montreal stay

[rowo15]

hello,

i am planning to attend the montreal concert during the jazz fest. this will be my first time in montreal.

can you recommend some good places to stay (including hotels and bed and breakfast places)? how about proximity to the concret and festival sites? on hotwire.com, i noticed a lot of hotels in downtown. would downtown be a good location?

do you recommend i rent a car or use mass transit (what is the mass transit of montreal)?

how far is the airport to montreal? what is a good way to get from the airport to the hotel (if i don't have a car)?

how about good places to eat (both fancy and low-key)?

anything else would be helpful. i am excited to see leonard and visit montreal.

roselina

[Mark J]

Montreal won't let you down, but it gets pricey near the jazzfest. You'll pay 100-200 per night at a decent hotel, but this is a bargain compared to most big cities in North America. You'll see a hill towards the North: head up the hill on any of the parallel streets onto the "Plateau". Here, you'll find lots of typical Montreal fare, including several "bring-your-own-wine" restaurants. I recommend Amelio's (gourmet pizza $6 cab ride from Leonard's venue)

[Mark J]

Sorry, I forgot your practical questions:

There's a shuttle bus that costs $16 that takes you from the Airport to the downtown Bus stations with 2 stops at hotels (takes about a half hour). Cabs charge a fixed rate from the Airport to downtown $35. ($40 with tip, I guess). Cabs here are plentiful and reasonable. Public transit is $2.75 per trip, and very good, but much slower than a cab.
Book early for not-so-ludicrous hotel bills! I don't think there's really a cheap way to stay anywhere near downtown, but cheap is a relative term (my wife just stayed at a modest hotel in London, UK. for $1000 a night).
Party one night at St. Sulpice, the largest outdoor patio in town. It's a 5 minute walk from the venue, and it's a real nice slice of Quebecois culture.

[Darling]

Roselina,

Do not waste your money renting a car, it will be more of a hassle finding parking, driving through trafic than it is worth. During the jazzfest many streets are closed to cars anyway and Montreal has a very good subway system. You can buy 6 tickets for 12$ or a weekly pass for 19,25$. There are also tourist passes which give you unlimited access, one day 9$, 3 days 17$. During the festival, once you are in the downtown area (metro station: Place des Arts), the best way to go around will be to walk and enjoy the music and the crowds...

There is another thread about Montreal with some info:viewtopic.php?f=26&t=10666
For a subway map: http://www.stcum.qc.ca/metro/mapmetro.htm

Don't worry too much, Montreal is a very easy city to get around in, you will love it!

Have fun!

[rowo15]

thank you for all the great info.

now i have a better idea of montreal, mass transit, things to eat and the lay of it. the thread about montreal for tourist is fantastic.

thanks again!