Move over, Paris. There's a new 'City of Light' and it's the second-largest French-speaking city in the world.
Festivals, style, cuisine, nightlife and cosmopolitan French Canadian lifestyle. The first time you visit Montreal, it goes to the top of your repeat visit travel list.
And now Montreal is even more exciting when the sun goes down.
BestTrip's Lynn Elmhirst and Designer/Lifestylist Ulya Jensen spent a long weekend in Montreal before a Seabourn cruise.
(The Seabourn Quest in Montreal's Old Port).
We discovered an extraordinary city that lights up after dark with one-of-a-kind experiences combining light, art, and technology.
Here are ground-breaking ways a trip to Montreal will light up your evening.
Aura:
The breathtaking transformation of the luminous design and architecture of Montreal's famous Notre-Dame Basilica takes place nightly (except Sundays, when the Basilica holds Mass, as Montreal's flagship church). Aura is the perfect title for this powerful, jaw-dropping program combining light, video-projection mapping and uplifting music. Visitors of all ages and walks of life all end up with goose-bumps and awed faces experiencing Aura, and you will, too.
Jacques Cartier Bridge Illuminations:
The Jacques Cartier Bridge commemorates the explorer who sailed the mighty St.Lawrence over 400 years ago. But today, this architectural jewel is illuminated nightly using techniques that are nearly futuristic. Real-time social media that tags Montreal animates light particles that dance in spell-binding patterns on the bridge. Creativity, design, architecture, and smart-city infrastructure combine in a one-of-a-kind light spectacle on one of Montreal's most famous landmarks. (Thanks to creative production company Moment Factory for the incredible footage of their productions of Aura and the illuminations of the Jacques Cartier Bridge).
Cite Memoire:
An incredible interactive experience throughout the city streets of Old Montreal. Cite Memoire is the world's largest video projection project, with over 2 dozen installations. Some are interactive or also use augmented reality. They pop up on 'blind walls', sidewalks and even trees, as well as indoor installations and highlight Montreal history, culture and contributions to Canada. An app guides and informs users through an evening exploration of Montreal.