yapc: Yet Another Perl Conference

Location

Getting There | On Campus | Accommodations | Seeing Montréal

YAPC::NA 2001 will be held on the campus of McGill University, located in the heart of downtown Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Language: Located in Canada's French-speaking province, Montréal is a dynamic, multicultural multilingual city with a touch of European flavour. Unilingual English-speakers will have no difficulty in downtown Montréal, where they will hear French being spoken all around but will still be able to speak English to almost anyone they meet. Those with no knowledge of French are advised to learn or note some basic French which they may encounter on signs, menus, and bathroom doors. Those with basic French knowledge will almost certainly fare well, although Québecois French is subtly different from that of France.

French for travellers

Currency: All Canadian banks and exchange counters will accept US dollars to convert to Canadian dollars; most exchange counters will accept currency from elsewhere in the world, but it's usually a good idea to bring US or Canadian dollars anyhow. One Canadian dollar is worth around 0.65 US dollars (or, if you prefer, one US dollar makes about 1.50 Canadian dollars).

Currency convertor

Climate: In June, Montréal will be pleasantly warm (20-25°C) without getting too humid. Evenings may be somewhat cool (10°C).

Montréal weather forecast

International visitors: Some resources to make your visit to Canada as smooth as possible.

Canada Customs information for visitors
Revenue Canada tax refunds for visitors.
US State Department's list of tips for travellers to Canada
An American's Guide to Canada

Getting There

As one of Canada's major metropolises, Montréal is easily accessible to travelers coming from within and outside Canada.

By air: Scheduled flights, international or otherwise, fly into Dorval Int'l Airport (CYUL). Getting from Dorval to downtown is a $28 (US$18) cab ride, an $11 (US$7) coach ride, or a $2 city-bus-and-subway ride. Some charters may fly into Mirabel (CYMX), which is quite a distance outside the city. Avoid if possible.

By train: Montréal is served by Canada's VIA Rail and by Amtrak. Both of Montréal's train stations -- Gare Centrale and Gare Windsor -- are located within a five-minute walk of the McGill campus.

VIA Corridor routes to Montréal
Amtrak Adirondack to Montréal

By car: Parking will be available on-site at around $5 (US$3) per day. Yahoo! Maps can give you driving directions. Remember, Canada is Metric: speed limits are measured in kilometres per hour, and fuel in litres. Staying within the speed limit is recommended on Québec highways, where the provincial police might not speak English. Important: You cannot turn right on a red light in Québec.

By bus: Canadian and American bus lines, including Greyhound, Coach Canada, and Voyageur, stop at the Montréal Terminus, which is a short Métro (subway) ride from the McGill Campus.

On Campus

McGill University, one of two English universities in Montréal, features a peaceful, green campus right in the middle of the city's downtown.

Unlike previous years, the conference, reception, and meals will take place in different buildings. All the buildings except the residences are within a few steps of each other; the residences (and downtown hotels) are about a five-minute walk away. The image above and the campus map below illustrate the venues:

To drive to the campus, follow the driving directions which will take you to the McGill University gates; from there, turn right onto Sherbrooke Street, and then left onto University Street. Follow University Street all the way up the mountain, and take the last driveway to the right (which appears to lead to a football stadium) to reach the parking lot..

By Métro, take the Green Line to the McGill station. Find the University Street exit and walk north (uphill) until you see the University.

Rich Lafferty has a separate photo gallery of some of the conference facilities.

Accommodations

As in previous years, we will be providing inexpensive accommodations in University residences for those who desire them, and arranging special pricing for those who prefer hotels. Unlike previous years, there are a lot of hotels one block away from campus!

McGill Residences

You can book a room from McGill University Residences.

The residences are located at the base of Mount Royal Park, a short walk from the conference facilities.

Hotels

Right around McGill is what could be described as the hotel district of Montréal. McGill has arrangements with five hotels ranging from comfortable (Marriott) to luxurious (Ritz-Carlton). Please note that the Chateau Versailles is not as close to McGill as the others (about a fifteen minute walk). Information on the hotels and on how to obtain McGill University negotiated rates is available here:

McGill Travel Services -- Official Hotels

Seeing Montréal

There is so much to see in Montréal that we couldn't begin to describe it all here; instead, we'll leave that up to the folks that do it best, with some useful links. We encourage you to spend the weekend following YAPC in Montréal to discover the city.

Tourism Montreal is a great source of information, and is the official Montréal tourism agency.
See Montréal right now from the city's network of Montrealcams
The Montreal.com tourist guide
Montréal's English entertainment weeklies, Hour and Mirror
MontrealPlus has the usual tourist fare, plus recommended events during YAPC Week

For those feeling a bit of wanderlust, it's a short drive from Montréal to Québec City, the capital of the province of Québec, and to Ottawa, the capital of Canada.