No trip to Montreal is complete without climbing Mont Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city where you secure a vista over the entire city, all the way down to the St. Lawrence River.
Start your walk through McGill University and then meander north along the footpaths, heading up the stairs until you reach the Kondiaronk Belvedere, which affords some of the best vistas of the city unfolding below you.
At this point, you might think about Jacques Cartier, who was the first European to scale the mountain in 1535, and who named it Mont Royal, in honor of his patron, the King of France.
Later, on your walk back down the hill, consider Mayor Drapeau, from the Fifties, who deforested much of the mountain in order to prevent people from having public sex.
Fortunately, the trees have returned.
