still there.

 

That's because legally, they have to greet you in French, along with a bunch of other Francophone laws.

 

really,,since when

 

I moved from France to Montreal back in 2007.
I agree with most of the points above, although the whole french vs english is a bit random tbh. Really depends on who you're dealing with. One thing for sure, you'll be fine with with english in Montreal, but in the rest of Quebec, knowing a bit of french can help.

Winters.... brutal... long... Winter tires mandatory from dec 1st to march 15th. Roads covered in salt and gravel.
Ski is ok, but if you are used to the west or europe, you wont be impressed by the mountains nor by the price for the lift tickets!

Traffic is horrible. The rush hour is 7:30am to 9pm, on a good day.
Never ending road construction. Some stuff I've seen in construction when I moved in 2007 are still going on now !
Check that map out: http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7097,79001583&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

And now for my biggest issue with Montreal, and Quebec in general.
Roads are ****. There is no other way to put it. Poor quality, covered in potholes, and boring straight lines.
My toys are a Ducati and a Lotus. In the last 2 years, I havent used the bike at all and started the car once. I gave up on road toys, just got a Wrangler and I'm considering going back to dirt biking. You need to drive up north, to Tremblant, or cross the border south to find some fun roads. If you have a 2h window ahead of you and want a blast behind the wheel, there's pretty much nothing.


Montreal is great tho, has a lot to offer. But out of the place I've lived in, it has to be the crappiest one for a car enthusiast.

 

Montreal is great in the summer. Lots of festivals, F1, great restaurants and lots of life. It is greyish in the winter with lots of snow.

Best bet would be spending the winter months elsewhere. Roads are full of holes, but best drivers in Canada... they pay attention and have typically some clue of lane positioning compared to the rest of Canada.

Their political views often do not make sense to other Canadians.

 

Forgot to mention, don’t turn right on a red light. Also, Eastern Townships have good skiing. The owner of Circuit Mont Tremblant, also owns Ferrari Quebec and a Formula 1 team.... his son is one of the drivers.

 

Why? LOL.

Just half-kidding because of all that was noted already.

Having said that - welcome to Canada!