Montreal 2014 itinerary Sunday: June 29 Departure at: train # 62: 9:25 AM, arrives at 2:23PM at Montreal Gare Centrale. Seats are reserved for our group. Meals are also pre arranged and will be served on board. Upon arrival at the train station, the transfer to Travelodge Centre ville Montreal will be provided by Autobus de Chartrand Inc. Duration of 10 minutes. After settling in their rooms, the group will make their way to the metro station to secure their STCUM weekly pass. 17H30: Dinner on site at the hotel. 19H00: 60 minute tour with Amphibus, départure on la rue de la Commune. This tour will take the group through most of the main landmark of Montreal even on water! During the evening, stop to watch street shows as the 2 festivals: Just for Laugh and Complètement Cirque are in full swing. The hotel is located very close to the Places des festivals. 23H00: Lights out, you need a good night s sleep! Monday June 30th White Water rafting in Lachine 7H30 breakfast at the hotel. Today you experience the Montreal metro which will take you directly to Angrignon. Be prepared for a day packed with excitement. Our guides, Montreal Rafting, will take our group through an exciting but safe excursion on the Lachine falls. After the welcoming and safety instructions, you will get your safety equipment and board your boat and get set for a fun adventure. 13:00: After retrieving our bags and changing into dry clothes, our guides will drop us off to a nearby restaurant, Le Crescendo, for a meal on the terrace overlooking the shores of the St Lawrence river and a view of beautiful Nuns island. Back to the hotel for a time of discovery of the Old Montreal and some time for shopping. 18H00: Dinner at the hotel Free time in the evening with the counselors. 22H30: Lights out.
Tuesday July 1st Journée de la fête du Canada / Vieux Port 8:45AM: Breakfast 9H30: Leave the hotel for a short walk through the street of Old Montreal to the Pointe à Callières. 10H00: Interpreted tour with a program entitled Where Montreal was born with multimédia. Duration of 90 minutes. At Pointe à Callière, history leaves traces... in the hearts and minds of our young visitors! They travel back in time and find themselves on the point of land where Montréal was born. It a tangible and moving experience as they handle authentic remains and objects, like a Native pipe from before 1650, the town s first Catholic cemetery a marble from the 18th century... the wooden floor of a 19th century building. After a short break and a snack, the children will engage in a program of simulated archaeological dig called Archéo adventure: duration of 60 minutes. The Archaeo Adventure workshop is the perfect opportunity to find out what archaeologists do. Under the supervision of a chief archaeologist (interpreter guide), your students will use the scientific approach to conduct an investigation. They ll dig in the ground, find traces from the days when Natives camped here right up until the British regime, analyze their finds in a laboratory and learn how people lived in days gone by. 13H00: 25 minutes walk to world famous restaurant Dunn s. Experience the Montreal smoked meat where it all began! With your belly full, you will make your way back to the Basilique de Notre Dame. 16H00: Enter the majestic cathedral for a guided tour of the travelling exposition: Les Trésors de Napoléon, duration of 90 minutes. With more than 350 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, books and decorative arts, including furniture, porcelain, gold, silver, tapestries and jewellery, the Treasures of Napoléon exhibition presents a collection of artworks that played a major role in Napoléon s life. 18H30: Dinner at the hotel In the evening, we will enjoy the fireworks and the Canada day celebration in Old Montreal.
Wednesday July 2nd Journée du Parc Jean Drapeau 8H15: Breakfast Head over by metro to Jean Drapeau park, set on Ile Ste Hélène, site of the Expo 67 for an afternoon of outdoor fun. Biosphere: You will start the day by visiting the Biosphere. Housing the United States pavilion during the Expo 67 world's fair, this architectural masterpiece was designed by noted American architect Buckminster Fuller. The Biosphère is a unique and spectacular site, located in the heart of Montreal at Parc Jean Drapeau. Visit its educational exhibitions to get a better understanding of major environmental issues: air, water, etc. There are 2 expositions sand 1 activity: 1 O.N.E. Outfits from a New Era: This exhibition showcases 16 outfits fashioned from mass consumer products. Accompanied by art videos and soundtracks taken from the Canadian music scene, these unique creations present car parts, batteries, salmon skins, electronic waste and other cast offs from our society in a whole new light! Charming, provocative, realistic, a must see! 2 A feast of senses: The majority of Canadians live in cities. It is also true that many of us live just minutes away from city parks and nature. However, we likely don't take advantage of this as much as we could. Biodiversity is rich in urban areas too, just as it is in more remote ecosystems. Alone, with family or with friends, it is simply a matter of letting our senses reveal it to us. Think of the pink light of the rising sun, the smell of flowering crab apple trees, the songs of birds at dawn, the taste of a stem of grass... 3 Bio kits: Located in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, île Sainte Hélène is teeming with life! Armed with a GPS or a map, explore the Biosphere s surroundings while looking for clues to the treasure chest of Pehr Kalm, one of the first botanists to explore the island s natural treasures. At each point of interest, you are offered activities and the choices you make will determine the next steps in your adventure. Familiarise yourself by reviewing the documents at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/biotrousses biokits/d435c131 64B2 4AC5 9372 0D05F39E7DA7/BioHel ene_lettre_fra.pdf. http://www.ec.gc.ca/biotrousses biokits/d435c131 64B2 4AC5 9372 0D05F39E7DA7/BioCar net_ste Helene_Lettre_Fra.pdf You will then have lunch onsite and head over to the beach / pool on the island.
Beach: Picture a beach located just five minutes from downtown. Imagine the great feeling of a refreshing dip. Yes, this tiny corner of paradise exists at Parc Jean Drapeau, the ideal spot to lounge in the sun or take part in nautical activities, beach volleyball or open water swimming. 17H00: Souper à l hotel 18H30: The Street Complètement cirque : The circus arrives in town! Meet early at the corner of Sherbrooke and St Denis to witness the festival Complètement Cirque big opening parade. Place Emile Gamelin at the intersection of Maisonneuve and Berri: spectacle Complètement Cirque: Babel Remix: Attend this show either July 2 at 21H30 or July 3rd at 19H00 or 22H00 according to weather. Thursday July 3rd Journée centre de Science de Montréal 9H00: Breakfast Walk 10 minutes to the Science centre. 10H30: Begin your day with a visit back in time to the Grottes de Lascaux. Step back in time to the dawn of humanity and discover frescos created 20,000 years ago, long before civilization's humble beginnings. Reproduction of the Grottes from the south of France are on display as well as the history of the discovery. Head to Science 26: 26 letters, 26 stations that showcase science and its daily uses and invite you to get involved. For example, edit movie scenes at the ANIMATION station. 12H15: Lunch onsite. 13H00: You will then participate in the Mission Gaia as a team: A great collective game: people get together to find solutions to environmental or social disasters, and implement sustainable development. 14H00: The group will then head on to the IMAX theater located within the complex. Experience a one of a king IMAX adventure: Discover the incredible true story of nature's greatest explorers: the lemurs. 15H30: : Leave the centre and head to Ste Catherine for shopping Montreal style.
18H30: Dinner at the hotel, followed by a street show and free time. Friday July 4th Journée Mont Royal / Caves / Tohue 7H45: Breakfast 8H30: Leave by metro direction: the Mont Royal 9H30 11H30: Activity Fort Rallye at the Mont Royal lead by a guide from the organisation Les Amis de la Montagne. Campers organized in team will go through challenges to win keys that will open the treasure chest. A hands on activity to discover the geology and biodiversity of the mountain. Catch a glorious view of the city from the mountain! 11H30 12H30: Lunch onsite 13H30 Transfer with school bus to the Caves St Leonard 14H30 16H15: Many Montrealers don t know that Saint Léonard has caves listed as official Heritage Sites of Local Interest and have walls of that are ridged with stratified limestone. Discovered in 1811 or 1812, it is one of the rare cave system located within a residential area The temperature in the caves is 5C and the humidity level is 100 so come prepared! 16H45: Make your way to the La Tohue complex by bus. Located in the heart of the Cité des Arts du Cirque, TOHU aspires to be the prime North American circus venue for performance, creativity and experimentation, as well as an active hub where culture, environment, and community involvement converge. TOHU is driven by its desire to position Montréal as an international capital of circus arts while striving to become a benchmark for sustainable development through culture. DInner at the Tohue s Bistro 19H30 The show: Les 7 doigts de la main. What a fantastic present! Les 7 doigts de la main wishes the Festival a happy anniversary by dedicating an exclusive show! Always pushing the envelope, Québec s beloved troupe invites the audience to an immersive journey. Young and old are invited to follow an interactive course, where playful installations plunge us into the centre of a 360 stage, Intersection, leading us wherever we have gathered the flavours, odours, movements and emotions that make up the baggage of our lives. At the intersection of paths that encourage us to go meet each other, to dare to touch and be touched, spectacular acrobatics draw us into the trajectories of singular characters who cross paths with the spectators. With this unique experience, Les 7 doigts de la main draws the material for their human, lively and inspiring circus from our private lives. 21H15: Chartered school bus will bring the group back to the hotel. Pack your bags and organize your rooms for tomorrow s departure. Saturday July 5th Departure to Toronto 7H30: Breakfast
9H00: Arrive at the Gare Centrale Leave on Train #63 at 10:10 Lunch is reserved on the train. Arrive at Union Station Toronto at 3:35PM. Pick up is at Union Station at 3:35 PM sharp. Please do NOT BE LATE, unless you are meeting at Mimico.