Many tourists, travellers and visitors coming to Montreal, Canada have the Underground City, officially called RESO or La Ville Souterraine in French, as part of their travel agenda. A lot of people have definitely heard about this subterranean city and are therefore curious to see it looks like, and to experience as well what it is like to shop and eat here. Well, including moi =)
WINTER IS THE BEST TIME
You see, my eldest sister-in-law have been to Montreal before and she told me years back about this massive jaw-dropping underground city they have visited. It was amazing, she said. It was a huge city on its own, under the ground! Now, that got me really curious…
As a backgrounder, the Underground City is a network of tunnels in downtown Montreal connected to the Montreal Metro, a number of large shopping centres and office complexes. It is an attraction in itself, and a great feat as well, for Canadian engineering and urban planning.
Here is the catch: My sister-in-law went to Montreal during WINTER.
Winter is key for visitors wanting to experience a unique and one-of-a-kind underground experience. Because when its winter in Montreal, the main shopping street Saint Catherine would look glum, stony and greyish. Well, black and white I guess if there is snow. So coming from a bleak setting like this and stepping into a subterrestial world of warmth, colour and fun will definitely heighten the senses, offering a really one-of-a kind experience.
It’s like traversing on a winter landscape, and then the next minute you are hurled into summer camp. You can even physically see winter from the underground because some parts of the complex have glass ceilings. It is indeed a world on its own; free from bad weather, smog, dirt, traffic and street troubles. A bit surreal right? Yes it can be in the winter.
But when it’s not winter, you will not see much of the stark difference at all. Because the underground city will just look like the usual shopping malls you see everywhere anyway. But if you are curious, you can still go. But yeah, don’t tell me I told you so…
I also grew up in the Philippines, a country that defines the mall culture like no other country can. Malls therefore does not excite me, and the malls back in the Philippines can compete, and in fact, are much better than the malls in America. Fact: Out of the 100 largest shopping malls in the world, 25 are located in the Philippines. Here: List of 100 largest shopping malls in the world
ACCESS
The Underground City is located in downtown Montreal. There are actually many entry points but for a visitor who doesn’t know the city much, I suggest going to Saint Catherine Street, the main shopping street of Montreal. From here you just enter the metro and any of the big shops and just go down the stairs. My niece and I asked around when we were there as we didn’t see any Underground City sign and were told that most of the large shops have access to the Underground City.
The building and parking place that I parked 11 floors underground was also part of the Underground City network. Below you will find a map of Montreal’s Underground City.
This was the ground floor of the building (Centre de Commerce Montreal) where they have 12 floors of underground parking. I parked 11th floors in the recesses of this building =) Cool huh.
Travel Period: September 2015
Destination: Montreal (Quebec), Canada
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