It may not feel like it, but Montreal is on an island 40km (25mi) long and 15km (9mi) wide, where the Ottawa River flows into the Saint Lawrence River in Canada's southeast. The most striking landmark is Mont Royal, a 232m (760ft) remnant of volcanic rock known locally as 'the mountain'. The core of the city is quite small and is below the mountain in the south-central part of the island.

The city is conveniently laid out in a grid pattern and defined by neighbourhoods and districts. The main downtown heart of Montreal is the area south of Mont Royal, with Rue Sainte Catherine, the main shopping street, running east to west through its centre. McGill University marks the channel of space leading from downtown to the impressive views of the mountain. To the east of the mountain is the chic district of Plateau Mont Royal, with its fabulous 19th-century architecture and hopping nightlife. Running north-south through the district is the busy and cosmopolitan Rue Saint Denis and the Boulevard Saint Laurent, known as 'The Main'. Its restaurants, history and ethnic mix make it one of Montreal's best-known streets. It also delineates traditional French-English boundaries; the area east of The Main remains French inspired, although the boundary itself doesn't have great significance anymore.

Both The Main and Rue Saint Denis continue south towards the Saint Lawrence River and into the historic heart of the city, the Old Montreal and Vieux Port area to the southeast of downtown. Directly to the east of downtown, over The Main, Rue Sainte Catherine Ouest (West) becomes Rue Sainte Catherine Est (East) and runs into the strongly French-flavored Quartier Latin. The area is dominated by the emblematic Université du Québec à Montréal, and the waft of good coffee, steaming bagels and strong cigarettes. The city's gay district, The Village, lies to the east along Rue Sainte Catherine Est. Heading south of the Quartier Latin, and on the southeast border of downtown, is the small but well-entrenched Chinatown area.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (PET), also known as Montréal Trudeau Airport, is about 21km (13mi) west of downtown and is the centre of domestic, US and overseas flights. The Station Central de l'Autobus (Central Bus Station) is on Blvd de Maisonneuve E, in the Quartier Latin, just outside the university. Montreal's Gare Centrale (Central Station), north of Place Bonaventure in downtown, services the popular VIA Rail Québec City-Windsor route.

Montreal has a very extensive and extremely practical subway-bus network. The western sectors of the city are reachable by suburban trains from the Bonaventure and Vendéme stations. Although quite heavy, automobile traffic flows reasonably well. Try not to drive in Old Montreal, where the streets are narrow and often congested. Tourist offices and bicycle-rental facilities can provide excellent maps of cycle paths and routes. If you are tempted to try an organised bus tour, various options are available, one of which allows you to visit the city and to get on and off where you like.