I leave for Montreal in a few hours. I've never been. Does anyone have suggestions for what do do in the rain? Is the biosphere fun? The underground city seems like a good way to escape the weather, but does it feel like a mall or, worse, L'Enfant Plaza? (Washingtonians will know what I mean by the last question.)

Is the biosphere fun? Depends on what you mean by fun. There are no rides, for instance.

Kids love the insectarium,and it is even better if you bring a magnifying glass. And it's indoors.

Montreal in the rain really requires a raincoat and an umbrella, and a long walk through Old Montreal.

BAK

I saw bits and pieces of the "uderground city"... parts it felt like a war bunker, other parts felt like a mall. It really seemed to me like underground connections between office buildings and wouldn't go out of my way to spend time there, unless it was -30 degrees outside. If it's raining, it gives you a good excuse to go hopping between the cafe's

Don't let the treat of some showers dampen your enthusiam. Montreal is great in any kind of weather. In fact, sometimes an overcast day beats the hot sun for exploring a city - just carry an umbrella! As for the Biosphere - I've never been in it, but I have been to the BIODOME (don't confuse the two). The Biodome is great fun, and it's in the Olympic Park. The underground city is a collection of multi level mega malls connected by walkways and Metro stations. Ok for a few hours of shopping. The Museum of Fine Arts is another good rainy day destination.

Doriana ... I was mixed up.

The Biodome was what I was thinking off. It's displays of vegetation (although more intereting than that may sound) and the insectarioum is nearby. I think there's a joint ticket for the two.

The Biosphere is something else, and I have not been there since 1967.

BAK

BAK, if you are interested, this is what the Biosphere is now used for

http://biosphere.ec.gc.ca/site.asp?l...age=bios_10000

JQ

The Biosphere can be fun on a rainy day; talks about the Saint Lawrence River Valley from a standpoint of ecology. It's interactive, so lots of buttons to press to learn about subjects that interest you.

The underground city does feel like a mall although you may discover that the ambience is different from that of a DC area mall. What I'd tend to do instead is grab an umbrella, head up St. Denis/St. Laurent and stop in a shop, resto or cafe that struck my fancy. There are cafes as well within the "underground city" if you wish to stick within a major shopping area. Enjoy!

Doriana will be happy; the predictions were awful for the weekend but saturday and sunday turned out gloriously nice and warm, just a few drops saturday evening.....

Mitchdesj -- You are right! We had wonderful weather. The only rain we had was on our walk back to our hotel to head to the airport yesterday -- that was an outrageous downpour and we waited it out as long as we could, but then got pretty soaked. But we could hardly complain after two and a half beautiful days!