World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
Air Canada (AC) and other international carriers fly into Montral. Commuter services between Montral and Toronto, Qubec City and New York also exist. Air Canada offers services from Montral and Qubec City to other Canadian business centres. Local air services operate between the cities in the south and float planes serve the lakes and parkland of the north. Other airlines serving Qubec are Air Canada Jazz, Air Creebec, Air Inuit, Air Nova, Air Ontario, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, First Air, Northwest Airlines, Tango and US Airways.

International airports
Montral has two international airports, Trudeau (YUL), 25km (16 miles) west of Montral, and Mirabel (YMX), 53km (33 miles) northwest of Montral (website for both airports: www.admtl.com). All international scheduled flights are from Montral-Trudeau. Charter flights are from Montral-Mirabel. Several daily trans-border US services also operate from Montral-Trudeau. A regular shuttle service connects the two airports. Buses leave Trudeau every 30 minutes (0700-0100) and Mirabel every 90 minutes (0100-2330 and until 2200 Thurs) for Montral and its major hotels. Taxi and limousine services are also available for a fixed flat fee.

Sea
Qubec City and Montral are the most important Canadian ports on the St Lawrence Seaway, which links the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the industrial heartland of Canada and the USA. Several international passenger carriers sail to both ports; European carriers dock only at Montral. Most of the province’s lakes and rivers (notably the Ouatouais, the Richelieu and the Saguenay) are served by local ferries, some of which are able to take heavy lorries. For schedules and fares, enquire locally.

Rail
VIA Rail connects Montral and Qubec City to Toronto with fast, regular services. It also offers services to Halifax from Montral and Qubec City. Links to the USA are with Amtrak and VIA Rail. VIA Rail connects all major provincial towns, and Amtrak operates two daily trains to the USA. VIA Rail services also connect the major cities in the south of the province, with thrice-daily mainline services from Montral to Qubec.

Road
The best way of travelling into and around Qubec by road is by long-distance coach, especially Orlans Express (website: www.orleansexpress.com). The services in the southern region are especially frequent. Motorhomes and campers are best for seeing the northern parklands, and the area is connected to the south by several good highways, although the most extensive network is around the populous areas in the south.

Urban
Montral’s bus and metro services are fully integrated and operate on a flat-fare system. Tickets for single journeys are not usually issued unless a transfer is required. For transfers from metro to bus, transfer-tickets should be obtained from machines before leaving the underground. If transferring from bus to metro, ask the bus driver for a ticket. Passes and multi-ticket books are sold and metro fares are the lowest in North America. Qubec City’s bus services operate on a flat-fare system. No change is carried on board. Pre-purchase passes are available. There are good bus services in other towns.