University of Montreal Campus

The International Lisp Conference will take place at the Pavillon Jean-Coutu of the University of Montreal. See the address and map at the bottom of this page.

The Pavillon has two main entrances, one on Chemin Polytechnique which is directly accessible by car and another one only accessible on foot from the Chemin de la Tour via a foot trail next to the Pavillon André-Aisenstadt (CS dept building).

The University of Montreal campus is located on the West end of the Outremont neighbourhood and on the North side of Mount-Royal (Mont Royal in French), a wide hill and public park that separates the campus from downtown. The campus is easily accessible by subway or public buses. The subway station "Université-de-Montréal" is centrally situated on the campus and the close-by station "Édouard-Montpetit" is located at it's East end. Both stations are on the blue line of the subway network (see Metro map below).

There is also a parking garage on the campus close to the conference site. The rate is $16CAD per day.

Public Transportation

Montreal is a vibrant city composed of several lively neigborhoods and a dynamic downtown with a large variety of shops, restaurants, cafes and night-life, all accessible by the Metro subway and buses. At street level, the Metro station access points are indicated by this sign . A one trip fare is $3CAD and a 3-day pass is $18CAD (about $16.50USD) which also gives access to all public buses in the city of Montreal. Below is a simplified Metro map:

Attractions, Restaurants and Cafes Near University of Montreal

Côte-des-Neiges Ave (Hôtel Terrasse Royale)

The Hôtel Terrasse Royale, one of the recommended hotels near the University, is located on Côte-des-Neiges Ave. This area is the closest choice around the University for restaurants, cafes and shopping. Renaud-Bray is a large two-story French book store in that area. The Rotisserie St-Hubert restaurant, located on the corner of Jean-Brillant street and Côte-des-Neiges Ave, is a simple and affordable choice. The Rotisserie St-Hubert is a well-known chain of restaurants in Quebec. On the other side of that corner is a small and busy farmer market where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The Bistro Olivieri is inside a bookstore, has a terrasse, and you can leisurely spend time at a table drinking a coffee and read a book (or two). Many more restaurants, and an Irish pub, can be found on Côte-des-Neiges and Lacombe Ave.

Saint Joseph's Oratory

The Saint Joseph's Oratory, the largest church in Canada, is a famous attraction with two million visitors a year and is very close to the University. It is a 7-minute walk away by exiting the University campus on its West side and walking on Queen Mary's road (chemin Queen Mary). The main building is near one of the tops of Mount-Royal and is accessible from Queen Mary's road. Expect a long walk on the way up although there is a short shuttle ride available from Queen Mary road. It has an adjoining Museum, cafeteria and the much smaller 1904 chapel. It's founder is André Bessette: "André was given the task of porter at Notre Dame College in Côte-des-Neiges, Québec, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger. “When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained 40 years,” he said" (Source: Wikipedia).

Bernard Ave in the Outremont Neighbourhood

Bernard Ave, the section from Outremont Ave to Parc Ave, is located on the East end of Outremont. It is a 20-minute friendly walk from the campus and is easily reachable by subway (Outremont station on the blue line) or bus. It has several very enjoyable restaurants, cafes, boulangeries, patisseries, with outside patios. On a beautiful evening, they are full of people enjoying a meal, drink or dessert. Try the café Souvenir for a good couscous with merguez sausage, the Le Petit Italien for an upscale culinary experience, the Premiere Moisson bakery for a nice breakfast with fresh bread and coffee, or the numerous other restaurants on Bernard Ave. And the Bilboquet, an artisanal ice cream parlor, is the sure place to meet the locals on its friendly patio, even late in the evening (open until midnight in August).

Away from the University of Montreal

Central Downtown

The corner of Ste-catherine street and McGill College Ave could be called the central location of downtown Montreal (McGill subway station). The Ste-Catherine street, going West to East, is filled with boutiques and restaurants. Two large shopping malls are on each side of the McGill College Ave with a third one (Place Ville-Marie) at its South end. Other boutiques and restaurants are undergound via many tunnels connecting several shopping malls. The Sherbrooke street has many large hotels, a few museums and some luxury boutiques.

The main entrance to the McGill University campus is at the end of the McGill College Ave, at the foot of the Mount-Royal hill. If you are a bit adventurous, you could walk across the McGill campus and go up the hill via smaller streets and stairs to the top belvedere for a panomaric view of the city, then cross the Mount-Royal cemetery through its small roads to reach the East end of the campus of the University of Montreal. It would take you over an hour to do so.

Latin Quarter

The Latin Quarter is an ecletic part of the city with a lively night-life, many restaurants, bistros and cafes with patios. The most lively section is on St-Denis street, from Sherbrooke street to Ste-Catherine street. Besides cafes and restaurants, that section has the large Cinéma Montréal movie theater, the St-Denis Theater for live shows, and is the home of the UQAM University. For a quiet place to eat, try Resto Vego, a cafeteria style vegetarian restaurant. The Grande Bibliothèque with its 33,000 square meters of space and four million documents is just one block away from all that jazz. The subway station Berri-UQAM will bring you right at the center of the Latin Quarter.

Old Montreal

The historic Old Montreal neighbourhood has an European atmosphere with its architecture and cobblestone streets. It is located around the old port and is reachable by subway (Place-d'Armes or Square-Victoria station). It has a large variety of restaurants, many with an outside patio, several museums (Old Montreal Museums) and the Notre-Dame Basilica is a must see. This summer, including this August, its light and sound show (Tue to Sat) presents the history and cultural heritage of the basilica. The Science Museum has a new and unique exposition until September 2014, The Cave of Lascaux. Old Montreal is also the perfect place for a leisurely walk either along its waterfront or in its cobblestone streets.

And More...

We have not mentioned many other interesting neighbourhoods of the city, such as Westmount, Plateau Mont-Royal near Outremont, Chinatown near Old Montreal, Little Italy (La Petite Italie), the Notre-Dame and Ste-Helene Islands with its amusement park, large Casino, and more. You can visit the Montreal Tourism web site for more details about walking and bus-tours, restaurants, museums, and more. You could watch their 2-minute videos presenting a sample of the city then explore more videos by selecting the desired neighbourhood.