Plateau Mont Royal

Montreal's charm lies in its old-world atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Quebec's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.

Montreal has a notoriously arctic winter (December-March) that makes it great as a base for winter sports, but with the sort of spiteful temperatures that would probably frighten a polar bear. Thankfully, Montreal gets around the problem with its 'Underground City', a unique climate-controlled labyrinth of 2000 shops and 29km (18mi) of corridors. This makes the city an alluring year-round tourist drawcard - a winter wonderland during the cold season and warm, long, lazy nights in the summer. Late May to early September is peak tourist time and sees a seamless procession of festivals, including the legendary Jazz Festival and the Grand Prix, take over the town.

The old town of Montreal is a wonderful feast for the senses. The streets are filled with musicians, restaurants, groovy shops and squares. Grab an outside table, shut your eyes and take in the smells, sounds and general atmosphere of bonhomie