Embrace Winter at Montréal en Lumière, Montreal, Canada, February 19-March 1

Photograph by Frédérique Ménard-Aubin, Montréal En Lumière

Montreal is at its most magical blanketed in snow. Bundle up, get outside, and celebrate winter at the 16th Montréal en Lumière, the city’s biggest winter arts, music, and food festival. The eclectic lineup includes live music, theater, and dance performances; dazzling pyrotechnics and light shows; and circus acts, children’s activities, and dance parties, plus ice sliding and ice-skating. Mixed in are fine-dining events pairing top Montreal chefs and over 50 city restaurants with culinary masters from the United States and Switzerland, the festival’s featured country for 2015. Save some energy for the final night’s Nuit Blanche à Montréal, a dusk-to-dawn party packed with more than 200 indoor and outdoor activities. Most events are free, and some are held under the stars or, if you’re lucky, the lightly falling snow.

How to Get Around: Montreal’s efficient Metro and Underground City pathways make it easy to get around the city without a car. If arriving by plane, take the 747 Express Bus (runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) from the airport to the central bus terminal. From here, ride the Metro to your hotel and to the Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district, site of the festival’s major outdoor events. During the Nuit Blanche, move between event locations via the Metro and the free shuttle service.

Where to Stay: For convenience, choose the 12-story Zero 1, an urban minimalist-style hotel located close to Place des Festivals in the Quartier des Spectacles. Its 120 modern rooms are compact, yet suitable for sleeping. For more space, book one of the hotel's 43 suites. Best views: the one-bedroom Panorama suites with floor-to-ceiling windows.

What to Eat: At the foodie-favorite Quebec Chefs and Cheeses evening event, February 21 at Fairmont: The Queen Elizabeth hotel (reservations required), taste and judge the culinary creations of four competitors from Radio-Canada’s popular Les Chefs! TV show. The celebrity chefs will prepare three courses made with Quebec cheeses and paired with wine. Diners double as the jury and determine which chef will walk away with the $5,000 grand prize.

What to Buy: Shop for Quebec-grown and -produced items such as farm cheeses, chocolates, and artisanal baked goods, including natas (Portuguese egg tarts), blueberry muffins, and macaroons at the historic Jean-Talon Market, opened in 1933 and considered one the largest farmers markets in North America. Quebec eco-luxury brand Harricana by Mariouche specializes in sustainable outerwear, clothing, scarves, hats, and other accessories made from recycled fur (including beaver, otter, fox, and raccoon) and silk. Tour the Fashion Design Economuseum at the Harricana flagship store on Saint-Antoine Street West to see how old furs are restored and repurposed to limit consumption and promote wildlife conservation.

What to Read Before You Go: Acclaimed Canadian satirist Mordecai Richler grew up in Montreal’s historic Mile End district, and the neighborhood (including iconic locations like Schwartz’s Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen) is featured prominently in his novels The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Gallery Books, reprint, 1999) and Barney’s Version (Vintage International, reprint, 2010).

Cultural Tip: “Speak Franglais,” says Catherine Binette, a city resident and spokesperson for Tourisme Montréal. “We know you have some remedial elementary school French somewhere, so don’t be shy about using it. Mixing Molière and Shakespeare is common among locals.”

Helpful Links: Tourisme Montréal, Montréal en Lumière, and QuébecOriginal

Fun Fact: Montreal’s Nuit Blanche is part of a series of arts-and-culture all-nighters staged throughout the year in cities around the world. The Nuit Blanche, or White Night, concept began in 2002 in Paris, when multiple museums, galleries, and public places kept the lights on and doors open from dusk to dawn, welcoming visitors for free.

source : National Geographic