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Local Information

Whether you are familiar with Montreal, or this is your first time visiting, the city is an exciting urban center with endless activities. You will find here information about the convention center as well as a list of local attractions, restaurants, markets, shops, and more provided by local ISAC members to help you explore all the city has to offer while attending CYTO 2023!

Palais des congrès de Montréal

The Palais is located in the heart of a city known for its energy, joie de vivre and forward-thinking spirit. The Palais hosts an environment with a unique architecture and design.

You can learn more about the convention center and take a virtual tour here.

The Palais: Environmentally responsible out of conviction

Sustainability is a core priority at the Palais, which is why we offer turnkey programs to help you reduce your event’s environmental footprint. We firmly believe events can have a positive social impact.

At the Palais, sustainable development goes beyond the environment; it seeks to meet the needs of our visitors while respecting as much as possible the needs of generations to come.

You can learn more about the Palais initiatives here.

Lifeline – a free and convenient solution to charge your phone

According to recent studies, 67% of people are unsatisfied with the currently available charging solutions. The Palais has incorporated Lifeline Technologies which provides a free and effective solution to keep your phones charged at all times.

Learn more about the Lifeline Technology here

Montréal

Orientation:
Montreal has its own cardinal points. South means toward the Old-Port/St-Lawrence river, North means toward Laval and Rivière-des-Prairies. St-Laurent Blvd cuts the city in half; when facing “north”, anything left of St-Laurent is West, anything right is East. Important to keep in mind when asking for directions.

Public Transportation:
The metro (subway) system is clean, safe and fast. As a bonus, the public transit network is relatively simple, with just four lines connecting the downtown centre to major tourist sites, bus stops and train stations. The metro operates daily from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. (1:30 a.m. on Saturdays).

Metro Map

The conference center is right on top of Place-d’Armes metro station on the orange line.

Montreal Attractions:

  • Contemporary arts museum (MAC)
  • Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
  • The Mont-Royal parc
    15 km of outdoor walkable paths, with great viewpoints of the city on top. Great for a long walk or for runners. Main entrance is on Park avenue.
  • The city-wide Bixi bike rental system
    There are a lot of bike lanes across town
  • Espace pour la vie
    Area where the 1976 Olympics occurred, where visitors will find the famous Olympic stadium. Regroups a few city highlights like the Botanical Garden -with the Insectarium, the Biodome and the Planetarium.
  • Old Montreal for European-like architecture
  • Saint-Joseph Oratory
  • Place des Arts - indoor restaurants and concert halls, outdoor plaza and fountains, sometimes outdoor events -
  • Complex Des Jardins – shops and restaurants
  • Old port of Montreal
  • Sainte-Catherine Street
    From Saint-Laurent Boulevard, going west, the street is home to the major department stores, an array of boutiques, restaurants and several shopping centres. Out the other way is a mix of boutiques, nightlife hotspots, cafés, theatre venues and more.
  • Place des Festivals
    Great shopping, restaurants, and bars and an interactive fountain
  • Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Accessible by Metro

To learn more about Montreal public transportation please visit here.

  • Jean-Talon station – 15 minute ride – with gardening season in full force during May, the city gathers here to buy vegetable plants and flowers. A lot of small shops with local products to sample.
  • Jean-Talon market - Coffee shops, pizza places, ice cream and pastry shops.
  • Laurier station – 10 minute ride - This is the neighborhood many musicians, writers, artists and journalists have called home. Go on Bernard to shop for graphic novels at Drawn & Quaterly, buy some flowers from Tamey at Dragon Flowers shop and look at her bird cage displays.
    Donut at Bernie’s St-Viateur St to enjoy a coffee at Olimpico
    Bagels at St-Viateur - at any time of the day; cash only
    Ice cream at Kem Coba - cash only, don’t let the queue scare you!
    Toasted baloney sandwich at Wilensky - like it’s 1932
  • Mont-Royal station – 8 minute ride - in the heart of the Plateau. You can stroll around the streets, have a look at the colorful painted plexes and cornices that are typical of the neighborhood, enjoy the tulips, lilacs and daffodils that should be in peak bloom in May. Walk on Mont-Royal and stop at a café, shop for old vinyls at 33 Tours or Paul Boutique or enjoy a cold drink at one of the many bars of the street. Saint-Denis and St-Laurent are also nice to walk by in this area, you can even go for a pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen’s house by Parc du Portugal. Or grab the bus toward the Mont Royal.
  • Sherbrooke - 7 minute ride - Go east to Parc Lafontaine La Banquise or Ma Poule Mouillée – poutine
    Schwartz - Smoke meat sandwich
  • Berri-UQAM - 5 minute ride - Heart of “Quartier latin”, lots of pubs and restaurants on St-Denis.
    St-Bock - local brewery with over 30 beers on tap
    L’Ile noire - scotch and gin bar
    Turbo Haus - brews, cocktails, live music and a terrasse

Cuisine

Close proximity to Palais de Congrès

Montreal is famous for…

Poutine!

Fine dining