Montreal, Canada Project Center - IQP

With 1.7 million residents, Montreal is Canada’s second-largest city and tenth largest in North America. It is a bustling commercial metropolis that beautifully blends the historic cobblestone streets of Old Montreal with avant-garde architecture and skyscrapers in the Downtown. With the second largest French-speaking after Paris, Montréal is a perfectly bi-lingual society– a place where you can use English, but where you can study and improve your French. It is a global entrepôt with a diverse population that spans all continents. 40 percent of the population is non-white and they bring an amazing culinary, musical, and social addition to an already vibrant cultural scene. Whether you are dancing the night away at Mtelus or losing yourself in the voluminous Museum of Fine Arts, you will be inspired. It has six major universities and nearly 250,000 university students. It will be easy to make new friends!

A city with a long commitment to livability and sustainability, Montréal rates as one of the nicest places on the planet. It is safe, clean, and green. The City Wellbeing Index, measured on 15 well-being metrics (including the cost of living, gender equality, city innovation, and green spaces), ranked Montreal #1 in the hemisphere and #11 worldwide– ahead of Copenhagen, Berlin, Singapore, Melbourne, Florence, and Tokyo. The city is connected by one of the best public transportation systems in the hemisphere. You can also easily walk to most neighborhoods or jump on a cheap Metro. Need a natural escape? In Fredrick Law Olmsted’s Mount Royal Park or St Helen’s Island, the sounds of the city fade away, leaving only the birds, the wind, and crunch of the fresh snow underfoot. Words don’t do this place justice; you need to live Montreal.

Yes, Montreal is cold in the winter. Day temperatures in January and February generally hover around 12-26° F. During the evening, it often falls below zero. This Project Center celebrates winter and there is no better teacher than Canadians. Winter in Montreal is anything but sleepy. Call it nordicité, Montrealers embrace the winter. Street Festivals like Quebec’s raucous Winter Carnival or Montreal’s own Lumière and Luminotheapie festivals pull everyone onto the streets with visual wonder and merriment. World-class museums and concert venues pull the biggest names.

But you are in Montreal for the winter. Bring your skis, your skates, your snowshoes, and enjoy the winter sports. Some of the premier ski areas, both downhill and cross country, are in Quebec. Slopes and trails are much more affordable than New England and opportunities abound inside the city, including Mount Royal Park and in the close environs.

Need to warm up? The food scene is superb: hearty and filling. The French-inheritance for haute cuisine, locally sourced ingredients, and small farmers makes every meal a treat. It is not uncommon for wild game to be featured main courses with delicacies from the sea and the forest. Sugar shacks– convivial little wooden shacks with food and music– pop-up in February and March with wonderful imaginative creations seasoned with fresh maple syrup. Very local bands get all the patrons singing together. The arrival of immigrants from all over the world mean you can sample amazing fare from all over the world with a simple walk or metro stop. Finally, multiple thermal spas with hot water make a delightful treat. Nothing beats sitting in hot water, feeling warm and toasty, while snowflakes cut through the night sky. Or you can grab a blanket, huddle next to a warm fire, grab a warm beverage, and finally finish that book you’re reading!