Montréal is the second most populous city in Canada, after Toronto. As of 2021, the population was 1.7 million for the city and 4.2 million for the metropolitan area.
 

Located in the Province of Québec, Montréal was founded as Ville Marie (the City of Mary) in 1642. The name "Montréal" was adopted in 1705. The name may have come from "Mont Royal," a three-peaked hill around which the city was built. An island in the center of the city was called the "Island of Montréal" long before that. French is the official language of the city, however most people also speak English.

​

As usual, we wanted to avoid the peak tourist season, so we selected early April as a good compromise between winter with its harsh weather and summer with the hordes of tourists. We were intrigued by this modern, cosmopolitan city with European-style old-world charm in North America.