By 7:30 p.m., the bars, cafes and restaurants had started to fill. Some had people queuing to get in, others were so crowded that patrons, glasses in hand, were spilling onto the sidewalk.

It was only mid-May, and the weather wasn't exactly balmy, but it was Saturday night and it was Montreal, and that, I was told, was normal.

We started on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, better known as The Main and long regarded as the dividing line between the English and immigrant communities to the west and the Francophone one on the east.

Our restaurant wasn't all that far so we walked along Prince-Arthur Street, a lively and popular pedestrian thoroughfare. Prince-Arthur leads to Square Saint-Louis, bordered by 19th-century Victorian houses. That's where the Latin Quarter ends and the Plateau district begins.

Once a working-class neighbourhood, the Plateau became popular first with artists and students from homes in the suburbs, then baby boomers and young professionals. Some houses still have the familiar outside front staircases.

Walking is the best way to soak up the flavour of an unfamiliar city and Montrealers, our escort told us, walk a lot. Many use what they call The Underground City, 33 km of connecting passageways and hubs below street level. Entrances are indicated by blue RES signs.

If it's too far to walk, take the Metro (the subway). Access points are marked by a blue sign with an arrow pointing down. Colour-coded lines help make travelling a snap, even for visitors. To make sure you're heading the right direction, check the map for the name of the last stop on the line. That name will appear on the front of the train.

Take the yellow line to Ile Ste-Helene, one of two islands in the Montreal River used for Expo '67, Montreal's wonderful world's fair. Get off at JeanDrapeau station, stroll through the huge park named after this longtime former mayor, and enjoy one of the best views of downtown Montreal.

One of the few Expo buildings remaining is also one of the fair's most recognizable, architect Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome that was the American pavilion. It's now the Biosphere, operated by Environment Canada.

Other attractions that can be reached by Metro include:

- Mount Royal, location of one of the city's most upscale residential areas, Westmount. Mount Royal is often called the "lungs of Montreal" because of its huge park. Look for the dome of St. Joseph's Oratory, whose height of 97 metres is second only to Saint Peter's in Rome. (Metro stop Cote-des-Neiges on the blue line.)

- Biodome, described as an oasis of nature and containing re-creations of four ecosystems. From downtown, take the green line in the direction of Honore-Beaugrand and get off at Viau.

- Montreal Botanical Gardens, one of the world's largest, includes 10 exhibition greenhouses and is open year round. It's a huge property but visitors can hop a mini train that starts in late May and runs all summer. A free shuttle bus connects Biodome, the Gardens and the Viau station.

Combination tickets involving those two attractions plus Insectarium and Planetarium are available.

MONEY-SAVERS

- A Metro ticket is $2.50, but tourist passes are $8 for one day, $16 for three.

- A three-day pass good for 30 museums and attractions and public transportation costs $39. Phone 1-877-BONJOUR.

- Several hotels offer two-night packages with the option of a third night at half price. Phone 1-866-872-6023 or visit montrealsweetdeal.com to book.

Montreal is about 540 km from Toronto. VIA has several trains daily. Air Canada flies almost every hour on business days. The airport shuttle to downtown costs $13; a cab is a flat $31.

For a free tourist guide, phone 1-877-BONJOUR or visit tourisme-montreal.org.