An unusual feature characteristic of
Montreal are curved outdoor staircases leading from the street to upper floors of old style flats. Look out for them in the Plateau area. Hotel St James in Old Montreal opened a couple of years ago, but its architecture dates back to 1870 – it's popular with celebs and worth a crack if you want to pamper yourself.

St Paul Hotel opened in 2001, and is very cool and laid-back. It's also home to Cube restaurant – one of the city's forerunners on the dining scene.

La-Loux is the establishment restaurant in Montreal; full of politicos and literati. It's becoming popular with movie stars now, too, so head over for a spot of star-gazing.