When it comes to winter, Montreal has a reputation for its intolerable cruelty, but one thing rarely considered by critics of the cold is the fact that the city boasts within its urban cultural architecture an arsenal of distinctly winter activities where cold weather is not merely a preference, but a requirement.
There are of course the usual suspects: ice skating in Old Montreal and Parc LaFontaine, tobogganing or snowboarding down Mont-Royal after a big blizzard, and cross-country skiing around the top of the ‘Mountain‘ — hardly colossal at an elevation of 764′, in actuality it would be more appropriately classified as a rather large hill.
For the slightly more bold and adventurous, any of the above activities can also be combined with with a nice strong Quebec beer or vin chaud (hot wine).
If you are simply craving a breath of simple inspiration, you can wander by the Quartier Des Spectacles anytime after dark to check out the magical blue and purple twinkling polar spheres. Or you may want to enrich your artistic senses with of Montreal’s winter festivals. The High Lights Festival begins in mid-February and features outdoor performances, spectacular light shows, and fireworks. The festival culmates with the Nuit Blanche (White Night), a 24-hour period where the city opens itself all night long to a plethora of art installations, concerts, and special performances.
