Save some energy for the final night’s Nuit Blanche à Montréal, a dusk-to-dawn party packed with more than 200 indoor and outdoor activities. Most events are free, and some are held under the stars or, if you’re lucky, the lightly falling snow. The Montreal En Lumiere Festival occurs from February 19 to March 1, 2015.
Montreal En Lumiere, Canada
Flight Booking

You can easily get install a flight ticket online at DialAFlight. Their Economy Fares from Heathrow to Toronto are from £2,060 (inc tax). You can get more information when calling 0844-811-4444

Get Around

Montreal’s efficient Metro and Underground City pathways make it easy to get around the city without a car. If arriving by plane, take the 747 Express Bus (runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) from the airport to the central bus terminal. From here, ride the Metro to your hotel and to the Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district, site of the festival’s major outdoor events. During the Nuit Blanche, move between event locations via the Metro and the free shuttle service.

The Underground City, Canada
Cultural Tip

“Speak Franglais,” says Catherine Binette, a city resident and spokesperson for Tourisme Montréal. “We know you have some remedial elementary school French somewhere, so don’t be shy about using it. Mixing Molière and Shakespeare is common among locals.”

Destination to Stay

For convenience, choose the 12-story Zero 1 hotel, an urban minimalist-style hotel located close to Place des Festivals in the Quartier des Spectacles. Its 120 modern rooms are compact, yet suitable for sleeping. For more space, book one of the hotel's 43 suites. Best views: the one-bedroom Panorama suites with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Food

At the foodie-favorite Quebec Chefs and Cheeses evening event, February 21 at Fairmont: The Queen Elizabeth hotel (reservations required), taste and judge the culinary creations of four competitors from Radio-Canada’s popular Les Chefs! TV show. The celebrity chefs will prepare three courses made with Quebec cheeses and paired with wine. Diners double as the jury and determine which chef will walk away with the ,000 grand prize.




Shopping tip

Shop for Quebec-grown and -produced items such as farm cheeses, chocolates, and artisanal baked goods, including natas (Portuguese egg tarts), blueberry muffins, and macaroons at the historic Jean-Talon Market, opened in 1933 and considered one the largest farmers markets in North America. Quebec eco-luxury brand Harricana by Mariouche specializes in sustainable outerwear, clothing, scarves, hats, and other accessories made from recycled fur (including beaver, otter, fox, and raccoon) and silk. Tour the Fashion Design Economuseum at the Harricana flagship store on Saint-Antoine Street West to see how old furs are restored and repurposed to limit consumption and promote wildlife conservation.

Jean-Talon Market

Books should read Before You Go

Acclaimed Canadian satirist Mordecai Richler grew up in Montreal’s historic Mile End district, and the neighborhood (including iconic locations like Schwartz’s Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen) is featured prominently in his novels The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Gallery Books, reprint, 1999) and Barney’s Version (Vintage International, reprint, 2010).

Fun Fact

Montreal’s Nuit Blanche is part of a series of arts-and-culture all-nighters staged throughout the year in cities around the world. The Nuit Blanche, or White Night, concept began in 2002 in Paris, when multiple museums, galleries, and public places kept the lights on and doors open from dusk to dawn, welcoming visitors for free.