HI,<BR><BR>I will be visiting Montreal with my family next weekend. I've never been to Canada before. Can you tell me what to expect weather wise. Also can you tell me the top 5 places to visit and the top 5 places to eat(I hear the city has some outstanding restaurants). Your response will be greatly appreciated.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance!

Assume the high temperature in the day will be just about freezing, and the evening temperature will be minus five C or around 20 degrees f. But there's no guarantees. It could be much colder, so bring warm clothes.<BR><BR>I'd make sure I had lunch at Schrwartz's deli on St. Laurent., which is pretty dumpy looking, but an institution with great food, shared tables, good prices, and it is in a neighborhood that is worth visiting for shopping.<BR><BR>If you can't get there, get to Ben's Deli in the heart of downtown.<BR><BR>Other than that, there are too many good restuarnats to pick without knoiwing more specific info. For high budget elegance, Chez la Mere Michel on Guy Street or the Beaver Club in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.<BR><BR>And everyone should walk through old Montreal.<BR><BR>BAK<BR><BR>

Hi Akil,<BR><BR>I think the question is akin to asking what are the top 5 places to visit in New York City. What are the top 5 places visited by tourists visiting NYC? I'll hazard a guess: (now) Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square and the Empire State Building. All have allure and significance, but would not be where I would go to in NYC. They're what I would call "the tourist's NYC". Montreal is the same way: there are the tourist favorites, few of which give you a real feel for Montreal. <BR><BR>I suggest picking places based on your interest, taking into consideration that it's going to be cold: Old Montreal has architecture & great restaurants and is the site of the original Ville Marie settlement. Mont-Royal and Ile Ste-Helene are delightful parks, more enjoyable in the summer. Ste. Catherine St. between about University and Guy has a lot of shopping options. There's the funky, humanly rich neighborhoods of le Plateau Mont-Royal and Mile-End (where I would head to first). The nightlife of Saint-Denis, Saint-Laurent and the Village. <BR><BR>Restaurants I would have trouble picking a top 5 because so many are good, catering to all different price ranges. I'll mention a few that pop into my head, but IMO they're a few of a large number; too many restos in Montreal are of such high quality to constrain oneself to the narrow heading of "Top 5". In the higher price range, people seem to love Toque; les Caprices de Nicolas is another highly recommended one; in the medium price range, I'm fond of Modigliani and la Raclette in the Plateau. Ouzeri's great for a reasonably-priced meal with good portions. And I'm only scratching the surface here. Sometimes going to a top-notch boulangerie, patisserie and bucherie is the way to go; the quality of meats, pastries and breads at some can be beyond superlative. <BR><BR>Have a great time in one of my favorite cities in the world. DAN

The weather in Montreal has been surprisingly mild lately. I live in Toronto, but work 4 days / week in Montreal right now. It's been really good! However, it's also been good in Toronto up to yesterday. We got snow for the first time this winter in Toronto - it's melting fast, but it's definitely more seasonal. Could be the same in Montreal.

Montreal is a very cold city in the winter. In late December, you will probably see temps in the high 20's in the daytime, and in the single digits at night. Also - bring some waterproof boots, as you may need to walk thru some anke deep slush. Don't let this scare you however, Montreal is possibly the most fun city in North America. If you have any children with you, you must do the Biodome at the Olympic park. Notre Dame Cathedral in the old city is also a must see - very spectacular.Chinatown is fun, lots of inexpensive shops and places to eat. Montreal is not really a city of 'must see' scenic wonders, but is a city of great ambience, world class dining, and great shopping. As for places to eat - there are sooo many. Some of my favorites are Le Jardin De Panos, Au Petite Extra, Hosteria Romana, Bleu Nil, Casa Tapas. The only places I've been dissapointed are at some of the chain type eateries on St. Catherine (except for Le Commensal!)

So far the weather in Montreal has been quite warm for this area and very little snow considering past snow storms. In my opinion the best restaurants are: If you like Steak/Seafood: Gibbys in Old Montreal, Deli: Schwartz's on St. Lawrence, Le Piemontais for Italian and Le Piment Rouge for Chinese.

Top restaurants... depends what you like.. For Italian.. I would recommend Le Muscadin. For Quebecois "French", Les Remparts. For bistro, Modavie. For seafood, La Maree. For Greek, Milos.