The two international
airports
serving Montreal are operated
by Aéroports de Montreal (tel
394-7377 or 1-800/465-1213,
www.admtl.com
). The main one,
Aéroport de
Dorval , 22km southwest of
the city, is the arrival point
for international and Canadian
flights. Passengers departing
from Dorval must pay an Airport
Improvement Fee (AIF) of $10, to
be handed over in cash to an
attendant or by credit card at
one of the machines at the
entrance to the security
checkpoint. The Aérobus airport
shuttle service (tel 931-9002)
runs every 20 minutes from 7am
to 1am daily, linking Dorval
Airport with the Station
Centrale d'Autobus Montreal and
the Gare de l'Aéroport,
adjacent to the train station
(35-45 min; $11 one-way, $19.75
return). Passengers can take the
complimentary shuttle service to
major downtown hotels from the
latter; some hotels also have
vans that pick up guests
directly from the airport - ask
on making a reservation. Several
local buses also connect Dorval
to downtown but they take ages.
A taxi downtown is $28.50, plus
tip.
Montreal's second airport, Aéroport
de Mirabel , 55km northwest
of the city, is used solely for
charter flights. From Mirabel to
the same locations downtown
takes just over an hour by bus,
although the service is
irregular, based on flight
arrival times (tel 931-9002; $18
one-way, $25 return). The taxi
fare is around $72, including
tip.
Montreal's main train
station , Gare Centrale, is
below the Queen Elizabeth
Hotel on the corner of boul
René-Lévesque and rue
Mansfield, and is entered at 895
rue de la Gauchetière ouest.
The station is the major
terminus for Canada's VIA Rail
trains from Halifax, Toronto,
Ottawa, Québec and the Gaspé
as well as US Amtrak trains from
Washington and New York. The
Bonaventure Métro station links
it with the rest of the city. An
international student card (ISIC)
gets 40 percent off regular
train fares; but even if you
don't have one you can still get
a discount by booking six days
in advance to get 30 percent off
return-trip fares and 20 percent
off one-way tickets.
Long-distance buses
arrive and depart from Station
Centrale d'Autobus Montreal at
505 boul de Maisonneuve est. The
Berri-UQAM Métro is right below
the station. Orléans Express (tel
842-2281, www.orleansexpress.com
) is the province's main coach
company. Students and senior
citizens receive a 25 percent
discount with proper
identification.
