Montreal to Boston Massachusetts

Canada's most diverse metropolis, Montréal, is an island city that favors style and elegance over order or even prosperity, a city where past and present intrude on each other daily. In some ways it resembles Vienna—well past its peak of power and glory, perhaps, yet still vibrant and grand.But don't get the wrong idea. Montréal has always had a bit of an edge. During Prohibition, thirsty Americans headed north to the city on the St. Lawrence for booze, music, and a good time, and people still come for the same things. Summer festivals celebrate everything from comedy and French music and culture to beer and fireworks, and, of course, jazz. And on those rare weeks when there isn't a planned event, the party continues. Clubs and sidewalk cafés are abuzz from late afternoon to the early hours of the morning. And Montréal is a city that knows how to mix it up even when it's 20 below zero. Rue St-Denis is almost as lively on a Saturday night in January as it is in July, and the festival Montréal en Lumière, or Montréal Highlights, enlivens the dreary days of February with concerts, balls, and fine food.Montréal takes its name from Parc du Mont-Royal, a stubby plug of tree-covered igneous rock that rises 764 feet above the surrounding cityscape. Although its height is unimpressive, "the Mountain" forms one of Canada's finest urban parks, and views from the Chalet du Mont-Royal atop the hill provide an excellent orientation to the city's layout and major landmarks.Old Montréal is home to museums, the municipal government, and the magnificent Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montréal within its network of narrow, cobblestone streets. Although Montréal's centre-ville, or Downtown, bustles like many other major cities on the surface, it's active below street level as well, in the so-called Underground City–-the underground levels of shopping malls and food courts connected by pedestrian tunnels and the city's subway system, or métro. Residential Plateau Mont-Royal and trendy neighborhoods are abuzz with restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries, and cafés. The greener areas of town are composed of the Parc du Mont-Royal and the Jardin Botanique.

A festival and foodie heaven Montreal is a fascinating French flavoured destination of old-time European splendour and glittering urban charm. An elegant place of history pavement cafes and cobbled streets - Montreal wears its French heritage with a healthy dash of on-the-pulse Canadian cool. Set on the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence River you can head to beaches and elegant parks that open out onto the pretty waterfront. Mount Royal is a jewel of the city and on warm days locals spill out onto its sloping grasses to soak up the sun. Rise to the top to look down over the reaching skyscrapers of downtown. The city's massive botanical gardens are alive with the sounds of flowing water and surreal floral sculptures. The vivid colours of the impressive Notre-Dame Basilica's interior add more vibrancy while a diverse set of museums and galleries offer plenty of space for both traditional and contemporary art. The sounds of ivories tinkling and basslines wandering are ever-present in downtown – whether it’s street performers earning a living or jazz musicians riffing in dusty bars. The city’s musical swing ramps up a notch during the famous Montreal Jazz Festival which brings international talent to the city en-masse. It’s impossible to visit Montreal without sampling its ultimate comfort food poutine. French fries smothered in gravy cheese curd and your choice of topping. It’s as Québécois as ice hockey and bagels.

Québec City's alluring setting atop Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant) evokes a past of high adventure, military history, and exploration. This French-speaking capital city is the only walled city north of Mexico. Visitors come for the delicious and inventive cuisine, the remarkable historical continuity, and to share in the seasonal exuberance of the largest Francophone population outside France.The historic heart of this community is the Old City (Vieux-Québec), comprising the part of Upper Town (Haute-Ville) surrounded by walls and Lower Town (Basse-Ville), which spreads out at the base of the hill from Place Royale. Many sets of staircases and the popular funicular link the top of the hill with the bottom. Cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and elaborate cathedrals here are charming in all seasons. The Old City earned recognition as an official UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, thanks largely to city planners who managed to update and preserve the 400-year-old buildings and attractions without destroying what made them worth preserving. The most familiar icon of the city, Fairmont Château Frontenac, is set on the highest point in Upper Town, where it holds court over the entire city.Sitting proudly above the confluence of the St. Lawrence and St. Charles rivers, the city's famous military fortification, La Citadelle, built in the early 19th century, remains the largest of its kind in North America. In summer, visitors should try to catch the Changing of the Guard, held every morning at 10 am; you can get much closer to the guards here than at Buckingham Palace in London.Enchanting as it is, the Old City is just a small part of the true Québec City experience. Think outside the walls and explore St-Roch, a downtown hot spot, which has artsy galleries, foodie haunts, and a bustling square. Cruise the Grande-Allée and avenue Cartier to find a livelier part of town dotted with nightclubs and fun eateries. Or while away the hours in St-Jean-Baptiste, a neighborhood with trendy shops and hipster hangouts.

Established by the French settler Samuel de Champlain before the British landed on these shores Quebec City - initially known as New France - is one of North America's oldest cities. Towering over the banks of the Saint-Lawrence River Quebec City relishes in details and eccentricities and has reams of rich history and beautiful architecture - like the famous Château Frontenac. This chandelier-clad castle watches over the city and is said to be the world’s most photographed hotel. The wooden boardwalk of the canon-lined Dufferin Terrace offers stunning views of the city from its elevated standpoint. The French storybook feel has been delightfully protected and preserved in Quebec City's storied old quarter and a funicular links the upper and lower towns of this historic core. The 400-year-old fortified city is unique to North America and a celebrated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mind your step as you wander through uneven cobbled streets to Place Royale - the charming spot where the city was founded - and between the bistros boulevards and boutiques of the dainty Quartier Petit Champlain area. There’s a wide variety of delicious international food to try and of course – greasy helpings of poutine. Taste local cheeses at the Marché du Vieux-Port indoor market where you’ll sink your teeth into buttery cakes pastries and encounter Canada’s fabled tree sap maple syrup - revered like wine in these parts.

Havre St. Pierre is a tiny seaside port on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. It was settled in 1857 by Acadians from the Magdalen Island, and still today locals speak a dialect more similar to Acadian French than to Quebec French. It was originally called Saint-Pierre-de-la-Pointe-aux-Esquimaux until 1927, when it was officially shortened to Havre St Pierre. Until recently the local economy relied mainly on fishing and lumbering, today it is mainly a titanium ore-transhipment port. Nearby is one of the world’s most amazing natural phenomena – the Mingan Archipelago. They are the largest group of erosional monoliths in Canada, and were declared a Nation Park in 1984. These limestone monoliths have formed over thousands of years by wave action, strong winds and seasonal freezing and thawing. The result is a unique set of large limestone sculptures.

The otherworldly limestone structures of the Mingan Archipelago await at Havre St. Pierre Quebec's most northerly call. Perched on the northern shore of the mighty St Lawrence River's gaping jaws - and looking out across the vast stretch of water to the distant Anticosti Island - where white-tailed deer stalk dense forests - Havre St. Pierre is a feast of staggering scenery and diverse wildlife. The Mingan Archipelago's monolith treasures have been carefully painstakingly sculpted by Mother Nature's hand - using ocean wind and ice erosion to create towering rock outcrops which stand improbably counterweighted and precariously balanced over the waters. Sail between the scattered array of islands and formations and keep your eyes peeled - you may be joined by pods of friendly minke whales as you weave between skerries and rocky isles. Look out for eagles soaring overhead too and the colourful puffins which nest on the sheer cliffs. Back at Havre St. Pierre stroll isolated river beaches and wander the wooden boardwalk to soak in panoramas of the world's largest estuary - which lures the world's mightiest animal the blue whale to feast in its krill-rich depths. A walk out to the quaint lighthouse which crowns the shore is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or you can take some time to learn a little more about the culture and traditions of the region's Inuit people.

Acclaimed for its unearthly landscape, Woody Point is probably as close to Mars as you will ever get in this lifetime. Situated on the west coast of the island, the Tablelands behind Woody Point in the Gros Morne National Park are composed of peridotite — like much of the surface of Mars — and  NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, plus others are studying this unique land form searching for insights into possible bacterial life on the red planet. The story of the Tablelands earned Gros Morne its World Heritage Site status from UNESCO in 2010, and the area remains a geological wonder, showcasing a time when the continents of Africa and North America collided. When the plates struck 485 million years ago, the peridotite was pushed to the surface, and remained above sea level. The rock lacks the nutrients to sustain plant life, thus giving the Tablelands a barren, isolated appearance. As the name suggests, the flat topped mountains dwarf the tiny village (population 281!), yet Woody Point has retained its character and the historic houses and buildings dating from 1870 have been beautifully maintained.

Acclaimed for its unearthly landscape Woody Point is probably as close to Mars as you will ever get in this lifetime. Situated on the west coast of the island the Tablelands behind Woody Point in the Gros Morne National Park are composed of peridotite — like much of the surface of Mars — and  NASA the Canadian Space Agency plus others are studying this unique land form searching for insights into possible bacterial life on the red planet. The story of the Tablelands earned Gros Morne its World Heritage Site status from UNESCO in 2010 and the area remains a geological wonder showcasing a time when the continents of Africa and North America collided. When the plates struck 485 million years ago the peridotite was pushed to the surface and remained above sea level. The rock lacks the nutrients to sustain plant life thus giving the Tablelands a barren isolated appearance. As the name suggests the flat topped mountains dwarf the tiny village (population 281!) yet Woody Point has retained its character and the historic houses and buildings dating from 1870 have been beautifully maintained.

There’s history and culture around every bend in Boston—skyscrapers nestle next to historic hotels while modern marketplaces line the antique cobblestone streets. But to Bostonians, living in a city that blends yesterday and today is just another day in beloved Beantown.

Historic yet revolutionary, few places embody the American dream quite as well as Boston - and you’ll feel the strong independent streak, and pride in the founding ideals of freedom and independence wherever you go. Skyscrapers mingle harmoniously with cobbled streets, and every footstep here promises new tales of legend, daring and valour, as you walk through the pages of history and immerse yourself in the stories of one of the USA’s oldest cities. The flashing colours of Fall – a period when the foliage around Boston explodes with blazes of red, orange and purple – attract visitors from across the world, more than compensating for the northerly city’s harsh winters. Green open spaces like Boston Public Garden also decorate the city, offering breathing space, and the chance to enjoy blossom-perfumed sanctuary,as you sit among scampering squirrels and quiet boating lakes. At times, Boston feels like an open-air history museum, and the Freedom Trail links together the city’s many valuable historic sites. It’s no exaggeration to say that the world’s history pivoted significantly on this humble two-and-a-half-mile trail. Wander across incendiary sites like the Boston Massacre Site, and Bunker Hill - where the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired, eventually leading to independence from British rule. Fenway Park is the cathedral-like home of Boston’s famous Red Sox, and a must visit for any sports fan. You’ll also find plenty of acclaimed New England seafood to sample, including famous buttery clam chowder. Restaurants in the thriving Seaport District serve up freshly harvested crab and lobster, accompanied by spectacular views of the crashing Atlantic waves.