North America

The Eastern Townships of Canada have always been a draw for Montrealers looking to escape the city and for skiers who prefer quiet backcountry slopes to overcrowded resorts. But now there’s an even better reason to go ­– beer, and lots of it. Québec now has more than 150 craft breweries, and the small towns […]

In the Saint-Michel neighborhood of Montreal, a collection of buildings make up a kind of ‘Cirque City.’ It’s here you’ll find the National Circus School, the headquarters of Cirque de Soleil – and the home of TOHU, a year-round dedicated circus-arts venue that also hosts the Montreal Cirque Festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary in July

‘Bonjour-hi!’ Montréal’s breezy, unofficial greeting is a fitting welcome to a city where French and English mingle in covered markets, cobblestone streets and postage-stamp cafes. Montréal may be Québec’s metropolis, but it’s snipped into bite-sized neighborhoods, rewarding block-by-block discovery. It’s an explorer’s playground (and a gourmet jackpot). From the historic streets of the Old Port

Travel writer Mike MacEacheran stepped into the wilds of Québec just outside of Montréal to see what adventures he could find. Here’s what he discovered. Canoeing the calm waters of a lake in Mauricie National Park, Québec © Tom Robinson / Smarttravelly On the shores of Lac Blanc, it’s dinnertime for black bears. A sow

The first scenes of autumn in Montreal are set to a multi-colored backdrop of burnt amber and willowing orange, the Québécois characters linking arms and popping their collars. It’s a romantic stage, full of drives up to the Laurentian Mountains and warm apple cider in the Eastern Townships. As autumn turns to winter, Montréalers know

Montréal is overflowing with drool-worthy vegan restaurants, several of which have been around for over two decades. Don’t miss out on plant-based versions of the Quebec region’s classic cheese curd dish, poutine – it’s the perfect warming dish during chilly winter months. If you’re out and about in Montréal and looking for a vegan bite

Great summer weather, golden sandy beaches, brilliant sunshine, people frolicking under sun umbrellas… Could this be the Caribbean? Nope, it’s Montréal! The beaches may be river beaches rather than the balmy Caribbean, but Montréal and the surrounding area offer blissful summer beaches at a fraction of the cost of a tropical getaway. Okay, we concede

Montréal has its urban wonders, funky architecture, old cobblestone streets, and lots of pretty neighborhoods to wander in, but what makes this city such a wonderful place to visit and live are the green spaces dotting nearly every neighborhood. Almost 5000 acres in Montréal belong to green space, and what better way to enjoy your

On his first trip out of the United States since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Sebastian Modak takes the long way north. The rain returned just as I crouched down by the curb to fix my fourth flat bicycle tire of the day. The sun was inching toward the horizon, casting a thick gray-gold

Sometimes called “the Paris of North America,” Montréal is a captivating city that straddles two worlds: there’s a hint of old Europe, with French accents, Québécois cuisine and cobblestone-lined neighborhoods, but plenty of familiar North American food and shops as well. Montréalers tend to have a soft spot for kids, and families are generally given