ontreal doubled for Brooklyn in John Crowley’s eponymous 2015 film, has been dubbed the next Seattle, and last year became the new “city that never sleeps” when Mayor Denis Coderre extended retail opening hours in the downtown district to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Not that high living is anything new for the city on an island in the St Lawrence river. During prohibition, Montreal (a convenient train ride from New York) was known as the place where the drink flows and anything goes, and it has been living up to that reputation ever since. It has more than 100 festivals through the summer – many of them free – and chic new hotels such as the ALT Hotel (doubles from £100 room only) and downtown Renaissance (doubles from £155 room only). Add in two new low-cost flights from London Gatwick – WestJet launched two weeks ago (from £145 one-way) and Wow Air launches this week (from £99 one-way) – and Montreal may soon become the latest North American city break.