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Gare centrale - Via Rail
Categories: Hotels & Travel Transportation Public Transportation Hotels & Travel Train Stations Public Transportation, Train Stations [Edit]
895, rue de la Gauchetiere OuestMontréal, QC H3B 4G1
(514) 989-2626
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5:30 am - 12 am
4 reviews for Gare centrale - Via Rail
2 reviews in English
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Review from Risa D.
9/15/2011
There is something so nostalgic about taking the train, especially in Canada where so much of our history is bound up with the expansion of railway ties and the possibilities these tracks opened up across our huge spaces.
In Montreal the Gare Central is a gorgeous, cavernous, partially underground space that is surprising to the first time visitor. You can access it from the Banque Nationale entrance on Rene-Levesque but this is not clearly indicated until you are already through the front door. Taxis come in through the entrance on De La Gauchetiere, and pedestrians can come in that way as well but it's a bit chaotic with all the cars and cabs.
Once inside, the space is so lofty and enormous it's hard to imagine how it all fits under the stately old Queen Elizabeth hotel and bank tower. There is a fairly large food court that connects to the other underground malls and includes a nice mix of smaller cafes and larger chains (the obligatory Tim Hortons, and the slightly unexpected Bureau En Gros.) The large central area where passengers line up to board their trains is all brass and marble and neo-classical art like a good train station should be, and feels like a healthy mix of old timey travel and modern convenience.
The real standout of the whole experience is the train staff. Everyone from the people at the ticket counters to the porters and conductors are friendly, bilingual, professional, chivalrous and dapper in their trim hats and flapping trench coats. The food on the train is maybe one small notch above most plane food, but the seats and aisles are much more spacious and the view of rolling farmlands, lakes and small towns is good for the heart, I'm sure of it. -
Review from Andy H.
8/7/2008
One of the best train stations I have ever been to. From the moment you step off the train, you feel welcomed by the Montreal workers. You then take an escalator up to the main level, and you are welcomed by a little old man with a french accent who says "welcome to Montreal". It really made our day, after spending 10 hours on a train.
The station is a major hub not only to mass transit, but to other parts of Montreal's amazing underground city. Directly upstairs is the Fairmont Queens Elizabeth Hotel. I stayed at that hotel, so all I had to do was take an escalator upstairs from the train station and I was in the hotel's lobby.Listed in: Oh Yelp Canada!
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French (2)
