The prize includes: return flights from London Heathrow to Montreal Trudeau Airport; five nights’ accommodation in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal; a Montreal City Passport; a Montreal City walkng tour; a St Lawrence River white water rafting experience; train tickets to Quebec City; five nights’ accommodation at the Fairmont La Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec; a walking tour of Quebec; and a fine foods tour.

To enter the draw, you will need to sign up to receive the Post Office’s newsletter using the online form on the Post Office’s website. Entries must be received by 20 June 2010, and the winner must be able to take the holiday between 01 September 2010 and 15 October 2010.

Montreal Overview

The city of Montreal is situated in the Canadian province of Quebec, in the east of the country. The city, which is the second largest in Canada, is situated on Montreal Island, in the St. Lawrence River, in the south-west of Quebec.  It’s divided into 19 boroughs, with most of its major tourist attractions being situated in the borough of Ville-Marie. The Île Notre-Dame, on which the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is situated, is also in the Ville-Marie borough.

Getting to Montreal

Montreal’s main airport is Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (also known as Montreal Trudeau Airport). It’s situated in Dorval, about 20 minutes’ drive away from Downtown Montreal, and many different airlines use the airport for domestic and international flights. There are car hire facilities at the airport and you can also travel to the centre of Montreal by shuttle bus or taxi.

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is situated on the Île Notre-Dame, a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River. The Canadian Grand Prix was first held at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in 1978, although the first Canadian Grand Prix was held in 1961 in Ontario.

The circuit was originally known as the Île Notre-Dame Circuit, but was renamed in 1982, following the death of the Canadian F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve in an accident which took place during the qualifying session for the 1982 F1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The Formula 1 drivers aim to complete 70 laps of the 4.36 km long clockwise circuit, which has 13 corners. The circuit is known for its “Wall of Champions” – a wall at exit of the final chicane into which many famous F1 drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button, have crashed.

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is easy to get to from both Montreal Trudeau Airport and from Downtown Montreal. No car parking spaces are available at the circuit, so use the Montreal Metro and get off at the Jean-Drapeau station.

Montreal Hotels

There are many hotels in Montreal, so you should be able to find somewhere to suit your budget and tastes. One of the city’s most luxurious hotels is the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, a 5-star hotel situated in the centre of Downtown Montreal and connected to the famous Underground City. It has 1,037 rooms and suites, a health club, an indoor swimming pool and excellent restuarants.

Other hotels in Montreal include the Hyatt Regency Montreal, the Best Western Europa, the Novotel Montreal Centre and the Interncontinental Montreal.

Attractions in Montreal

Montreal is a popular tourist destination with many attractions, so if you’re planning an extended visit, you’ll find plenty to see and do.

One of the most popular areas of the city is Old Montreal, which is known for its cobbled streets and historic buildings. Attractions in Old Montreal include: the 19th century Gothic Revival-style Notre-Dame Basilica; the Montreal World Trade Centre; the Centaur Theatre; Montreal Science Centre; the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History; and Bonsecours Market.

Other attractions in Montreal include:

• Parc du Monte Royal (Mount Royal Park) – this public park covers 200 hectares of land, including part of Mount Royal, the mountain after which the city was named. In the summer, you can walk, cycle or picnic in the park, and in the winter, you can ski and ice-skate there. There are also fantastic views across the city from the park.
• The Underground City (RÉSO or La Ville Souterraine) – the largest complex of its type in the world, Montreal’s Underground City consists of more than 20 miles of tunnels which connect shopping malls, hotels, metro stations, banks and museums.
• The Montreal Botanical Garden – Founded in 1931, the Montreal Botanical Garden has more than 30 themed gardens and more than 22,000 plants. Its gardens include the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the Monastery Garden and the Medicinal Plants Garden. You can also visit the Montreal Insectarium, which is on the same site.
• The Montreal Biodome – this fantastic attraction’s exhibits are divided into five sections, each of which represents a different ecosystem: Tropical Forest; The Laurentian Forest; The St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem; Arctic; and Antarctic. Each section includes some of the vegetation and animals naturally found there, and the biodome is both educational and great fun to explore.

Essential Information

Montreal is  five hours behind the U.K. and the currency used is the Canadian Dollar. Both French and English are spoken here.

Image: Anna Kucsma

Sky Travel and Travel Alberta are offering you the chance to win a ski holiday for two in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This fantastic prize includes return flights from London’s Heathrow airport to Calgary with Air Canada, and accommodation in the Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa. The prize also includes car hire in Alberta, a 6-day lift pass each and high performance ski equipment rental.

You can enter the competition via the Sky Travel website and your entry must be received by midnight on the 20th of December 2008. The trip must be taken between the 5th of January 2009 and the 31st of March 2009.

Image courtesy of: © Joy Prescott | Dreamstime.com