It was a riot. It still is. The secret is in picking your spots and the season. There is no spring during spring break, but as the snow thaws in May, Montrealers cavort in the streets after six months of living as winter moles . Indian summer before the first flakes is best for romanticism in the Old City, traveling by horse-drawn carriage down the cobblestone streets.
Winter is for warming up with memorable meals and pub crawls.
If French is not your flavor, fear not. There are English, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Haitian, Portuguese, Greek, Hassidic and every other ethnic group imaginable in this metropolitan tapestry. Montreal can best be described as a friendly cross between New York and Paris, without the city violence or the hautiness. You can go from one destination to the next by using the metro . In Old Montreal, you will find the Notre Dame basilica , with its giant pipe organ and intricate interior.