300c.com

Montreal Transport

The two international airports serving Montréal are operated by Aéroports de Montréal (tel 394-7377 or 1-800/465-1213, www.admtl.com ). The main one, Aéroport de Dorval , 22km southwest of the city, is the arrival point for international and Canadian flights. Passengers departing from Dorval must pay an Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) of $10, to be handed over in cash to an attendant or by credit card at one of the machines at the entrance to the security checkpoint. The Aérobus airport shuttle service (tel 931-9002) runs every 20 minutes from 7am to 1am daily, linking Dorval Airport with the Station Centrale d’Autobus Montréal and the Gare de l’Aéroport, adjacent to the train station (35-45 min; $11 one-way, $19.75 return). Passengers can take the complimentary shuttle service to major downtown hotels from the latter; some hotels also have vans that pick up guests directly from the airport - ask on making a reservation. Several local buses also connect Dorval to downtown but they take ages. A taxi downtown is $28.50, plus tip.

Montréal’s second airport, Aéroport de Mirabel , 55km northwest of the city, is used solely for charter flights. From Mirabel to the same locations downtown takes just over an hour by bus, although the service is irregular, based on flight arrival times (tel 931-9002; $18 one-way, $25 return). The taxi fare is around $72, including tip.

Montréal’s main train station , Gare Centrale, is below the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on the corner of boul René-Lévesque and rue Mansfield, and is entered at 895 rue de la Gauchetière ouest. The station is the major terminus for Canada’s VIA Rail trains from Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec and the Gaspé as well as US Amtrak trains from Washington and New York. The Bonaventure Métro station links it with the rest of the city. An international student card (ISIC) gets 40 percent off regular train fares; but even if you don’t have one you can still get a discount by booking six days in advance to get 30 percent off return-trip fares and 20 percent off one-way tickets.

Long-distance buses arrive and depart from Station Centrale d’Autobus Montréal at 505 boul de Maisonneuve est. The Berri-UQAM Métro is right below the station. Orléans Express (tel 842-2281, www.orleansexpress.com ) is the province’s main coach company. Students and senior citizens receive a 25 percent discount with proper identification.

The public transport system is one of the city’s greatest assets, linking the 65-station Métro to 150 bus routes. The clean, speedy, convenient, reliable and cheap Métro system has four colour-coded lines, the major interconnecting stations being Berri-UQAM (which links the orange, green and yellow lines), Lionel-Groulx (green and orange), Snowdon and Jean-Talon (blue and orange). Coloured signs indicate the direction of each line by showing the name of the terminus; maps of the system can be picked up at stations and information centres.

A correspondance , available from machines beyond the turnstiles at the Métro stations, allows you to complete your journey by bus at no extra cost, but you must get one at the beginning of your journey, not as you get off the Métro. The transfer system also works in reverse, from buses to Métro - ask the driver for one as you board. Most buses stop running at 12.30am, shortly before the Métro, though some run all through the night and cover different routes; they have the same fare system as the Métro, but exact change is required.

One-way fares are a flat $2, and a book of six tickets - a carnet - costs $8.25. Better suited to visitors, the STCUM tourist pass allows unlimited travel on the Métro and bus routes: it costs $7 a day or $14 for three consecutive days and is available from the information centres, Berri-UQAM Métro station and, from April to October, at all downtown Métro stations.

It is rarely necessary to take a taxi , and they’re not that expensive if you’re in a group; they cost $2.80 plus $1.13 per kilometre and an additional ten to fifteen percent tip is normal. Taxis can be boarded at ranks outside hotels and transport terminals, and by simply flagging them down. They can also be ordered by phone: Taxi Diamond (tel 273-6331) and Taxi Co-op (tel 725-9885) are two reliable services.