subject: Montreal Hotel - Surviving Canada's Cultural Capital [print this page] Montreal Hotel - Surviving Canada's Cultural Capital
If you are not from Canada and are planning to go to Montreal, there are some things that will come as a culture shock to you. So before you get on the flight there, here are some things you can prepare beforehand or do when you are there.
To start off, you should know what language is used. French is the official language; with more than half of the citizens speaking in French. However, most of them can also speak English. Buck up on French because you may stumble upon people who are not familiar with English. Carry an easy to refer to French to English conversation guide book with you when you travel the city so that you will be able to make enquiries should those moments come.
Apart from that, if you are from a country that eats using fork and spoon, you may want to learn to eat using fork and knife instead. Using a fork and spoon can be considered rude to some of the people there, and there was even a cutlery controversy that occurred when a Filipino boy ate using fork and spoon at a Montreal school. Hence, out of respect, you should learn to make do with fork and knife when eating there, with spoons used only when needed such as spooning soup.
Lastly, as Montreal is a major city, traffic on the road is terrible especially during rush hour. It is better to stay in a hotel that is central to all the places you wish to visit so you can go around by foot instead. There are many reasonable priced Montreal hotels in the city, so look for one that is convenient in location. Staying in a reasonable priced Montreal hotel will also allow you to save money for other occasions during the trip. Keeping your expenditures limited on the first visit to Montreal will leave you with additional emergency cash, so spend minimally, and you will survive.
Find out how you can survive in Montreal. If you are not from Canada and are planning to go to Montreal, there are some things that will come as a culture shock to you. So before you get on the flight there, here are some things you can prepare beforehand or do when you are there.