International Travel:Getting There by AirAir Canada (AC) and other international carriers fly into Montréal. Commuter services between Montréal and Toronto, Québec City and New York also exist. Local air services operate between the cities in the south and float planes serve the lakes and parkland of the north.
Main AirportsMontréal has two international airports,
Trudeau (YUL), 25km (16 miles) west of Montréal, and
Mirabel (YMX), 53km (33 miles) northwest of Montréal (website for both airports:
www.admtl.com). All international scheduled flights are from Montréal-Trudeau. Charter flights are from Montréal-Mirabel. Several daily trans-border US services also operate from Montréal-Trudeau.
To/from the airports: A regular shuttle service connects the two airports. Buses leave Trudeau and Mirabel throughout the day for Montréal and its major hotels. Taxi and limousine services are also available for a fixed flat fee.
Getting There by WaterMain ports: Québec City and
Montréal are the most important Canadian ports on the St Lawrence Seaway, which links the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the industrial heartland of Canada and the USA. Several international passenger carriers sail to both ports; European carriers dock only at Montréal. Most of the province’s lakes and rivers (notably the Ouatouais, the Richelieu and the Saguenay) are served by local ferries, some of which are able to take heavy lorries. For schedules and fares, enquire locally.
Getting There by RailVIA Rail connects Montréal and Québec City to Toronto with fast, regular services. It also offers services to Halifax from Montréal and Québec City. Links to the USA are with
Amtrak and
VIA Rail.
VIA Rail connects all major provincial towns, and
Amtrak operates two daily trains to the USA.
VIA Rail services also connect the major cities in the south of the province, with thrice-daily mainline services from Montréal to Québec.
Getting There by RoadThe best way of traveling into and around Québec by road is by long-distance coach, especially
Orléans Express (website:
www.orleansexpress.com). The services in the southern region are especially frequent. Motorhomes
and campers
are best for seeing the northern parklands, and the area is connected to the south by several good highways, although the most extensive network is around the populous areas in the south.
Montréal’s
bus and
metro services are fully integrated, fast, clean and operate on a flat-fare system. Tickets for single journeys are not usually issued unless a transfer is required. For transfers from metro to bus, transfer-tickets should be obtained from machines before leaving the underground. If transferring from bus to metro, ask the bus driver for a ticket. Passes for one day, three days and seven days are sold as well as multi-ticket books. Québec City’s bus services operate on a flat-fare system. No change is carried on board. Pre-purchase passes are available. There are good bus services in other towns.
Taxis can be hailed on the street in Montréal, but in other cities in the province they need to be ordered.
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