Montreal

Everything in Canada is big, so having set off to hike up what locals simply refer to as 'The Mountain' - you'll be surprised to find yourself at the top in about 15 minutes.

Mount Royal is the city's namesake and centrepiece of the best loved of Montréal's 650 parks. It's also a good place to begin to make sense of Quebec's capital and the largest French-speaking city outside Paris.

Stretching out beneath you are two very different faces of Montréal: Old Montréal - with its Gallic essence, charming cobbled streets, pavement cafés and Victorian mansions, and modern Downtown - a sea of skyscrapers and commerce that's also home to thriving Chinese and Latin communities.

But that's only half the story - head for the 'Underground City' and you'll discover a shopper's utopia, with 32km of subterranean passageways linking more than 1,600 shops, 200 restaurants as well as cinemas and even a university.

Above ground Old Montréal arguably boasts the richest lesson in architectural history on the continent, spanning the past three centuries. At the centre stands the monumental 3,800-seater neo-gothic Basilique Notre-Dame, which the architect found so inspirational to work on that he forgot his Protestant roots and converted to Catholicism.

In nearby Downtown the Cathédrale Marie Reine du Monde is a beautifully scaled down facsimile of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Within walking distance are two of Montréal's cultural 'big hitters', the only exclusively contemporary art museum in Canada - the Musée d'Art Contemporain, as well as the nation's oldest - the Musée des Beaux Arts.

Ever since the days of prohibition across the American border, Montréal has had a reputation for knowing how to have a good time, and her nightlife is best sampled in the bars and clubs of the gay Village, the fashionable, multifaceted venues of Plateau Mont Royal, the sultry jazz clubs of Old Montreal, and the Latin Quarter.

With its ethnic and cultural fusion, it's little surprise that the city is also known for its gastronomic fare. Streets across the city spill over with eateries and 'The Main' (Boulevard Saint Laurent) and Rue Prince Arthur, are good places to start.

Time your visit for the summer and you'll be able to take advantage of Montreal's busy social diary, which includes the Just For Laughs Festival, the Festival International de Jazz and the Air Canada Grand Prix.